My Facebook Friend Benita's "8 Random Things" list

Benita writes:

I was recently tagged by my buddy Doug to write 8 Random Things about Myself on Facebook, so here goes:

(The rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.)

Here are my "8 random things"...

1. I am working this summer for the first time with a research assistant, which has been very exciting. Even on days when I spend too much time cleaning my office or planning for courses in the fall (or writing lists of random things), work gets done on our project. How decadent!

2. I have a quite irrational and unconditional love for the city of Toronto, which has only grown since moving away to live in the mid-West of the US. I realize that Toronto is the object of resentment and scorn to many other Canadians (my prairie-born husband likes to refer to it affectionately as the "heart of darkness") but for me it is an example of all the best things a big city can offer: energy, vitality, diversity, multiculturalism, good food, thriving arts scene, public transit, involved neighbourhoods, etc etc.

3. I find it odd that when people see my pregnant body and I tell them that I am more than eight months pregnant, the usual response is "Oh, you look great - not very big at all." Aren't pregnant women supposed to be big? Plus which, I think the only reason my belly looks small is that I am very tall (5' 10.5"), so proportionally a baby does not look as big on me.

4. A new pet peeve of mine is that the world of baby commodities is so COMPLETELY gendered. It is incredibly difficult to find clothes especially that are not obviously marketed for girls or boys. Girls get pink, frills, hearts, flowers, and cute sayings, and boys get blue, sports icons and cars/trains/planes or farm machinery. Ugg!! Something about this is so disturbing - like we as a society are completely paranoid about having any ambiguity about gender around us. Perversely, this makes me want to dress my boy in pink and lace.

5. I was saddened to realize recently that only about half the classes of the CRC have accepted women in office. My (naive and uninformed) assumption had been that it was much higher.

6. My latest guilty TV-on-DVD pleasures have included the shows Bones and Veronica Mars. I find the anthropologist main character in Bones an unrealistic but entertaining mix of the scientific and cultural aspects of anthropology. I think I am hooked on Veronica Mars because of the mystery/puzzle-solving aspect of it.

7. When my husband and I were first dating years ago in Vancouver he would sometimes drop by unannounced to drop off flowers for me – usually orchids. I have since had a soft spot in my heart for these amazing flowers.

8. I recently heard and fell in love with Prince’s cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Case of You.” It’s on the newest Mitchell tribute album. It rivals k.d. lang’s amazing version of the same tune on Hymns of the 49th Parallel, although the two covers have very different vibes.

I hereby tag the following 8 new people to write their lists of "8 Random Things About Me" in a Facebook note (or blog if you have one):

Brad Cuzen
Angela Davidson
Christian Ocier
Erika Switzer
Karin DiBella
Andrea Vander Kooij
Karen Miller
Dana Hibbard

Doug's 8 Random Things

Say, this tag game is fun!

(The rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.)

Here are my "8 random things"...

1. I am totally hooked on Facebook.

2. I wonder if I am the only one who is irked when Christians post their astrological signs on their profiles (and/or when they activate the “Horoscopes” application on Facebook).

3. Like Meg Jenista, I too love Tim Hortons. I buy a "large half-decaf-half-cream-half-sugar" (i.e. almost black) coffee on my way to church just about every day. And, for a midafternoon break, I hike over for a green tea ("large, black, bag-in"). What I also love is that I can rationalize my addiction by paying for my purchases with gift certificates sold by the local Orillia Christian School!

4. Like Heidi De Jonge, I too notice things in threes – maybe because I was born on 3-3-69 (at 6:18 PM, even).

5. I am trying to decide if I am amused by (or annoyed at) music I hear at the YMCA - beatbox remixes of classic tunes such as Boston: More Than a Feeling(?!), U2: Pride (in the Name of Love)(??!!), and even The Price is Right theme(???!!!).

6. The first reading materials I ever perused were Canadian Tire flyers; my Mom would place me on her lap and ask me about the products and teach me letters and numbers. I became an employee of the same company some 20 years later, and have miniature replicas of their vintage delivery trucks all over my study (there’s a lot to more to Canadian Tire than tires, BTW).

7. Every once in a while I end my prayer with, “...and God, say hi to Mom for me.” (she passed away back in ’98) – I sometimes wonder if others say those kinds of things to/about loved ones who’ve passed away.

