Tuesday's Treats and Treasures

Yesterday I didn't manage to put a post together as I went to the 6:45pm showing of:

oh please please please go and see this movie!! Visually it's a feast for the eyes. It's hilarious and quirky, eccentric and silly and we (friends from work) laughed until our sides hurt! The only problem is it was so fast paced that I missed a lot because I was shrieking with utter glee! Which means, of course, that I'll have to go see it again...and again!! This is a movie I would buy.

So on to the treats and treasures of yore (yesterday)! My ID cards from the past 5 years!

I'm not getting older, I'm getting better! Not much change that I  can see - perhaps my face is fuller in the last one - that helps to plump out the wrinkles so I'm told...I've also started to use coconut oil (the new super food, well one of them anyways) and hope to see the clock turn back and me starting to look younger and younger...yes, I'm dreaming :)

Addendum: I know what the difference is now with the last picture - my smile is starting to slip and I look tired. I picked the right year to go.

As you may have guessed yesterday was "photo day" so let's have a look at the photos I kept close to me over the past 800 14 years that I taught at CCH...look at my sweet little puddin'pop :) I bet every one of you moms out there have a macaroni picture frame of your little cutie pies...

she was such a happy little scamp...who knew she'd grow into a surly teen?? Hah, just kidding...sort of...

one of my most favourite (and challenging) students - she used to call me "Spicy Eyes" because that was written on one arm of my glasses! She kept me hopping with her daily ritual of questions that HAD to be answered: can I break your glasses...(me - NO), did they cost $534?...(yes)...can I look down your top...(NO)...what colour camisole are you wearing?...at this point I'm trying unsuccessfully to redirect her...can you call Ed Roland?...no..(lead singer of her favourite band "Collective Soul") and on and on. Eventually I wrote down a list of her questions and my answers and put it on the side of the fridge and I'd just point at it when the questions started. Gave me a bit of a breather.

 Bad photo but I have a little hamster peeking out from inside my jacket - we had one for a classroom pet for a few years.

 What form...what grace...what?? It was "Share your Talent" day and I just had to clown around :)

What a happy crew! This was the first year that we went to the Special Olympics. A number of football players volunteered to coach the kids. They ALL had a blast!

Pre makeup, pre blonde hair extensions, pre eyelash curler, pre hair straightener, pre everthing but total CUTENESS!! Ah, Kazibelle, I do miss those innocent days...

 But whoa!! Look at those dimples would ya!! This is one of her "casual" Gr. 12 graduation pictures - what a beauty!

 A conglomeration of photos: 4 generations of Harrison men in the bottom photo - my nephew David, his son Jack, my brother Gord and my dad Doug.

Me, with darker hair, in front of the Montmorency Falls near Quebec City. And I'm thinking "braless"! Brazen hussy!

What more can I say about my one and only - she'll always be #1 in my heart!

One of my valentine cards from a student...am I the worm or the apple?

 A plaque to keep me motivated...

 At least 6-8 years ago - a wonderful group of students and staff...

Yup, I was still really enjoying my job back in those days - life was darn good. Sometimes I look at old photos and wonder to myself - "why did I get rid of that top? I love that top!! Drat!"

Now THAT top I only wore a couple of times and then donated it - you win some you lose some!

OK, this is from the middle ages...24 years ago this July. I'm graduating from UWO with my parents to support me. My dad before cancer got him in 2002 and my mom before Parkinson's took her in 2000. Kazi is there too - I was 7 months pregnant!!  I remember how brutally hot it was that day and she kicked up a storm ALL day!

Finally a pink candle (because I go through a LOT of candles) and my little "blessings" stones that got me through a lot of rough moments...

Today being Wednesday I brought home a new batch of stuff but will post about that tomorrow. Its getting past time I was on my bike pedalling fiercely through an episode of "House of Cards"!

I wish you a wonderful evening and thank you for joining me as I wandered down Memory Lane!

Look down, look waaaaaaaay down!!

My title reminds me of a show I used to watch faithfully as a child - "The Friendly Giant" - remember him? Only it was "look up...look waaaaaaaaaaaa a a y up!"

Oh what a special number. Do you know what it represents? The number of bottles of beer on the wall?  Nope. The hockey jersey number of the great one Wayne Gretzky?  Nope. Give up? OK, I'll give you a hint! If you look waaaaaaay down on my sidebar you'll see that I've finally reached the double digits in my countdown to retirement!! Yahooooooo!! Remember when it was well over 1,000??? I sure do! Once in a while though I feel kind of guilty about enjoying my countdown so much - what kind of a teacher worth her salt wants to stop teaching so badly???

It's not the teaching I want to get away from or the long hours, the students or some of the people I work with. It's simply the cessation of being part of the RAT RACE, the never-ending turn of the hamster's wheel, the living of life for everyone but myself. 

My time has come!! Almost. And I can't wait! Finally to have the time to do all of the things I've put off over the years. To read without one eye on the clock so I don't stay up too late. Wouldn't want to face the kiddies on less than enough sleep. To write without jumping up every few minutes to move the laundry into the dryer or run to the store for something I forgot to pick up for school the next day. To indulge in daydreams, walk in the forest, cycle to the beach and most of all - NOT BE ON A DAMN SCHEDULE!! 

My advice to those younger than myself, with busy families and never ending household chores and responsibilities - don't wait til you retire to enjoy life - despite my blog title life really doesn't begin at retirement if you plan things properly - I didn't unfortunately so I've rarely been off the hamster's wheel over the past 40+ years.

