5 On Friday: June 5th, 2009

1) After today, there are 4 more Fridays before Wellington is due. Holy-Mary-Sweet-Mother-Of-God.

2) Braces Update:

I bet you all forgot I've been wearing braces, didn't you? Well, here's a fun fact...I was wearing them in all our maternity photos! Anyways...back to the update.

Today was the end of 'Phase 1' of my invisiligns. I've been wearing them for approximately 9 months now (got them right before becoming pregnant). So I went in to get new 'impressions' (basically a mold) of my teeth today, to be sent off again and new trays made, because my new smile is not quite complete. My dentist even said I may need a Phase 3, but we'll see how Phase 2 goes.

So, as a comparison, here's a photo from my first day with the invisilign braces, and a photo from a month or so ago (I was lazy and didn't take a new one today...) to compare and see how my teeth have shifted in 9 months. (Warning - change may only be noticeable to me! It's subtle, but it's there. This is still a work in progress...also, semi-gross close-ups of my mouth ahead).

PS. I have the braces on in both photos.



3) Does anyone else feel really bad for Jon & Kate (plus Eight)? I was on the verge of tears during the season premier, and ended up bawling at the end. I've fallen in love with that family over the years and my heart breaks for them right now. Of all the reality television I've consumed in my life, this is definitely the most 'raw'. And I know it's a 'business' and the show is 'produced' and ratings are King, blah blah blah, but this is a real family and a real marriage. It's just sad.

4) I think Dandelions should be upgraded from 'weed' status, to 'wildflower' status. The 'weed' stigma really makes it difficult to appreciate the true beauty of this fast-sporing flower. I would love to be able to proudly announce that I have cultivated a healthy crop of wildflower dandelions in my backyard.

5) I emailed Warren on Wednesday (his day off), telling him I was told I could leave work an hour early. He responded with:

Warren: Awesome! I'll pick you up and maybe we can go for dinner and a T4 date!

Amanda: What's a T4 date?

Warren: The new Terminator movie...

Amanda: Oh! Thank-goodness! I thought you wanted to do taxes. *

(*for the record, we are done our taxes...)

5 On Friday, May 15th, 2009

1) Star Trek Movie = Excellent! Very funny, awesome character development, clever story line, great CG effects. This all coming from a girl who had no previous Star Trek knowledge before seeing the movie. I only wish I'd been warned about the opening action/labor & birth sequence.

2) Finished reading 'Lullabies for Little Criminals'. It was a really quick read, and very engaging story. The subject matter is quite sad, like all neglected kid stories are, but there is something so inspiring about these stories when they're written from the kid's point of view. Kids are so resilient. And it always reminds me how kids actually don't need a lot, and how it's usually the really simple, basic things that they crave from their parents like love, acceptance and protection.

3) In addition to *hopefully* renovating the upstairs bathroom, looks like we are also going to get the exterior of our house painted. See, when other couples start 'nesting' they do things like bake cookies, knit sweaters and clean out cupboards. Warren & I take on mammoth, stressful projects that will be the bane of our existence.

4) Our neighborhood is part of the City's 'Neighborwoods Program'. This program removes dieing Elm trees in select communities, and then offers the residents of those communities new trees to be planted in their from lawn at no cost (except $30 for the water bag). We ordered 2 trees, then came the decision to pick which type of trees we wanted. There were 6 types to choose from. I was leaning towards 2 'ornamental' trees, as opposed to the really huge Oak or Elm trees. Warren really wanted an Oak. When I asked him why he said 'because then we'd have an Oak tree that was planted when Wellington was born'. He really knows how to tug at my heart strings. So, that was it. One ornamental tree, and one beautiful Oak tree that we'll photograph Wellington beside each year, as they grow together. Maybe when the tree is really big, we'll carve his name into it.

5) We're off to Banff this weekend with the dogs. Wish us luck! It's always an adventure traveling with those two knuckle heads.

6) PS - Channel Warren is Back On Air.

5 On Friday: May 8th, 2009

1. This is a photo from last weekend of myself and my 'tall-blond-viking-bombshell' friend Becca, on our way to the S.A.I.T reunion. We've been pals for 9 years now. Her friendship is the best thing that came out of my time at S.A.I.T. , that's for sure.

Becca & I with our friend Kelly Belly, at the reunion.

2. Yesterday, everyone in my Pod at work (pod is what we call our 'cluster' of cubicles) wore blue, by total fluke. When you have an office job, you tend to find things like this entertaining. (Editors note: John, the tall man in the middle, is not developmentally challenged. He's making that face on purpose. Also, after the photo was taken I kicked myself for not taking off my black cardigan first - stands out like a sore thumb and distracts from all the blue!).

