Cats in squares? Really?

Here kitty, kitty!

i.e. vs e.g. - An easy (and fun) way to remember how to use the abbreviations properly.

To help me remember the difference between these abbreviations I started saying, “i” vs “eggs” instead of i.e. vs  e.g. But, before I explain what I  mean, let’s learn the meaning of the real abbreviations.

Abbreviation meanings

Both abbreviations are Latin expressions. The table below displays the abbreviation, the Latin expression, the English translation and how each abbreviation is used.

Abbreviation	Latin expression	English translation	Usage
i.e.	id est	that is	Used to clarify.
e.g.	exempli gratia	for example	Used to list some examples.

Understanding the meaning of the abbreviations does help. Some people suggest substituting English for the abbreviation to check, but I sometimes still find that confusing.

Here is a little, fun trick I use to remember which Latin abbreviation to use, and why I like to say “i” vs “eggs”.

They all have “i” in common.

Use i.e. when you want to say “that is” or “as in” – they all have an “i” in them.

Sample sentence:
He will be here shortly.

How long is shortly? An hour? Two days? Shortly is a relative term.  In this sentence, I want to clarify what I mean by shortly. I don’t want to give examples; I want to specify what I mean.

Here’s how i.e. is used:
He will be here shortly (i.e., two hours).

Give me an egg-sample.

I love eggs, but what I really want to do with the sentence below is to give an example; not really an egg-sample or e.g.-sample. (Did you see what I did there?)

Sample sentence:
He likes field sports.

When I’m giving examples, I use the e.g. abbreviation. The list isn’t the only sports he likes, but some of the sports.

Here’s how e.g. is used:
He likes field sports (e.g., football, soccer and baseball).

So, next time you are trying to figure out which abbreviation to use just remember the “i” or “eggs”  trick and hopefully it will help. Then go eat some eggs.

Who's vs Whose - I've made the mistake.

This week there was a spike in a post I wrote on the POV and Picture Books. I decided to take a look at the post, since it's been five years since I wrote it, to see what was so interesting.

Though the content is good, I cringed. Ahh! A grammatical error.

“Who’s eyes we see the story through.”

Do you see the problem? What am I trying to say here? If we expand the contraction out, does the sentence make sense?

“Who is eyes we see the story through.”

What? No! That's not what I am trying to say.

“Who has eyes we see the story through.” 

I do! I have eyes. 

Well, that makes a little more sense, but it's not a question and that's not what I'm trying to say.

The sentence should read, “Whose eyes we see the story through.” “Whose” meaning belonging to or associated with which person. Yes, that is the correct who's/whose. Though, for me, the sentence still feels awkward.

I hope the increase of views for the blog post was for content and not as an example of the mistake. If it was for this mistake, I guess the number of views will decrease, because it has been changed to a less awkward sentence. :) 

The DNA Results Were Not What I Was Expecting

The results from my dog's DNA test are in!

This photo is a result of a different kind of test Benny took.

To read about the test visit http://madelinebarr.blogspot.ca/2015/08/my-dog-benny-is-getting-his-dna-tested.html

We suspected that he was a Labrador/ Border Collie cross and speculated that he might have some Boxer in him.

To our surprise, he doesn't have any Labrador or Border Collie.

He does have Boxer.

According to http://dnamydog.com/ , Benny is:

• 37-74% Boxer
• 20-36% German Shepherd
• 10-19% Rat Terrier

Boxer (37-74%)

German Shepherd (20-36%)

Rat Terrier (10-19%)

With a little math, we can determine he is actually about 45-70% Boxer.

If he was the minimum percentage of the secondary breeds then he could be up to 70% Boxer
(100% - 20% - 10% = 70%)

If he was the maximum percentage of the secondary breeds then he could only be a low as 45% Boxer. (100% - 36% - 19% = 45%)

The one thing I know for sure is Benny is 100% lovable!
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What do you think?
Do you think it's accurate? What would have been your guess?
Have you ever had a DNA test on your dog? What were the results?
Is there anything else you would like to know? Comment below!

