A Lost Blogging Month

I can't believe I haven't written a post in over a month.  Quite a bit has happened in that month though.  For one, my little girl started back at school and that has come with a bit of adjustment for all of us.  For the Bean, the new school year has brought new challenges.  In particular, her fourth year sees her starting a French immersion program, where half of her classes are taught in French.  Seems a little thin to me to be considered immersion, but that's the way they've structured the program and I guess it will have to do.

Also, the Bean is starting a one-day-a-week program for gifted learners.  She gets pulled out of her regular classes every Wednesday and has to commute to another school for her class.  Though I was excited this past summer when we learned that Lena would be attending the program, I have become a fair bit less enthusiastic.  For one thing, the Bean is having a hard time adjusting.  Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings are anxious times for her has she contemplates her day at the program.  I'm not sure why this is case.  I know she hates being singled out for special treatment.  She fears her friends finding out that she has been identified as "gifted", a term I am becoming increasingly uncomfortable with as well.  This explains some of her anxiety, but not all of it.  We'll see if she settles into the program a bit better as time goes on, but if not, I'm not averse to taking her out.

Also on the Bean front, we spent some time searching for a winter development soccer program for her.  Originally, she wanted to try out for the Ottawa South United FORCE Academy, which is probably the most respected program in the area.  Tryouts happened over three days and two weekends.  She went for the first day, but the girls were split into two groups - those who played for OSU and those who were from other clubs.  During the scrimmages, the Bean was frustrated by the lack of organized play among her teammates - she was playing a forward position and was often caught upfield alone with the ball with no support.  Plus, we were in a position where we couldn't make all the tryouts, so we ended up dropping out of the process.  We signed her up for the Nepean Hotspurs program instead.  I hope this is adequate to develop her skills and prepare her for competitive tryouts next year.

My depression has also kept me from the keyboard.  All my life, I've worked hard - in CEGEP, university, work.  I've seldom taken the path of least resistance, always preferring the greater challenge.  Now, though, I find even the most mundane tasks to be unbearably daunting.  I was awake at 5:30 yesterday morning worrying about getting the fall yard work done, and the laundry and shopping and all the other little things that maintaining a home entails.  Oddly, little ends up getting done as a result.  I don't often get those profound feelings of sadness that characterized my depression before, but they have been replaced with deeper anxiety and feelings of anger and frustration.  Oy!

On a happier note, another reason I haven't written in a while is because we spent a week at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  Disney is an amazing place for a number of reasons.  For the kids it's fun because it's Disney.  But for me, I was impressed with what a well-oiled machine the place is - everything from how you line up for attractions to the merchandising and marketing.  They are very good at what they do.

At the end of September, the family and I participated in the CIBC Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  The event has a real party atmosphere and I'm proud of the job my girls did in raising funds for the event and for completing the 5 KM route.  I am also extremely grateful for all the moral and financial support I got.  I hate singling anyone out for special praise because all the kind words and donations were equally appreciated, but I was especially touched that many of my donations came from old elementary and highschool friends who I really haven't seen in 25 years.  What a great bunch of people.  Throw in my university friends and colleagues and neighbours, and I was a very humbled Geoffy indeed.

Anyway, I've been feeling a little more inspired to write lately, so I hope I can back on top of my blog.  Although coming up with topics has been difficult, I hope to able to write about my search for quiet, my abiding interests of art and craft, the upcoming holidays. 

Til the next time.