3. Finished the Jodi Picoult book 'Mercy'. It was meh. Wouldn't recommend it. Now I'm on an official Jodi break, and am reading a recommend from my mom called 'Lullabies for Little Criminals'. So far, it's great. Keri B - I will let you know if I still like it when I'm done, and maybe you can 'download' it to your fancy dancy e-book thingy.

4. Warren and I are taking the week of May 18th off, to hopefully work on the bathroom renos and other house 'nesting' type things we want to get accomplished. We may even go on a mini road trip with the dogs. I mentioned to Warren my hesitations about a 2-dog road trip, because Porter has anxiety issues and I know that a road trip with him will be less-than-relaxing. But Warren said he'd rather be on a road trip, with restrictions on what types of things we can do, than be stuck at home the entire time. Hopefully this is a sign that we'll be willing to travel with baby, knowing that it will be 'hard'.

5. My mat leave posting is up now. Over the next month we'll be reviewing resumes and then setting up interviews. Tick-tock-tick-tock.

5 On Friday: May 1st, 2009

1. A sign that Facebook has infiltrated our lives a bit too much #1:

Over the weekend I finally got around to printing & framing some wedding photos and hung them in our room, with the word 'love' about the frames. Warren came home and when he saw my handy work he proclaimed : "Thumbs up. Warren likes this".

2. A sign that Facebook has infiltrated our lives a bit too much #2:

On Wednesday, Warren confessed that 'Bruce the bat' was not the soft furry creature I'd made him out to be in my head. No, he chose to tell me on Facebook that Bruce hissed at him with beady bat eyes, but that he didn't tell me because he knew I'd freak out. So we had a back and forth conversation on Facebook about this, when we were literally one room apart from each other at home.

3. Have you hugged your Realtor lately? Seriously people, Realtor's need hugs. Especially the tall, hard working, really nice ones.

4. This week I had a crummy morning at the office. After a refreshing lunch break with my dear friend Shawna, I promptly returned to my desk and moved my 'last day' up a week on my wall calendar. Take THAT, stupid crummy morning at the office :-)

5. Email conversation between Warren & I (Warning - Erin K should NOT read this):

Amanda: Boo! We went into overdraft on the mortgage account! *

Warren: Crap! You know what else? We still need to file our taxes AND update the registration for both cars!

Amanda: Man, being a grown up SUCKS!

Warren: Tell me about it!

*For the record, we did not go into overdraft because we didn't have enough money, but rather because we forgot to TRANSFER the money...not sure which is worse, really.

5 On Friday: April 24th, 2009

1. There is an add on the bus that cracks me up every time I see it. There is a photo of a woman yelling at a man over his shoulder. The headline reads "Hear Life!". The caption below reads "Because a hearing aid is cheaper than a divorce". Reminds me of my Grandma & Grandpa. Grandma is always 'yelling' at Grandpa, but really it's just because his hearing has gone to hell.

"Peter! PETER! AMANDA is ON THE PHONE! Do you want to SAY HI??!!".

2. I've decided we need a new oven/stove. First, I scorched the bottom of my left arm making pancakes. Then, I scorched the top of my left arm cooking a roast. I blame the oven. It's old and cranky. A new shiny oven wouldn't take out it's anger on me this way, I'm sure of it.

PS - if anyone finds oven mitts that go all the way up to your shoulders, please buy me a pair.

3. I am shocked and amazed at how much recyclable stuff I used to throw away before we got our City of Calgary blue box. I still catch myself going to chuck something, only to realise I can toss it in the giant blue box. I'm excited about the program, but I'm fully expecting City Council to up the cost every year from now until eternity.

4. My mom was really confused by my last 5 on Friday post. She thought Warren & I crank Barbie Girl in the car. So to be CLEAR - we crank Poker Face. There is one line in Poker Face that REMINDS us of Barbie Girl. We are not stuck in the 1990's. I swear. And  mom, you really need to FOCUS when you're reading my blog. This stuff is very complex.

5. Latest gift from my mother-in-law: A pair of red Wellington rain boots! Or 'Wellies' as they're properly called in England.

6. Some exciting changes might happen in the Cronin household in May. My Dad has planted the idea that he will help us renovate the ridiculously out-dated (and moisture damaged) upstairs bathroom...and finally finish the Pub fireplace. Will it happen? He is smokin' busy with work these days, but I have faith that he will have some loyalty to his pregnant daughter, or 'Grampa Guilt' as I like to call it :-)

7. Super cool videos of baby development for anyone who is interested. Only downside is you have to sit through a long Winnie The Pooh movie preview before you can view them...

5 On Friday: April 10th, 2009

1. I was telling my mom how Wellington kicked me so hard the other day, that my arm bounced right off my belly. Then I jokingly said we should name him 'Hercules'. This got us onto the topic of this terrible cartoon Adam & I used to watch when we were kids. Well, thanks to the miracle that is You Tube - I found an old clip from the show! Mom, this one is for you...