8. Last, but certainly NOT least, I am immensely proud of my wife Karen, who hopes to hand in the last draft of her School Psychology PhD dissertation next week (before our three-week trek to the east coast, including her home town of Churchill Falls, Labrador!).

I hereby tag:

Mary Hulst

(And, since she’s the only Blogger I know who hasn’t been tagged yet, I will also tag the following Facebook Friends and put their lists on my blog--with their permission, of course...)

Dan Brown
Stanley Groothof
Joy Johnston
Brian Kuyper
Karen Norris
Peter Schuurman
Julia Prins-Vanderveen

Bonuses (sorry...couldn't resist):
Benita Wolters-Fredlund,
Willemina Zwart

PS fellow tag-ees who have posted their lists include:

Amanda - http://www.amandagaile.blogspot.com/
Benita - on Facebook, and c/o my blog (see separate entry)
Betsy - http://betsyjoy.blogspot.com/
Emily - http://wilsons-on-warburton.blogspot.com/
Fiona - http://bakersgotoscotland.blogspot.com/
Heidi - http://www.watchedbygod.blogspot.com/
Karla - http://kwillett.blogspot.com/
Meg - http://megsoapbox.blogspot.com/
Meika - http://www.wandering-aramean.blogspot.com/

(OK, I'm definitely noticing an estrogen overload here...let's get going, men!)

“The Secret of a Healthy Dad”

In commemoration of Father’s Day, I’m wondering if these thoughts are interesting and helpful to you as a dad, or with thinking about family life in general...


“The Secret of a Healthy Dad” by Rick Ezell

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children" (Ephesians 6:4 TNIV).

Recently I read of a young man who received an unusual Christmas present. The young boy peeled back the layers of wrapping paper from the tiny box inside he found a small, hand-written note from his father. "Son," it read, "this year I will give you 365 hours, an hour every day after dinner."

"This simple present became the greatest gift I ever had in my life," explained the boy as an adult. "My dad not only kept his promise, but every year he renewed it. I am the result of his time." One hour after dinner is all it took to change this boy's life forever. One hour of leading, loving, and learning. It is such a simple idea, an obvious one.

Directing our children by making ourselves available provides a solid foundation and a cherished place to belong. Children who know they belong to a family and have a father that spends time with them have a decreased need to adopt the values and behaviours of others. As a result of that leadership, children are more resistant to peer pressure in the adolescent years, which reduces the risk of promiscuity, substance abuse, and suicide.

Time for our family is like oxygen to our bodies--there's a minimum necessary for survival. And it takes quantity as well as quality to develop warm and caring relationships. What can Dads do?

Pray about your priorities. Ask God to help you order your life according to his priorities. Corporations in this country and workaholic Dads need to be reminded about what our priorities should be. Should Christian Dads and employees abandon the search for excellence? Not at all. But we do need to get our priorities in order.

Think through your promotions. Often promotions come with a corresponding increase in workload and hours. Is it worth it?

Consider changing jobs. No job is worth sacrificing your spouse or children. No career is more important than your relationship with those you love.

Stop gift-wrapping the garbage. Or anything else that drives you to perfection and sacrifices valuable time with your family. As I was mowing my yard the other day, I thought, "Do I want to be remembered for having a beautiful lawn or having a wonderful family?"

Monitor your level of involvement in organized activities. Granted--sports, music, and educational programs are needed for our children to lead balanced lives. But there is a point of overkill and over involvement.

Commit to regular family times together. Schedule regular family nights or family outings. Guard those times as you would any other appointment.

Slow down and live. For many of us the pace of our lives is self-imposed. We do have a choice about what we do and the schedule we keep. A friend whose family was so infatuated with time that he could rarely enjoy a quiet moment of reflection said, "My Dad was an expert at hurrying. And he inflicted it on our family. We would hurry to go on vacation, hurry to enjoy it, and hurry to drive home, so we could hurry on to something else!"

The lack of time might be the most pervasive enemy the healthy family has. To be honest, I don't know many families that aren't over committed. To change that behaviour in my family is my responsibility as the father. Spending time together as a family is doing God's will. Time spent with our family is each family member's birthright-and for most they are starving for it.

When former Atlanta Braves' star outfield, Dale Murphy, was asked what contribution his dad made to his career he replied, "The great thing my dad provided me was himself."

Not a bad contribution, is it?

Source: Rick Ezell’s “One Minute Uplift” e-newsletter, June 14, 2007 ... www.rickezell.net

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Karen and Doug say Hello from Orillia, Ontario!