Friday, May 18, 2007

Turn it off BC

VANCOUVER/CKNW - The results from BC's "Turn It Off" day are in. BC Hydro says during peak hours between 7 and 9 p.m. yesterday, it recorded a savings of approximately 70 megawatts or 1.2 million incandescent light bulbs being turned off for the entire evening.

BC Hydro says if British Columbians continued to turn off unnecessary lights and appliances during those hours, the savings would provide enough electricity to power 8000 homes for an entire year.

I turned off everything all day. I even got out my coffee press to use instead of the coffee machine, but I realized that I had no idea how to use it...and it probably would defeat the purpose if I turned on the computer to Google instructions for it.

In exchange for my awesome unpluggedness, I allowed myself to watch Lost...after all, it was the second-to-last episode of the season and after being unplugged all day, my eyes needed to return to their regular box shape.

Oh, I also had the radio on in the morning. Benson and I have a dance partay every morning, and he's starting to develop an opinion. His opinion on my singing was expressed through a very Jen-like look of disgust and confusion. Now I know why Bill hates that face when I make it.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

If changing names is so wonderful, why don't our husbands do it too?

Christy Clark » If changing names is so wonderful, why don’t our husbands do it too?

Christy was dead on in her column today. I always thought I'd keep my name when I got married, just like most of the marrieds I knew who were 5-10 years older. After all, being a Jennifer, I was basically defined by my last name, which is way less common than the 70s favourite that is my first.

When our parents generation got married, most of them only carried their maiden name for about 20 years, so they didn't get all that attached to it, I guess. Somehow those extra 5 years really made me reluctant to give it up.

But in getting married I dreamed of becoming a cohesive unit....the Robbins family...Mrs. Robbins...Mrs. William Robbins...etc...etc. And in the end it just seemed more harmonious to be The Robbins(es? I have never quite figured it out...). Since we planned to fill up the house with kids, I didn't want to be left out with a different name.

All in all, it just felt right...and more romantic...to become Team Robbins. As for him taking my name, well he just has the better name...and I wanted it. (Anyone who knows my ultra-conservative husband would probably guess how that would go down, anyway...)

BTW, I was so happy to have a more "common" name. Raywood is not all that common and is always somehow butchered (usually becomes Raymond.) Of course everyone's names get screwed up anyway...who would have thought Robbins would be so difficult. I'm back to simply spelling my name whenever I have to give it out. ("It's Robbins R-O-B-B-I-N-S")

Thursday, May 10, 2007

My celebrity best friend - Jen Garner

PEOPLE's Most Beautiful in '07 - Jennifer Garner - Jennifer Garner : People.com


Here's the Jennifer Garner blurb. She looks so gorgeous in this picture too. It's like we're twins! (For those who don't understand my online humour, I am joking....)


The 35-year-old actress says 16-month-old Violet, her daughter with husband Ben Affleck, has changed the way the couple looks at themselves. "Ben and I like more things in ourselves that we now see reflected in Violet. To see my dimples in her makes me like my dimples because I share them with her."