2. The following song is the latest guilty pleasure added to our iTunes library. It's always the first song we crank when we get in the car.

At the 1:03 mark, there is a male voice that kicks in that says 'She's got me, like nobody'. We think this vocal sounds a LOT like Aqua's 'Barbie Girl', so when that part of the song comes, we sing 'Come on Barbie, let's go party' and it fits perfectly! (Editor's note: embedding was disabled, so here is an old fashioned link...)

Lady Gaga 'Poker Face'

3. We recently discovered the virtues of Superstore. We did a spur of the moment grocery shop there last week, and a load of groceries that I estimated would have been around $200 at Safeway, costs $131 at Superstore. We are SOLD. Now we just have to figure out when the 'quiet times' are...

4. A HUGE THANK-YOU to Erin who brought us a car seat, 2 bases & matching stroller. This way, we don't have to worry about finding the perfect stroller before Wellington comes. We can see how we like this one, BEFORE going out and spending $600 on a new one. This makes us so happy :-)

5. Anyone seen Monsters Vs Aliens? We're thinking of going, but aren't sure if it's just a 'kids' movie.

5 On Friday: April 3rd, 2009

1. I'm currently at war with our socks. We have a laundry basket full of un-matched socks, that have been un-matched for what seems like a year. When I was at Walmart last weekend, I loaded up on a whole wack of new socks, and now I plan to just out-and-out CHUCK the old ones, and start fresh. No looking back, no regrets. Good-bye stupid socks.

2. I have a 4-month white board calendar at my desk at work. I recently erased March, and added July. I wrote in bright red marker - the week of July 6th - BABY DUE THIS WEEK. It's odd to see the due date up on my work calendar...tick-tock-tick-tock.

3. We're going to make a pancake breakfast tomorrow! Complete with eggs, bacon and lots of fruit. Ahhh...the simple joys of life.

4. Advance tickets for Seinfeld go on sale tomorrow. I'm not holding out hope, because Ticketmaster is currently on my hit-list, but wish us luck anyways.

5. Warren & I took the day off together, and we ended up at Ikea. On the way out we both stopped in our tracks to gaze upon one of the over sized framed photos they had on display. It was a black & white (& some red) photo of our favorite place in the world. So we bought it.

(editors note: the bright white light in the middle is from my flash, and the darkness in the top right corner isn't actually part of the photo - don't know what caused that. I'm sure I'm also infringing on copyright laws by photographing the photo and posting it here...).

5 On Friday: March 27th, 2009

This week, I'm switching it up a bit. I'm going to post 5 of my favorite 'internet videos' at the moment. Or at least ones I've been exposed to lately, that either make laugh, make me think or just generally entertain me. I promise none of them have to do with Battlestar Galactica. Pinky Swear.

Hope you enjoy them too!

1. Lost Generation Video
I saw this on a friend's blog, and loved it. So well done. Written by a 20 year old.


2. Flight of the Concords "Business Time".
Freaking. Hilarious. Had Warren & I rolling on the floor with tears in our eyes.




3. American Rejects sing Britney Spears.
If you've heard Britney's song 'Womanizer', you have to watch this. Brilliant.


4. Who needs a movie?
Omigod. As someone who works in the 'TV Biz', the production quality this couple puts out (and charges for!) is remarkable - remarkably HORRIFIC, that is.


5. Dove 'Evolution'.
Oldie, but a goodie. Always nice to remind ourselves that the images we see in magazines are NOT REAL.

5 On Friday: March 20th, 2009

1. Finished another Jodi Picoult book - Salem Falls. This one finally had a good ending! And I liked how she cleverly showed how evidence in a trial can appear to prove someone is guilty, when they're not...and how important it is to find out the whole story before judging someone. Now I'm on to her book 'Mercy'. Not sure the subject matter is something I'm going to enjoy (adultery and mercy killing - fun!), but I'm trying to give it a fair shot. I might have to switch to something a bit 'lighter' next...like maybe the 'Twilight' series?

2. Watched 2 great movies last weekend - that were complete opposites. 'Changeling' and 'Tropic Thunder'. I recommend both, with caveats. Tropic Thunder definitely crosses the line at points - but is a great satire, and Changeling is very upsetting at moments, but is a great drama (and shockingly based on a true story).

3. Warren & I are trying to think of a quick, cheap holiday we could take in May, to somewhere warm (our trip to Regina for a family wedding doesn't count). Right now we're thinking maybe another Vegas trip, because we still haven't been to the Grand Canyon or Fairmont Street. Throw in a show, a nice dinner, some shopping and a relaxing bath - and maybe some time by the pool - and it could be quite a delightful little vacation. Any other ideas/suggestions?

