My shoe is back!

When I dropped off my shoe, I asked how long it would take to get fixed. The answer was two weeks - it would be sent out the next Thursday and back the following Thursday. (The store that came through for me was The Shoe Company, by the way.)

That ended up being accurate - they called yesterday and said it was ready for pickup.

It's great to have those shoes back, although after wearing a different pair for 2 weeks, they feel loose. I'm sure I'll adjust.

Now if only my runners didn't need replacing ....

How the Girl Guides Won the War

I spent much of this weekend (outside of boxing and the Easter Vigil and making croissants and hosting Easter dinner) reading How the Girl Guides Won the War.

It talks about the Girl Guide movement in the context of World War II, when girls used the skills they'd learned in Guides to raise money for the war effort, provide first aid, and help refugees. It talks about girls who went to an international conference, not knowing whether war would break out before they got back. (I can't imagine what that permission slip looked like.)

I've mentioned before that I'm a leader with Sparks, which is the branch of Girl Guides of Canada for 5 & 6 year olds.

We don't pull people out of bombed houses or guide people through the sewers to avoid the Nazis. In fact, if you asked me what we do at Sparks, I'd probably say something like "games, songs, and crafts".

It's true. That's what we do at Sparks.

We also learn how to put on bandaids. My girls know that if you're building a fire, you start with the small sticks and put the big logs on the outside. If there is a fire, you get outside through whatever door is closest and run to the basketball hoop. In an earthquake, you hide under a solid table.

The Spark promise is "I promise to share and be a friend", so we collect money every week for Girl Guides around the world. It's used when there are earthquakes and floods. It's used to build wells. It brings girls to Canada and sends girls from Canada around the world. We talk about what it's like to live in other places - what is the same, what is different.

At camp in June, we'll talk about fire safety as we cook our lunch over the campfire. We'll make pizza dough from scratch for supper. We'll go on treasure hunts and hikes and talk about what to do if you're lost in the woods. They'll ask what will happen if we see a bear.

We won't see a bear.

It's not about saving people from life and death situations. It's about keeping your eyes open and being prepared.

That hasn't changed.

Yup, still talking about shoes

Friday I wore heels to work.

It's not like I had a lot of choice - after all, my go-to shoes were broken. I guess I could have worn sneakers or crocks, but I went with heels.

It turns out I've hurt myself far too many times to wear heels all day. (Saturday I wore crocs.)

Friday night I went back to the store where I'd bought the shoes and said, "I bought these in the fall. I realize that's outside of your return period, but these are clearly defective and I'm hoping there's something you can do."

If they'd said there was nothing they could do, I would have gone home and approached the manufacturer. I didn't need to - they took the shoe and sent it away to have the soul re-glued.

Now, it's not back yet, so it could still be a problem, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

(And I bought another pair of shoes on Saturday.)

My feet are revolting

A few years ago, I bought a pack of 6 pairs of gym socks. I don't remember how many years ago it was, but it has to be at least 3 or four. They were short socks that didn't go up much past my ankles.

Last year, those socks started springing holes, so I bought another pack of the same socks.

The new socks made it obvious how ... deformed the original socks were getting. Somehow, the ones that didn't get holes got bigger.

A lot bigger.

Today I put on a pair of them and the heel was high enough that it didn't fit in my shoe. I feel weird throwing out perfectly good socks, but it's getting a little ridiculous.

My runners are two years old (which is almost unheard of, since I usually need new ones every year) and are still OK. I'm sure I will have to replace them soon, but I haven't gotten there yet.

On the other hand, last fall I bought a pair of black shoes. I loved them. They quickly became my default pair of shoes.

Of course, then it was winter, so I didn't wear them much. I started wearing them again a few weeks ago.

Today the sole started to come off.

So ... do I take them back to the store or contact the manufacturer? They're obviously used, but I would expect a pair of shoes to last longer than 6 months.

Thoughts?

I've mentioned before that I'm a contractor in my current job. I was originally there for six months, then two, then two, then two again.

I've been watching the Ottawa job postings - not terribly regularly, but I have been keeping my eyes open.

More accurately, I let Peter's New Jobs e-mails pile up in my inbox for a couple of weeks, then read them all at once and open tabs for the relevant jobs.

That's where the system falls apart. After about a week, I give up and close the browser, usually without actually applying for the jobs.

It's so hard to look for a job when you have a job.

Anyway, last month my contract was extended until September. I immediately made a resolution - not to even think about applying for a job unless it looked like a perfect fit.

I then proceeded to ignore the e-mails for 2.5 weeks. (Some things never change.)

Tonight I went through them and found one job that looks worth applying for. It's open in my browser as we speak.

No, I haven't applied for it. Some things never change.

Another conversation with my niece

B: ROAR!!!
Me: Ah!
B: I know you're not really scared. I read your blog.

Why yes, I have pretty much given up on titles

So the whole veggie experiment is over.

It took a long time, but I eventually started remembering that I was trying to eat more vegetables.

The big winner was salad - it turns out I like salad more than I like cleaning vegetables. The key ingredient is tomatoes.

(This is not a shock - 75% of my diet is tomatoes in August.)

The other big discovery - fried onions (found in the crouton section of your grocery store). Very tasty. (Not healthy, but tasty.)

We're four days into April and I'm still pretty consistent with the veggies, so that's good. Plus, I still have fried onions. Can't let those go to waste.