| 25 Jan 2007  | Seeing burgundy This is totally frivolous and petty, but I'm pissed off about my hair. Over the last few months, it has been getting more and more black, less and less purple. So I decided that I wanted to lighten a few chunks and take them back to a brighter purple. Instead, it pulled red and I have burgundy hair. Now, it's a very nice burgundy - but it is SO not what I wanted. I have an appointment to go back next week and take another shot at it, but in the meantime... I want to wear a hat all the time, because everyone is saying, "Oh, I like the new colour!" I don't want them to like the new color, because it's not what I want, but you can't explain that to all and sundry because A) they don't care that much and b) you end up sounding like a whiney child. So, I have to smile and say thanks and not feel like a spaz when I show up next week and it's (hopefully!) different again. Aaaah, better living through chemistry... On another note, I continue to talk with Colin daily and we got together last night for a coffee. I'm finding this an interesting challenge. He's very attractive in a lot of ways, but there isn't the kind of "spark" (stupid word) that a girl hopes for. I'm not ready to give up on it though, because I've had that spark in relationships that didn't work, so maybe it's not as necessary as I think. Also, he's just a very different kind of personality than I've dated in the past (having leaned toward sarcastic, intellectual types) and so my comfort level may be down just because the situation is different. I'm coming at this late, but I think this is the point of dating - to meet different kinds of people, expand your horizons, examine your options, push your boundaries, all that kind of stuff. So I'm determined to just pay attention and be honest - even if this isn't forever, I want it to be fun while it lasts and not a source of regret for either of us. Famous last words, I'm sure... Ciao!  | Currently listening :
Amputechture
By The Mars Volta
Release date: 12 September, 2006  | 2:45 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 23 Jan 2007 | Assorted bits of good and bad Life really is just one thing after another, isn't it? Sigh. So once again, I have to get this all out of my head so I can concentrate on what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing! First of all - my iPod died on Friday! What the hell? I charged it using the Apple wall converter and when I tried to power in on, it just flickered the logo at me and shut down again. So I went to the Apple site and followed the "before requesting maintenance, try this" procedure. Now it's completely inert - much better!  So I guess I have to send it off, but thankfully it's well under the warranty. Why don't they have a loaner program? Yesterday, I got an email from Lura requesting help. As you may remember from way back in Nov. 5's post, she was supposed to be going on holidays with Gerry in March. Unfortunately, the men in her life are being unhelpful and it looks like she won't be able to go. However, she was apparently having difficulties getting Gerry to accept that and turned to me. So, I sent off an email this morning. At this point in the day, I think a consensus has been reached, not without a few ruffled feathers, but I believe that all the friendships will be safe. Phew! [Ed. Note: this is not the universally agreed upon series of events, but it's how I saw things and thus it stays. If others want to make their viewpoints known, they can post their own blog!) Next, when I arrived at work this morning, there was a note on my desk, "Hi: Would you please recycle your papers, the bin just 3 steps from you. Thanks. HKP" [Ed. note: yes, that's their exact wording!] WHAT!?!?! First of all, I am a reduce/reuse/recycle girl and having paper in my garbage can at all was an anomaly. Secondly, they usually have to be browbeaten into emptying the recycle bin, so I'm amazed they know where it's located. And thirdly, even if I was dumping reams of unused paper in the garbage, what kind of tone is that to take? I was not amused. Since this is just one of the ongoing problems we have with housekeeping and since they hired a new supervisor just before Christmas - I dropped him an email. He's coming up this afternoon to review the situation and discuss our issues. And finally, Colin just called my cell phone! Since he was planning to be out of town until tomorrow, it was a bit of a surprise. He'd said yesterday before he left that he had a bit of a sore throat, and it's apparently blossomed into a cold. Urgh. So he's on his way home now. I'd texted his phone yesterday because he's never used text messaging and I couldn't resist sending him the first one, but he couldn't figure out how to return it. He called therefore to assure me that he got it and to see if I was going to be around tonight to talk. Totally not expected or necessary and totally sweet! I hope this is what he's really like and it's not just "impress the new girl" activity that will drop off with time. I guess we'll see, huh? {Additional content removed by request.