4. No one else will find this video entertaining, except Warren & I (and maybe my mom). Sorry.

I Love Battlestar Galactica You Tube Video.

The tune is oddly catchy, and it's worth checking out simply for the guy's tiny red shorts!

(P.S. - someone needs to tell me how to embed You Tube videos on Blogger...)

5. Amanda's Pet Peeve of the Day:

We've all heard the news reports about BPA in plastics, and how it's the devil and slowly killing us and our children. Well, the other day Global had a news story about how BPA was found in the inner lining of pop cans. So the soft drinks themselves were tested, and it was discovered that - *gasp* - the drink DID in fact contain BPA! Oh, the horror! But then the story ends by telling us that the amount was so minute that a person would have to drink 900 cans of pop A DAY to go over the safe BPA level limit. How the heck does that qualify as news?

6. We got our City of Calgary 'Blue Box' yesterday :-)

7. In case anyone out there is wondering - Warren has NOT blocked you from his blog, or gone private. He is just offline for the time being. He'll be back to his usual antics soon enough.

5 On Friday: March 13th, 2009

1. Okay. I'm getting really annoyed with my 'expecting a baby ticker' at the top of this blog. Every time I come to my home page, the ticker isn't there and instead there is an irritating blue question mark in it's place. If I click the question mark, I'm redirected to the bump.com website, and when I return to my blog, the ticker is there in all it's glory. WHY? Is this happening to you people too? I went with the bump.com ticker because I liked their designs, but what's the point if it never shows up properly? Wellington deserves a better countdown than this!

2. Phew. Glad I got that off my chest. Hormonal-outburst-over-something-insignificant is over...

3. I don't know if all the 'normal' couples out there will understand my excitement over the fact that Warren is OFF THIS WEEKEND. We are so envious of couples/families who predictably have evenings and weekends off together. Warren has only had 2 days off in the last 2 weeks - a Wednesday and a Friday. We're planning a breakfast date on Sunday at 1886 with a few friends, a walk around the island, and then a coffee & shopping in Kensington. Seems so simple, but I am SO excited. I'll have to make sure he brings his camera, so we can document it! Thank-you Calgary sunshine!

4. This week on American Idol the contestants sang Michael Jackson songs. Now, I know MJ has grown into a controversial weirdo, but I have to admit that I'm one those people that would probably scream, cry and dissolve into a puddle if I were to ever see him perform live. It goes back to my childhood, when I would watch taped concerts of him on VHS and just cry the whole time (gawd, I miss that teen obsession feeling...). ANYWAYS, 'Dangerous' is my favorite MJ album, and I was thrilled that so many contestants chose songs from it. Is it sad that I was 'thrilled' by something on American Idol?

5. Just finished watching Part 1 of 2 of the Battlestar Galactica finale...next week is the final 2 hour episode (they really know how to drag things out - but in a good way!). Humanity's final chapter is about to be written, people! Is Kara Thrice really the harbinger of death who will lead them all to their end? Is Galactica the dying leader that will bring them home? Are we all Cylons? Will God's plan finally be revealed? Could this post sound any GEEKY-ER???

5 On Saturday: March 7th, 2009

1. Last week 'T' sent a few of us an email asking us to send/post a photo of our pantries, because apparently you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their pantry. The only rule was you had to take the photo 'as is' - no tidying!

My analysis is that my pantry says 'Amanda lives in an old house, with a G-H-E-T-T-O pantry. A pantry that doesn't even count as a pantry. It's more like a food cupboard. She apparently likes canned lentils a bit too much, and hoards plastic bags.' I think that would be a great profile description on Lava Life, don't you agree?

But I do love those 1950's Tupperware lid holders on the door! Whenever someone house sits for us, they can never find the lids, because the bottoms are in a drawer, and the lids are in the pantry.

2. Every once in a while I'm oddly drawn to the TLC show 'Toddlers & Tiaras'. It's about the US child pageant circuit. I try SO HARD not to judge the families (mostly mothers) on that show, but damn I find the whole thing creepy. I don't understand the concept of a child beauty/talent contest that requires the child to look like a grown-up, and I don't understand spending $3000 on a dress for a 4 year old. Not to mention the superficial message it sends to these little girls. But there I go...judging.

3. Warren was in a cheeky mood this morning. I wanted to load the pantry photo onto the Mac (I'm used to doing that on the PC). So I looked for the little slit where I could slide the camera card into, but couldn't find one.

Amanda: Do I need a cable to load photos onto the Mac?

Warren: Yup, (grabs it out of the camera bag and hands it to me) how's that for service!

Amanda: (looks blankly at the cable and back at the camera). Do I plug it in to the camera? I don't see a hole that matches the cable?

