Update Gumbo

Why "gumbo"? Why not "stew" or "soup" or even "random update salad"? Simple answer: I like the sound of the word "gumbo"; just saying the word gives me an idea of what  gumbo is, even without ever having experienced it firsthand, which I think is a rare and magical aspect of language. Gumbo sounds yummy, another word that I think actually sounds like it means what it means, know what I mean? :)

So, a lot has happened since our last update. And that's partly the problem, isn't it? One big thing happens and you don't write about it. Then something else big happens and you realize that in order to write about the second thing, you should write about the first thing, and that seems like a big task so you put it off. Then a third thing happens and everything just piles up and nothing gets written down. Hence, the gumbo: just throw everything into a pot together and stir, and hopefully it tastes all right.

So, in semi-chronological order:

In May, Allison got her Permanent Resident status. We had to hop across the border into New York, and then immediately turn around and re-enter Canada so that Canadian Immigration could record her official "entry" into Canada and rubber-stamp her new immigrant status. While we were at the border, we witnessed a couple in a jam-packed minivan get searched by customs officials. Six weeks later, Allison received her official Permanent Resident card in the mail (like an green card in the US), which was followed by registering for a new driver's license (so she can get car insurance), social insurance card (so she can work), and a health card (so that she can take advantage of our vaunted "free" health care).

At the end of June, we drove Allison's car down to Virginia to visit Aunt Linda and Uncle Chip. It was the first time I met any of Allison's cousins, namely Brent, who is an independent used car dealer. Allison's family is quite good-looking, it made me jealous, haha. I hope those beauty genes get passed on to our future kids. Brent bought Allison's car off her and we flew back home on American Airlines.

July was a stifling, hot blur of days, much like what the entire east coast got. For a few weeks, we had temperatures averaging over 100F with humidity, and little rain. The grass all withered and turned to straw, and the windows remained sealed tight with the air conditioning on full blast. Ugh.

End of July and early August, we watched the Olympics and kept track of the medal count for Team USA and Team Canada. This year, Team Canada had an "Own the Podium" campaign, which involved... I don't know, a lot of wishing on stars, I guess. I hadn't heard anything about extra funding for our Olympic athletes for the last four years and now suddenly, we wanted to "own the podium"? At the expense of whom? Anyway, it became clear later on that "owning the podium" meant a target of finishing in the top 12 in medal count. Top 12? How is that "owning" anything? Top 12 (i.e. shooting for #10 or 11) is more like "subletting the podium" or "product placement on the podium", which by the way, we didn't even accomplish. Canada finished 13th in medal count, with most of our medals being bronze. Canada: #1 at finishing #3. But hey, at least we have a high dollar and free health care, I guess. :P

Today, we picked up Allison's new car, which we leased with the money that she got for her old car. It's a black 2012 Honda Civic coupe, kitted with the same features as her old Civic. Allison didn't drive my car, but she likes driving this car.

Barefoot.

"If you were from the south, you'd understand," she said.

Yeah, if. As of now though, I don't really get it, haha.

Our lives revolve around what feels like a small number of things:

1) Work: Allison is in charge of production and distribution. She's been making prints almost non-stop for art shows since March. It all peaks in July and August (for San Diego Comic-Con and Fan Expo in Toronto). In addition to that, we picked up a new movie project with Sony last week, which will keep us busy into October.

2) Guinea pigs: News flash -- the guinea pigs are still cute. Allison has taken to calling Peanut, "Bawse Pig" for no real reason other than it sounds cute and funny at the same time.

3) Videogames: This is the most convenient downtime escape that we have. Allison is still playing World of Warcraft, while I've jumped around from game to game. First I was on Tera, then Diablo 3, then Batman: Arkham City, then Civilization V, and now I'm replaying Skyrim. And unless you actually play one of these games, this paragraph is probably of little interest to you, haha.

4) TV: This is exclusive to Allison. She has been watching a lot of "Legend of Korra", "Adventure Time", and more recently, "My Little Pony". Strangely enough, she was introduced to "My Little Pony" by our summer intern, who is a 22 year old "brony" (male "My Little Pony" fan, of which there are apparently many). Allison likes the show but remains skeptical about why it would attract male viewers in their 20's.

For me, I've been trying to maximize my time by listening to certain audiobooks while I'm unwinding with a computer game or whatever. I've recently finished listening to "Extraordinary Leadership" by Robin Sharma and "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie. It sounds completely cheesy, but I personally feel like the advice from these books helped change my perception of people and how the world works.

So that's the last four months in a nutshell. Not the most graceful of dismounts, but hey, this blog is Canadian so excellence is hoped for but not expected. At best, this update gumbo can contend for a bronze medal with its disconnected, mixed metaphors. :)