LineaLanoie's Weblog

It is hard to understand how a year can go by so quickly.  A year ago he was brand new.  He was just getting his name.  Zakaryia.  So tiny.  Had to be encouraged to suck.

A year later – he recognises food and thinks anything edible must be for him.  He loves to get his hands right in there and is catching on quickly to holding a spoon. 

Happy Birthday Zakaryia! 

Being busy seems to be the bane of my existence.  I bring a lot of the busyness on myself.  Some is just stuff that has to be done – grocery shopping, laundry, food preparation, work.  But then again, some of the things that keep me busy are things I enjoy that I have added on to my already full enough schedule.   What would life be, though, if all it consisted of was the busy work that had to be done.

So, I am learning to play the upright bass (string bass, bass viol, whatever you call it – it is big and non-electric).  I am surprised at how much I have learned so far.  I am participating in the local strings orchestra – which is really way, way above me – and most of the time I am simply lost.  But I am beginning to get it!  I can play the open string notes with enough ease that I can keep up in speed.  Mind you, my bowing is a bit crappy!  Sometimes I am up bowing when I should be down bowing and then there is this sideways sliding thing the bow does when I am not looking – which is a good deal of the time since half the time I am looking a where my fingers should be to be playing the right note.

This weekend I bought a metronome.  My teacher told me I had to get one.  I am surprised at the difference it makes.  It is like having a teacher there telling me to keep up, to play faster and to not lose the beat when I am hunting for the note. 

I also found a book that shows all the fingerings for all the notes.  The first book I bought really only showed the fingerings for D Major and G scales.  There is a lot more than just those two scales to learn.  It also makes more sense to me seeing how all the notes are laid out. 

So I am on my way.  And mostly having a lot of fun.

Ten days ago Eric and Leo were in Regina together for a very important event.  Eric’s name was entered into the registry of lawyers for the province.  He has finished his bar course and his year of articling.  Now he has taken his oath and written his name in the register. 

Today we were invited up to the courthouse in PA for the induction ceremony to the court and the welcoming to the law society.  It was an impressive ceremony.  A bit long perhaps but I guess lawyers are known for their ability to ventilate hot air.  Today they had to be in their formal legal dress – robe, black pants, vest, special shirt kind of like a tux shirt (requires cufflinks if you remember what they are) and the tabs (white sort of tie thingies)

It was really pretty good to see one of my kids reach this kind of a milestone.  I will put a set of pictures up on Flikr and link to it here.

I have had about enough of this drippy eye, drippy nose, headachy cold.  I wish it would go away.  I have been getting extra rest – there isn’t a whole lot that I’ve felt like doing.  I look in the mirror and see two red gooey eyes staring back at me.  At least I can still see out of them after I’ve cleaned them off.  A warm wet cloth feels so good. 

I suppose this is as good as any week to be feeling sick.  What with a possibility of contaminated water in the area of town where my office is located, we have had to cut back to about 1/4 of our usual business.  We only have one chair that uses bottled water.  Roger and I take turns using it and then try and do as much as we can that doesn’t need running water.  Hopefully we will hear soon that the advisory is lifted but we expect to operate like this through Friday.