I've been working hard since I was 12.  I was born on a Saturday and you know that Saturday's child has to work hard for her money. Never a truer word was written! I remember every job and every painstaking moment many of them caused me. I've picked strawberries (my 1st job & backbreaking), raspberries (with a large bucket suspended around my waist, by a pair of nylons), cucumbers (that was when I learned cucumbers were covered in prickles that embed themselves under the skin like a million little slivers), rhubarb (the absolute worst - I had to soak my hands in water and baking soda to relieve the pain caused by the acidity - thank you mother dear for helping me through that misery!) and finally tobacco which was where the REAL money was. (My tobacco years will be addressed in another post, or two!!)

I also sold ad space in a local guidebook, did typing work for various people, and worked at a number of restaurants - a pizzeria, a diner and a Chinese Restaurant where for at least 20 years the owners offered me a job every time I went in to pick up food for a family get together - "no thanks"!! Though they did teach me the art of carrying several plates on each arm to save trips back and forth from the kitchen in where I washed by hand millions upon millions of plates.  Oh yes, and an A&W! I had to wear the brown and orange uniform with the lovely brown cap and hang the trays of food from car windows. 

Then, at age 20, while working at the A&W I heard about a bank teller's job opening up at the Royal Bank in Tillsonburg, a 30 minute drive from home. Yup, still with my parents but only for a few more months. I interviewed for the job, had to do a math test and typing test, and was chosen out of 50 applicants for the job. My starting salary was $6250 per year which worked out to $98 net per week. That was when I began to pay my mother $15 a week room and board. AND I didn't complain:) 

The only NEW car I ever owned (besides a much later leased car) was during the time I worked for the Royal Bank in Tillsonburg. I took out a loan and bought a new Datsun for $4100. I loved that car! I continued to work for the Royal Bank in different towns and cities for the next 14 years ending up in London because I wanted to continue my university education. Over the previous few years I had been driving up to 2 hours 1 way sometimes 2 or 3 nights a week to take courses at the university. So I transferred to London and eventually quit working full-time and began working part-time while attending university full-time. It was a bit of a risk and I had to get OSAP to cover my tuition. 

I was fortunate in that the Royal Bank gave me as many 4 hour shifts as I could squeeze in between classes so I could pay my rent and buy groceries. Even though working at a bank was not something I enjoyed they were good to me and I've always appreciated that. 

After switching majors (from English to Visual Arts) which added an extra year to my schooling I graduated from UWO on July 7, 1990.  Just over 2 months later, arriving 3 weeks early on Sept. 14, l990 I had my sweet Kazi. I had applied to teacher's college and asked for a deferment which they granted. I got to spend a whole year with my dumpling and began teacher's college in September, 1991. Finally, at the ripe old age of 36 I graduated teacher's college and began teaching that September as Kazi turned 2. Even then life was still difficult. 1992 was the year that the Ontario premier, Bob Rae, froze teacher hiring due to Ontario being in a recession. 

I can't remember what exactly went through my mind the summer of l992 but I don't remember being worried. Fortune shone on me in late August when I received a phone message from a friend telling me about a visual arts position at the adult education centre. This was the weekend before school was scheduled to begin in September l992. I took my resume to the centre and immediately got a call to come in for an interview. They gave me the job and I had the Labour Day weekend to prepare my curriculum! 

All I can say is that I was blessed with a child who loved her bed (still does) so she would sleep from 6pm to 6am on a regular basis giving me long evenings to labour over my typewriter (yes - pre computer era!) The rest is history. I LOVED working at the centre. What I didn't love was the fact that it wasn't permanent - no, I worked 10 week contracts for the next 7 years never knowing if enrollment would be high enough to run my courses. Thankfully it always was. The other negative part of the job was NO BENEFITS and NO PAY if I was off sick. 

I think I'd better give you a break! When I started this post I had no idea it was going to become an epic autobiography lol! 

So, do whatever you need to do and check back in with me tomorrow for more fascinating details in the "Life and Times of Jane"!

What a looooooong but absolutely fantastic day! It all began at 6am as we juggled time in the bathroom for showers, hairdos (Kazi's obviously not mine!), makeup etc. I managed to snap one photo of Kazi before her friend whisked her away to the university to pick up their regalia. About 30 minutes later Michael, our neighbour Alma (Kazi's adopted gramma) and I made our way to Western U as well. It was already about 30c (90F) and HUMID! I dashed around looking for Kazi as I had to hold everyone's purses during the proceedings. It took a while but finally I made my way back to Alumni Hall where the convocation was taking place. Kazi's boyfriend Steve had also arrived by this time so we took our seats and waited....

At 9:30 the grads and faculty processed in. See that blond head dead centre in the lower third of the above photo?  Yup, that's my girl!

Getting hooded...

 Ta da!  We did it!! Another major milestone reached!

 Then...out into the crazy heat for a few more photos of course!

 Proud momma!

 I get to show you Kazi's cute boyfriend - Steve!

Michael and Kazi - great smiles you two!

Showing off Western U's colours! Go PURPLE!

This is what $30,000 gets you?

My favorite photo of the day - I prefer candid shots. Oh, and that's the dress I helped pay for (that's what $250 gets you!)

She's not really that much taller than me...she had on platform sandals....it's true!

I'm stopping here for now as it's getting late...I'll let you know about the rest of the day tomorrow!