My Dog Benny is Getting his DNA Tested!

This is my dog, Benny. He's a rescue.
If I had to choose one word to describe him, it would be fabulous!
I know that he's loving, smart and generally a good dog.

What I don't about him is his breeds. I've taken a pretty good guess but I wanted to have a better idea. So, I decided to get his DNA tested.

After some research and review, I decided to order a testing kit from DNA My Dog - http://www.dnamydog.ca/

The kit arrived relatively quickly. I ordered it Tuesday night with standard shipping and received it on Thursday. Part of the reason I received it so quickly is because I live an hour away, but it also means the company was able to ship it out Wednesday morning. That's quick service!

In the kit I received:

• A congratulations letter with easy-to-follow instructions.
• A set of two sterile polyester tipped applicators (swabs with long sticks).
• A specimen envelope.
• A prepaid return envelope.
• A card to write down my customer ID number

Of course, I did the test Thursday night so I could mail it out Friday morning.

Before I began, I copied my customer ID number from the form/letter to the card.
The test was much easier to perform than I thought is was going to be. Benny couldn't eat or drink (except water) or be around other dogs or other dog toys for an hour before the test, as it could impact the results. That was easy enough since we didn't have another dog. Then, without me touching the tip, I was to swab the inside of his cheek for 20 seconds! I thought this was going to be a problem but it wasn't too bad. Benny just gave me that what-the-heck-are-you-doing look and pulled back a little. I was able to get the two swabs done without any help.  In the event your dog does destroys the swabs, which I imagine happens quite often, the company will replace them.

The swabs were placed in the open specimen envelope to dry for 25 minutes before sealing it. The specimen envelope and the form/letter were places in the return enveloped, sealed and mailed the next morning. The form/letter had my customer ID, a checklist of things to include and asked me what I thought were Benny's breeds.

I also emailed the company a picture of Benny, as suggested by them, for the certificate.

I'm so anxious for the results I've been checking everyday and sometimes several times a day. If the company is recording how many times I use my ID I'm pretty sure they would think I am crazy.

Results will be available online within two weeks after processing begins. They must have received the samples on Monday because the processing began on Tuesday. So far, a very prompt company. About a week later I will receive a certificate and breed information in the mail.

Now the waiting game.

So what breeds do you think Benny is?

Fan Favourite Winner- TURN IT ON - JUNO 2015 HAMILTON ANTHEM

Congratulations to 110 Studios for winning the Fan Favourite contest for their version of the  JUNO 2015 theme song. Read Kristin Lee B's full article about their win at http://ihearthamilton.ca/110-studios/

Below is the very cool lyric video of their song.

Freedom to Read Week Quiz

As part for Freedom to Read Week, I am posting the Which Challenged (Canadian) Book Should You Read? quiz created by McMaster University Library.

My result was, A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence. Read how this book was challenged at http://www.freedomtoread.ca/challenged-works/a-jest-of-god/

Take the quiz and let me know in the comments which Canadian book you should read.

A Goal Reorganization - a 10k update and more.

Well, after talking to my brother, it looks like we might not be running the 30k relay in March. (10k each)

I'm disappointed and relieved at the same time. Disappointed because I want to do it, but relieved because I didn't think I would be ready by March.

So, to fix that, here's what I did.

I've set some new goals and taken action!

Jogging 

• I finally bought new running shoes that I love, love love! (I'll post about those later.)
• I've started to go jogging again.
• I plan to jog at least three days a week. Either outside or on the treadmill.
• I'm going to time myself at the 5k Run for a Cure next month. Donations to support my run and help fight against breast cancer can be made at www.runforthecure.com/goto/madeline
• I'll sign up for a timed 5k race somewhere.
• I'm going to look for another 10k race to do in the future. Maybe early Spring.