Warren: (takes the camera and cable away from Amanda). Nope, no plugging. You simply hold the end of the cable over the camera, wave it around, and it will pick-up 'photo' signals in the area.

Jackass.

4. Last 2 episodes EVER of Battlestar Galactica next Friday! Then, we have the prequel 'Caprica' to look forward to!

5. I'm thinking of leaving my long-time dentist. I've been going to the same dentist my whole life, but he's no longer convenient and my ortho-dentist at Chinook has TVs at every station, and a spa attached! But I feel SO GUILTY and am afraid to call. Is that weird?

5 On Friday: February 27th, 2009

1. On Monday we went to see David Byrne at the Jack Singer Concert Hall (David Byrne was the lead singer of 'Talking Heads' - of 'Psycho Killer' fame - who has had an incredibly successful solo career). My whole family came, because the tickets were their Christmas present this year.

As we sat waiting for the concert to start, Warren & I had the following conversation...

Warren: I'm not going to have to stand and dance am I?

Amanda: No, Hon. You won't have to stand, or dance, or clap your hands, or have any fun at all. So don't worry.

Warren: Good.

Cut to an hour later, when the whole place is on their feet, dancing away, and there is Warren standing beside me, feeling the groove and clapping his hands. It was a KICK ASS concert! Loved the funky interpretive dancers, the band dressed in all white, and the white tutus they all put on for the 3rd encore. I don't own any David Byrne albums, only Talking Heads, and even though I only knew 3 or 4 of the songs they played, it was awesome. Definitely need more David Byrne on the 'ole iPod.

SIDE NOTE: I think Wellington may have been doing 'The Wave' during portions of the concert :-)

(editor's note: these are not my photos, they are stolen off the internet).

2. On Saturday we went to my Dad's for a huge steak dinner. Before leaving, we made sure to bore everyone with Wellington's latest ultrasound photos. One of my favorite photos was the one of his 'little man bits', but when presenting them to the crowd I referred to that region as 'His Junk'. My Step mom was horrified. I thought 'junk' was an endearing term, but apparently not. I guess it's up there with 'Nads'. Sorry little guy.

3. We will not be posting the 'junk' photos on the blog(s), because Warren insists that we maintain some sort of dignity/privacy for sweet Wellington. Personally, I don't think dignity/privacy and the INTERNET mesh well together (read: Shawna's Movie Monday this week), but we'll do our best.

4. I want to send out a big, public THANK-YOU to ERIN for her awesome-ness this week. We got not one, but TWO door to door drop-offs of stuff we bought at her online garage sale, PLUS she gave us the sweetest little bear rattle, blankie, hand puppet wash cloth and 1st size diapers. Thanks Erin - you kick ass.

5. Another THANK-YOU to KERI for the thoughtful Boy baby book, and to SHAWNA for the second hand (or 3rd hand?) bassinet and the cutest, softest Build-A-Bear. It's so fun to start getting little baby items to put in the nursery.

6. BONUS - Here are some photos from our farewell lunch with Gord, who is moving to Kamloops to pursue the next stage of his blossoming career. Damn I'm going to miss him!

5 On Friday: February 20th, 2009

Since we found out yesterday that we are going to be blessed with a SON, my 5 on Friday this week is about that.

1. For as long as I can remember, I always imagined myself with a son. Any names I would dream up were always boys names and any cute outfits I pictured were always boys outfits. Ever since I met Warren, I would always think how great it would be to have a mini 'him', because he's such a great guy. So yesterday's news seems to be destiny fulfilling itself. 

2. As soon as the technician said 'it's a boy', I felt a sudden surge of panic, for some odd reason. For a split second, all the associated challenges with boys flooded my brain. Will he be hard to potty train? Will he struggle in school? What about ADHD? How will we stop him from playing video games 24/7? Will we have to get up at 5am to take him to hockey practice, or will we be lucky and avoid all that?

3. As I grinned at the monitor, and up at Warren, I felt the warmest, softest tear trickle from my right eye.

4. I also wondered if any of us Calgary ladies would EVER have a girl??!!

5. Driving home, Warren & I were chatting about how odd it felt to know. It was so final, so certain. No more wondering and dreaming about one or the other, drifting through the options from day to day depending on our mood. This was it. We're having a son. A boy. And we couldn't stop giggling.

5 On Friday: February 13th, 2009

1. I just finished my second Jodi Picoult book - 'Nineteen Minutes' - and really liked it - except for the ending, again. I wonder if this is a theme with this author? In this case, I probably saw the 'twist' coming for a good 20 pages or so, but I thought to myself "if this is where she's going with all this, then she'd better have a really good reason". But no such reason was given, that I could tell. I felt like it was a twist for twist sake, that didn't really fit with the character and I didn't understand the motive. Anyway...I've started my 3rd one now, 'Salem Falls', and I remember Keri saying she was so mad with the ending that she threw the book across the room...

