Onlne ordering bonanza

It's absolutely crazy to think how much I've started ordering things online. Things that I would never have thought to purchase online before, like shoes, I now don't hesitate to buy off the Internet. Since March, Glosette Girl and I have ordered:

1. Books
2. A cool T-shirt from a local clothing boutique
   
3. A video game
4. Shoes (for me and for Margot)
5. School uniform for Margot
6. A toaster oven
7. A kettle
8. A new bookshelf
   
9. Craft beer
10. Car tire inflator
    
11. Wine
12. Camping supplies (lights, new tent)
    
13. A slack line
    
14. Gravel and a plastic pipe for a mini-construction project (ordered online but I had to pick up in person so maybe that doesn't count)
15. A life jacket for Margot (ditto)
    
16. Gifts (lots of books)

And probably lots more that I've forgotten!

As long as there is a good return policy, buying shoes online isn't so scary...

Glosette Girl has also discovered a social media group where you can obtain things for free locally. You have to pick it up, but hey, it's free!

I'm doing my best to buy from stores other than Amazon but it's not easy. I still do buy thing in "real" stores but when the experience isn't as carefree and enjoyable as it was before, it's a major disincentive. I do think neighbourhood stores will continue to exist, but what will be in them isn't so clear to me right now.

9 things that have got better over the last 6 months

I get annoyed at the news articles that occasionally pop up online, which discuss how great the last 6-months have been as it allowed people to "slow down" or "get to know themselves". Or, which laughably, suggest that virtual concerts and festivals are nearly as good as the real thing. According to a recent poll, 50% of Canadians think 2020 is the worst year of their lives ever.* That's half of everyone.

2020 has been brutal, let's just accept that. But unlike those who pretend that online versions of real experiences are somehow as good, I think I can objectively and honestly say that there have been some good things out of this year's COVID-19 mess:

1. White collared jobs like mine will never be 100% in the office again in my lifetime. I was at the forefront of the stay-at-home revolution as I've been working from home in some capacity for almost 7 years. But I had to negotiate that. Now, some sort of work-from-arrangement is likely here permanently!
2. Glosette Girl learned to bake kick a** bread!
3. I never would have seen Charlevoix without this mess. 
4. I got to teach Margot a bit of piano. Was fun -she's a fast learner!
5. Expectations when it comes to acceptable office attire and hair were blown out the window. I almost had a mullet! Although I have a new hair do now it's more youthful than what I had before. I probably would never have tried this without the forced closures of barbershops and hair salons.
6. People finally realized how crappy old folks in old age homes are treated.
7. For the first couple of months there was almost no traffic on the roads. For those close enough to access some of greenspace, it was a walker's dream to get to these sites and appreciate nature even more.
   
8. Some alternative experiences have been a success. Normally, there is a fireworks display at the Casino Lac-Leamy at this time of year. But this time, in an effort to spread out the crowds, 8  locations were used to launch simultaneous and identical fireworks across the city. Was really innovative and actually more enjoyable than crowding into one location.
   
9. And (this is occasionally a mixed blessing if you ask me on a bad day!) I got to spend more time with the 'fam! Haha in all honesty we haven't fought that much and it's been more good than bad.
   

Soakin' in the lights

*Makes 2018 not look so bad in comparison! Remember this post?

Punch in the Gut for a Lil' Person

It's an anxious time around here (more than normal!) as schools release their back-to-school plans. The biggest unknowns are will Margot be back in school full time (all signs point to yes for the moment) and will she be joined by her friends?

The former is important for me. But the latter is equally important to Margot. Recently she found out that one of her best friends, W, is moving schools far away. That was a real punch in the gut for her because only a couple of days ago another good friend, L, told her she may be doing 100% online learning for awhile.

That really got Margot down and we had a long talk this past weekend about how she met W, and how she was a girl who you didn't have to ask to play with - you could just do it. In contrast, with other girls she doesn't fit in as well. I feel bad for Margot because a couple of years ago a new French public school opened up in the area (Margot goes to French Catholic school) and two of her best friends, E and S, switched schools. 

I don't feel there is much I can do for Margot with this particular problem other than listen. However, we would be willing to switch her to the French public schools as it's pretty close to our house. Margot is a trooper though and wants to continue at SFA for the moment.

The simple days of yesteryear are fast receding in my memories. Remember grade one? What about grade three? Even last year, the problems related to the ritual of back to school shopping seem pretty trivial in comparison to the big feelings Margot is feeling these days. I think she'll be fine. She's a very personable kid and joy always finds her. But it's still tough to hear sometimes.

Little Libraries

I like all the little libraries that are scattered here and there throughout this area. I'm not entirely sure where the first one sprung up in Ottawa, but in Hintonburg, the first one I recall seeing was on Melrose Avenue:

The next great novel

The only complaint I have about the Melrose Avenue little library is that sometimes people overstuff it it. C'mon peeps! Only add one or two books at a time!

Unsurprisingly, these little libraries aren't that great for high minded literature but they are pretty good for summer reading like Ready Player One, which I recently picked up and I'll probably breeze through in a couple of weeks.


A new little library has recently been installed on Bayswater Avenue (the Civic Hospital part). It is so well organized it even has adult vs. kids sections! Way to one up the competition!

Who makes these things?!