Learning a New Sport

• Remember that new sport I was talking about? It's hockey! Yes, I have signed up for women's hockey! Yup. I'm pretty sure I am a little crazy.
• I'm going to blog about hockey here and add the label "hockey @ 40". Note: I am not 40, yet, but I'm sneaking up on it.

Writing

• I've started my final course for my Technical Writing certificate. Technical Editing. Should be done by the end of October. I'm very excited!
• I'm blogging more.

And today, I am going to try to set some realistic writing goals, other than bloggin and my course. I need to pick one thing, focus on it, and follow it through to the end. 

So, there you have it. Watch for posts labeled "hockey @ 40", I'm sure they are going to be entertaining.

Doubting the 10km

I've have my doubts.

When I'm tired I think, "I can't run a 10K! What was I thinking?" Other times when I have had some rest I believe the Around the Bay Race is doable for me.  Here's why I flip-flop:

Negative actions/thoughts I have about the 10K:

• I have constant "what if" thoughts. What if I get sick before the race? What if I simply can't do it in the amount of time given? What if I can't breath?
• Lack of training/motivation.
• I shouldn't be running with the shoes I have. They have very little support left. This might also be why I'm not training like I should.

Positive actions/thoughts I have about the 10K:

• I went to the Running Room to buy new shoes. I didn't buy any because I am waiting for a sale, but the simple fact that I did the action must mean I think I can run the 10k run, right? Plus, if I get new shoes that wipes out at least one of the negative actions/thoughts.
• I spoke with the woman at the Running Room who said getting in shape to run a 10k is totally doable between now and March. Yay!
• I've committed to running a 5k in October: The Run for a Cure. I have other reasons for running this race but it's still a positive action for me. (www.runforthecure.com/goto/madeline)
• I've joined another sport which will help me get into better shape*. (I would talk about the sport but that's an entirely different blog post.)
• I have been going out for walks and did do a bit of a run last week.
• I figured out how long it would take me to WALK 10k.

Out of all the positive points, I think the last one is the most motivating. The race in March is a 30k relay with my brother and sister; Both who are in better, much better, shape* than I am. As a team, we have 4.5 hours to finish the 30k. This means we each have one hour and 30 minutes to run 10K.

On average, I can walk one kilometer in nine minutes. Let's round it up to 10 minutes for good measure. This means, if I were to only walk  my section of the race, it would take me 100 minutes (10mins/k X 10 k). That is one hour and 40 minutes. That's only ten minutes over my share of the time! Of course, I want to do much better than that but that relieves some of the stress and self doubt.

I haven't committed to the 10k race yet but I think I can do it!

*I am not that out of shape but I have been in better.

Planning for a 10Km run.....maybe.

Three and a half years ago I ran the 5K Around the Bay Race. My goal was simply complete a timed 5K race. I haven't done much real running since then. I did the 5K CIBC Run For A Cure last October with my brother and sister, but it wasn't a timed run.

Why is this important? Well, my sister has suggested we (my brother, sister and me) do the 30K Around the Bay relay in March. (10K each)

I am not physically close to running 10K. I feel out of shape right now and probably couldn't even run a 5K. How did I let myself get to the point where I can't run 5K anymore?

I'm doing the CIBC Run For A Cure again which will help get me into 5K shape again. I would like to be able to run 10K. So, I am going to start training and blog my running progress at least once a week.

I'm going to ask you for 2 things to help motivate me:

1. I am on a hunt for a good 10K training schedule. If anyone has any suggestion of a training program comment below. I'll try it out and let you know how it is working for me.
2. Someone very close to me had breast cancer and had a severe reaction to the chemotherapy. She is still suffering from neuropathy as a side effect of the drugs. The good news is she is currently cancer free. I’m participating in the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure on Sunday, October 6, 2014. I have 66 days left to raise $300 for Breast Cancer research. If you would like to make a donation, of any size, please visit http://www.runforthecure.com/goto/madeline

I look forward to your comments and motivation.  :)