2. I'm afraid I'm going to totally cop out on this weeks 5 On Friday (but I figure I'm entitled, since both K & E missed their 10 on Tuesday), by using up the last 3 spots with my remaining pregnancy posts. Now, we're officially up to date!

Stay tuned for exciting new weekly features like 'Wellington Watch' and...okay...just Wellington Watch, that's all I got.

3. Good Bye and Good Riddance

4. Telling

5. A Letter To Wellington (your new nickname)

5 On Friday: February 6th, 2009

1. Took my little brother & sister to Build-a-Bear on the weekend, and DAMN it was fun! I think part of what made the experience so great was that they are very sweet, grateful kids. Plus - my 27 year old brother came along and decided to make a bear too (they really suck you in with all the cute displays and the hundreds of choices). So he had to jump up and down and do the whole 'heart' ritual - hilarious (he even gave his bear a 'shower'). He made a Batman Beaver named Bruce Wayne.

2. This week marks the halfway point - 4 and a half months pregnant. I'm pretty sure the baby had a bit of a growth spurt this week. When I'm lying down in bed, I'm constantly feeling my little 'bump'. I keep grabbing Warren's hand and making him feel it, but he usually just gives me a courtesy 'ohhh...yaaa...neat'. This time I grabbed it and said 'feel this!' and I got a more sincere 'holy crap!' in response. There's definitely someone growing in there. Of course when I'm standing it's still hardly noticeable - but not for long I'm sure!

3. One thing on the to do list this weekend: REMOVE SECURITY BARS FROM BASEMENT WINDOWS. My heart breaks for the families of those 3 young people who died this week in a basement fire.

4. Out of NOWHERE, my workplace has banned 'blogs' at the office. I can no longer read my favorite blogs from work. This puts me in a very bad mood, but at the same makes me look forward to my mat leave even more (as if I needed another reason to look forward to it)!

5. Went to my first Flames game in at least 10 years last night (thanks again Tiff & Rob!). I quite enjoyed it and Warren & I both thought about what a fun experience it would be for a kid - ONLY if the Flames scored a lot. I kept wanting them to score - not to win - but just so that those huge flames would shoot out from the JumboTron and the buzzers would go and the stadium screens would flash red and the crowd would go nuts. So fun!

5 On Friday: January 30th, 2008

1. Here are some pics from our trip to Banff last weekend. I took some fantastic video too, and want to have a go at putting together a little video eventually, but for now photos are all I got. Because it was so frigidly cold while we were there, the longest stretch of time we spent outside was probably 1 hour , up at Lake Louise, observing the Ice Carving Competition (which is what my video will be featuring). The rest of the time was spent outside for minutes at a time, then finding things to do INDOORS. Like ordering room service and an in-room movie (Slumdog Millionaire - excellent!!!). It was a really great, picturesque getaway.

First - Our King size bed!


Then, the Ice carving competition.

2. Although we tried to be careful up in the icy mountains, there was sadly one lone casualty.

My new Mac Pressed Powder.

Why do they have to make bathroom floors out of hard, unforgiving tile?

RIP my friend. *sniff*

3. Now that Warren is a blogger, I'm no longer the only one to blurt out "That's totally going in the blog!", followed by the token response "No way! You'd better not!".

This next anecdote might fall under the 'Conversations with Warren & Amanda' category, I'm not sure. After it happened, Warren said SMUGLY "Yup, that's going in the blog". But I forbade him. Because there is no way to tell the story without me coming out the other side sounding like a total bi*ch. Since I know it is a story he will throw back in my face over and over and over again, I decided I will out myself before he has the chance.

So here it is:

Warren & Amanda are watching Slumdog Millionaire in their hotel room, which is in the last 15 minutes of the movie. On the verge of the plot climax.

Warren: Where's the remote? Can you pass it? It's too loud.

Amanda: (gingerly passing the remote) Here. But BE CAREFUL. Really. Be sure NOT to hit the CHANNEL button, ONLY the VOLUME button (sounding more annoying and condescending than ever). If you hit CHANNEL we LOSE the movie completely and will be CHARGED to order again.

Warren: (takes remote and attempts to push a button).

Amanda: CAREFUL!!!!

Warren: Geeze!! I'm being careful. GAWD. (gingerly lowers the volume).

A couple minutes pass.

Amanda: I can't hear! (grabs the remote, NOT gingerly, and begins to hit the *volume* button, NOT carefully, only to watch the screen go black and discover she was holding the remote upside down. Meaning the volume button was on the other side, and she actually hit the channel button).

WOW.

