Just Chit Chat and a Little Rant

So, now that I am back in the blogging mind frame you people will have the joy of listening to me droll on about just about anything now. When I get into the mid set I really do enjoy writing, and that is probably why my blog has been so successful to date. Today I thought I would share a little story about how I think the Auckland transport drivers have been in cahoots with with the highly over paid self righteous Halifax transit drivers, and a little about my adjustment to living as a vegan for the past little while. If it sounds like those topics would bore you, you might want to change the station now.

So, yesterday I took Tia to the library as we do pretty much every Thursday for their wriggle and rhyme time. Most days we walk there and back, but most recently we have taken the train a few times. Tia, like any other 2 1/2 year old loves all things transportation. So it is exciting to take the bus, she loves watching the trains come and go, airplanes, diggers etc have a certain je ne sais quoi about them that draws the inquisitive little eyes to them. So last week we took our first train trip and she was over the moon excited! We live so close to downtown that we only take it two stops and then get off but she loved it all the same. So because the train actually takes us a bit past the library we get off at the main transport hub and catch a free bus up to the library and it makes it all the more exciting that she got to take a bus and a train, whoo! So yesterday she was feeling a bit cold and fluish but still wanted to go to the library so I offered up another train trip so that we didn't have to walk. We got our stuff together and walked the very short distance to the train station by our house ( I mean really short, even with 2 year old legs it took about a minute and a half to get there). The train ride was everything she remembered from last week and just as exciting, and this time she got to carry her own snack and water in her purse she got for her birthday. We came up the 'moving stairs' to the ground level and headed to the bus stop to grab the free bus that runs every 10 mins around the city centre. Upon reaching the bus stop a woman asked if we were waiting for the city link, when I said yes she informed me that it was not running until 2:30pm and inquired as to where I was going. I mean it would be a mild inconvenience for this bus not to be running, it is a city of 4 million people there are other buses that run past the library but it would mean having to pay a small fare. So I told the, seemingly helpful, woman that we wished to go to the Auckland central library and asked which bus I could take. Then she said, " Oh yea......you're going to have to walk. No buses are running until 2:30pm because of the union meeting." And pointed at a sign posted on the bus shelter.  I'm sorry what did you just say to me!? You mean to tell me that these fools thought that between the hours of 9am-2:30pm on a weekday was a prime time to have a union meeting so in turn they are going to inconvenience thousands of people? God forbid you have a effing meeting AFTER work, I am sure the union would shutter at the thought. It makes me wonder if perhaps the tales of the demanding, self serving, arse holes of bus drivers in little old Halifax haven't spread among the land and now uneducated unionized chimps everywhere are demanding a life of luxury as well. Stuff like that just really grinds my gears. Why on this earth do cities value the 'skill' of bus driving over so many other needed professions!? Unions! That is the answer, because every group of drivers has a snot nosed little union leader that has some sort of little man complex and feels the need to flex their muscles if given the chance. So thank jeeba that the trains were still running because I would have had to walk home with a sickish 2 1/2 year old and no stroller :(.

We made it to and from the library with only a medium amount of hassle which was pretty decent, I am just stoked we live so close to both town and the train station. The library story time is like so many other around the world. There is either some mousy woman who "just loves kids" singing some songs and books about whatever, or it is the girl that drew the short straw in the back and can't wait for it to be over. I would love to go once a week and do a story time at a library. Stories would spread like the herp about the amazing girl who does the best story times. I can see it now. Maybe when I am old and retired and need something to chase away the crazy. The other thing that drives me absolutely nuts is the large number of mothers that bring their children to things like this and let them act like little animals. Seriously people! It is important to teach your children how to behave in a public place, and just how to behave in general. (Oooo I just had a thought as I typed that, I could start a super nanny blog and blog about how to teach your children not to act like idiots. I will have to think about that.) Letting them clear the shelves of books in a library is not an appropriate way to act, and if you can't control your child perhaps you should be working on that before bringing them to things like this. Also, if your kid is wandering around like a feral little rat bag then it is most likely that they are not interested in whatever the mousy woman with the pop-up book is saying so take them the hell out of there! It really really irks me to no end, so much so that I nearly came to fisticuffs with a woman last week because her feral little rat bag kept taking Tia's cup out of her hand. Meanwhile the woman was over chit chatting with her friends and had no idea where her child was or what she was doing. I tried to politely move the child away from Tia and encouraged Tia to use her words with her and tell her no. Then after about the 5th time moving the child away from Tia I just picked her up trotted her over to her mother and said, "Yer kid keeps taking the snack out of my child's hand. Here!" And walked away. Five minutes later the child was on the other side of the library ripping books off of shelves while the mother was yet again no paying attention. I fear for my safety as a senior citizen because these are the children that will be looking after me. Why is no one parenting their children anymore!!!!?? Argh! But seriously a Nanny Hard Ass blog, what do you think?

The sugar free, gluten free, vegan cookies I made fresh from
the oven. A little treat for Tia, or and Julian said,"It
doesn't sound like a treat, it sounds like a sentence." They
Were not bad though!

So now that I have given my notice and am jumping ship some of you might be thinking that one part I am growing weary of is the vegan diet. I am not vegan, and have never had any desire to be vegan. I love several meat products as well as cheese, eggs and yogurt. I pass no judgement on the vegans, to each their own, it is just nothing I aspired to do. These guys made the choice to go vegan about a week or two before my arrival (a little welcome present I guess) and we have been living vegan ever since. Well, living vegan while I am in the house, I occasionally slip up to the dairy for some chocolate or stop by a burger place on the weekends. We are not only vegan but no sugar and mostly gluten free. At first it was a lot to get used to, and since they aren't long time vegans there seemed to be a bunch of trial and error dishes being served up. I didn't mind the trial ones so much, it was the error ones that had my taste buds running from my mouth. Now a days I don't mind the vegan so much. I still eat cheese every chance I get but have learned to love many things about what we do here. I find that vegan cooking is very creative and interesting. Often with very different and delicious flavours. I have tried my hand at a few things and am interested to see how things turn out. Just today I made some sugar free, gluten free vegan cookies that actually weren't half bad. There are lots of things that we do here that I will probably continue to do once I move out in August. Things like, sprouting your own sprouts, using lentils a lot more then I once did, chocomole (delicious!), and a few recipes from the vegan bible. So no, I won't continue the vegan life once I move out of here but I am glad I got to experience it a bit and will certainly take some things away with me.