I had no words. What could I say? I was in such a blur of my own stupidity and utter embarrassment that I don't even remember what Warren said to me after that. All I remember is him muttering under his breath something like "If that had been me, I'd be a dead man..." as he stomped off to seek comfort in his beloved MAC and begin surfing the web.

Needless to say, I had to call the front desk and grovel and tell them my sad story. Turns out the warning before the movie had a been a bit alarmist, and you actually could re-select a title you've already ordered, and it would play from where you left off.

PHEW.

But our relationship didn't come away un-scathed. I have an inner no-it-all bi*ch, and my dear husband now has proof.

4. Hm mm...any other stories from Banff I can share? Oh - I know! One tradition we have every time we go to Banff, is to visit 'The Trading Post' gift shop by the river. "Why?" you ask? Well...to see the Banff Merman of course!

He's kept safe inside a large glass casing, similar to a fish tank. Post cards graced with his image are sold for 30 cents each.

5. I will end this edition of 5 on Friday with the 'Disappointment of the Week'.

Our new blinds were (FINALLY!) installed in the bedrooms, living room & dining room this week. Great, right? Mostly, yes. They look great and exceeded our expectations. But the disappointment comes in to play when I enter the baby's room. You see, Warren's mom made us some lovely curtains for this room, and we matched the paint color to them. We had a perfectly adorable green room (green is my favorite color, and also happens to be a generic baby color!). When the sun came through those curtains, it lit up the room with a soft, serene glow that I loved.

The new blinds have a big (beautiful) molding around the top, so hanging curtains directly over them isn't an option. If we try to hang the curtains higher, we no longer see the lovely molding plus, the curtains would be too short.

Honestly, I'm over it. The blinds look great. But it was really hard to say good bye to those curtains that I always imagined being a part of the nursery.

5 On Friday: January 23rd, 2009

1. The other night Warren and I were watching TV, and a 'Charmin' toilet paper commercial came on. It had those Charmin Bears, and they were mowing grass and clipping trees. Our conversation went like this:

W: Since when do bears do landscaping?

A: Hon, they're cartoon bears. They can do whatever they want.

W: Well, if I could do whatever I want, I sure as heck wouldn't be doing yard work.

2. I went to see 'The Wrestler' on the weekend. Aside from missing the first 15 minutes waiting in line for popcorn (I have my priorities people), I liked it. Wasn't quite what I was expecting - it's not a 'Rocky' comeback movie, that's for sure. And there was quite a lot of nudity (that could be good or bad I suppose). And there was one scene that was quite gruesome (again, good or bad, depending on your taste). But all of it rang very true - nothing was sugar coated. And Micky Rourke definitely fit the part of washed-up old wrestler, right down to the bleach blond hair and fake tan. He was a likable loser, and I enjoy those types of characters. Makes you rethink who deserves a second chance.

3. Tomorrow is my 1 Year Blog-Aversary with Cronin Chronicles. Since January 24th 2008, I have posted 88 times (including this one), which really doesn't sound all that impressive. That's an average of one post for every 4 days (roughly). Is my math right? Because when I put it that way, it doesn't sound too bad!

4. Since the world is a BUZZ with Obama fever, I will join in with my bit of Obama praise. But it won't be for the reasons you are expecting.

There is a little (well, not literally) American man who I'm not a big fan of. His name is Micheal Moore. I'm guessing his career is going to suffer soon, because how on earth will he be able to continue producing his anti-American propaganda movies now that The Messiah is in charge?

So, thank-you President Obama, for *hopefully* ruining the career of Michael Moore, at least for a few years. God Bless you and God Bless America.

5. Birthday pics from Open Sesame! Tiff - so sorry you couldn't make it. You were missed.

I'm 29 forever now peoples!

5 On Friday: January 16th, 2008

1. Sometimes, when sending an email, I am absolutely horrified when the spell checker comes on. Seriously, three misspelled words in ONE sentence? I used to blame the fact that I grew up attending French Immersion schools, but I think after all this time that is no longer a valid excuse. I'm really terrible at double letter words - recommend, preferred etc...is it double c and double m? double r or double f or both? And the ie/ei thing kills be every time. Without spell checker I would constantly misspell weird, believe and relief.

2. Guess what I'm doing tonight (hopefully)? Taking down the Christmas Tree. Yes, I know, I probably shouldn't admit that publicly. What's the date on this post? January 16th? *sigh*. My only defense is that it's a FAKE tree, so it's not like it's wilting and shedding and becoming more and more of a fire hazard each day...and we don't turn the lights on anymore.

3. I can tell already that this season of the Biggest Loser is going to make me cry, A LOT. Speaking of TV - does anyone know what starts up again tonight? BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA!!!!!! The end is near, and I'm so excited to find out the final secrets, but so sad to know it will all be over soon. Any other BSG geeks out there? Anyone? (tumbleweed goes by...)

4. My mom is taking me to 'STOMP' on Sunday. Has anyone seen it before? What did you think?

5. It's confirmed - a Banff getaway is indeed in my future! We're off for a romantic weekend in the snow capped Rocky Mountains next weekend. I always remind myself that people travel from all over the world to visit Banff, and it's literally on our doorstep. It will be a lovely birthday treat for me! (And Warren will probably enjoy himself too).

5 On Friday: January 9th, 2009

1. Over the holidays I read 2 books. TWO books. That's insane for me. I literally gobbled them up without taking a breath. The first was 'Rush Home Road' by Lori Lansen. A really great character driven story that just kept me wanting to know more. The second was 'My Sister's Keeper' by Jodi Picoult. I asked for a Jodi Picoult book for Christmas because I've heard so many good reviews from friends. This one also kept me wanting more with each turn of the page, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The jury is still out on the ending though. I'm not a big fan of stories that get wrapped up in 'perfect little packages' like this one did, but I have to admit I didn't see the final 'twist' coming, and I really should have.

2. Speaking of twists, Warren & I watched a movie called 'Wanted' starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, and the hunky James McAvoy. Warren found it for 10 bucks in the discount bin. Jury's out on this one too - it's over stylised, too violent in some parts and basically just ridiculous. But the story line is kind of interesting and it's visually very cool, and it opened my eyes to the amazing talents of James McAvoy, who is the clear winner in the movie. It has a great ending and a couple good twists (that Warren & I each guessed were coming, of course making us both very Smug, as usual). Angie is in purely for the paycheck, and the Producers put her in purely so they could print her name on the poster, and put her front & center on the cover of the DVD. She had barely any lines, and her character could have been played by anyone. I think Denise Richards would have been a better choice. Let's face it - I like a leading lady with curves. (And I don't care what In Touch Magazine tells me - Angie does not have 'healthy curves'. I don't even think Warren enjoyed her 'walking away, nude' scene, because there is nothing sexy about a towel hanging off a tattooed skeleton).

3. I didn't make official New Year's Resolutions this year, but one thing I do want to do is finish posting about our London/Paris trip!! And our trip to Kootenay Park Lodge. Really, this shouldn't be as hard as I seem to make it.

4. Warren found a good deal at the Rimrock in Banff - $109/night. So maybe a weekend getaway is in our future?

5. On Wednesday we had a new dishwasher installed, because the old one crapped out. I have to say, the stainless steel blends nicely with the 70's kitchen, and the other 20-year-old appliances :-) Oh, and that same night, our garage door opener stopped opening. God Bless Old Houses.

6. PS - Why has no one gone over to give my husband some love at CHANNEL WARREN? Is it because he's a guy? Is it because you don't 'get' him? Is your blog roll already too long and you just can't squeeze in another? Or is it because he is so awesome you just end up feeling bad about your own blogging? Really people, he doesn't bite. Sure, he's a bit odd, and really smug, and sure he sometimes grows his hair a bit too long, and his skin is really pale, but he's not a bad person. If you're short on time and don't want to read through all his posts, I recommend these ones (all clickable links):

Bizzaro World Bucket List
Heart of The Ocean
Mr. Gorbachev...Tear down these walls...
Coffee Table Republik

And, for nostalgia's sake...

The Most Memorable Moment of 2008 (written by yours truly, and still cracks me up beyond belief)

Go forth, enjoy, and COMMENT!

5 on Saturday: January 3rd, 2009

Geez, you'd think I could at least try and start the New Year off on a good note and actually post on Friday. Oh well.

1. Warren's parents just had their 50th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1958, and they still seem to like each other a lot. Very INSPIRING.

2. Laughter feels so good. Here is an email back and forth with Warren that had me in stitches at work...maybe you had to be there.

Amanda: I bought you some Docker corduroy pants at the charity auction today. They are size 38/34, which might be a bit big, but I figured with all the Ferrero Rochers you've eaten lately...;-)

Warren: I'm fat and getting pants from charity...how depressing.

Made me realize I should have worded my original email a bit more delicately!

3. Warren surprised me and bought us tickets to see A Christmas Carol at Theatre Calgary on Christmas Eve at 2pm. I was off work at noon that day, so we went for lunch downtown then went to see the show. I love that story - always makes me tear up.

4. The posts over at Redneck Mommy didn't turn out as heart warming as I had hoped. She's now posted Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 and the Journey's End.

5. Warren has started a website blog. I have no idea how often he'll post, what he'll post about, or if any of it will be any good. So, for now, this is not an endorsement, but rather an FYI. So please tune in to Channel Warren, and leave him some 'Welcome to Blogland' love in the comments.