} Oh yeah! Yesterday there was an event so traumatic that I keep forgetting about it. My boss, a lady who I admire and who keeps me sane in this stupid place, told me that she's accepted another position.  She'll be deserting me at the end of February!  I've been applying for some other positions, but if this isn't the universe telling me to get my ass out of here, then I deserve whatever I'm stuck with. Ciao!  | Currently listening :
Girls Can Tell
By Spoon
Release date: 20 February, 2001  | 4:15 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 22 Jan 2007 | Sexy Laundry So, I believe I promised a review of the play I was off to volunteer at, enticingly titled "Sexy Laundry". It turned out to be quite a funny two person show. The premise is a 50 something couple who go to a swanky hotel in order to rekindle their love life. There are some serious moments, there are comments on the unrealistic expectations engendered by modern society and there is a sappy, happy ending. However, the funny bits were more than worth it, in my humble opinion - as soon as I saw the copy of "Sex for Dummies" bookmarked with a handful of post-its, I knew it was gonna be good! The actors were amazing, managing to believably deliver lines that had the audience in hysterics without seeming overdone or loosing the battle to their own giggles. I was working the concession stand, which was fine except that we sold out of Twizzlers. I swear people come to the shows just to have their licorice - as if it's not available anywhere else! However, there was no intermission, so I got to sell stuff, then lock up and see the show without any distractions. And when it was over I just headed home (not to mention, that despite the Ice Festival down the street, I got a legal parking spot close to the theater!) Perfect!  On Sunday, I rolled out of bed in time to shower and head to Joey Tomato's to have lunch with David. We had a very nice lunch and chat, so that was good. Then I met up with Things 1 and 2 and Thing 2's mom for the last half of the furniture shopping trip. All I have to say is that given the choice between Ikea and Leon's, I'd go with Ikea everytime. Fortunately, it didn't come down to that, and Thing 2 will be purchasing a new bed frame from the Bay. It was apparently a long day of shopping though, because Thing 2 had another break down in the car on the way home. I honestly do sympathize with her, but I'm also starting to get just the tiniest bit frustrated. I just don't have the energy levels to be as upset as she is, for as long as she has been. Sigh. On a slightly brighter note, I've been messaging or talking to Colin everyday lately. We still seem to be having fun and enjoying each other's company, and I'm trying to enjoy it as much as possible. He's heading out of town today until Wednesday and made a point of making sure we talked on the phone last night, which I thought was sweet. We have definitely one, possible two dates set up for this week and I'm really looking forward to them. Hopefully, if we decide it's not gonna work, we can wait until February, then I can say that one good thing happened in January!  Ciao!  | Currently listening :
True Stories
By Talking Heads
Release date: 25 October, 1990  | 4:10 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 20 Jan 2007 | Scrum in scrumptious Ok, so I felt tired and cranky and generally not-good yesterday, but I muscled through, 'cause if I was too sick for work, then I was too sick to go out. And I had a date last night! Yup, for the time being at least, I am a convert to the joys of online dating. Put up a profile and two weeks later I have a date - amazing. Of course, he'll break my heart and I'll be cursing online dating sites, but one thing at a time, shall we? LOL Yeah, I know, so what about the guy? His name is Colin, he's a boilermaker/power engineer and he's into trains. (Fortunately, he doesn't seem to think that his girlfriend has to be too!) He's a little younger than me, about 4" taller than me, quite cute and (although he apparently doesn't like to hear about it) has a lovely deep, growly voice. *shiver* And, yes, he kisses very well!  We met at WEM and went to Ed's Rec Room to play pool. (All I can say about that place is don't bother, they apparently haven't done any maintenance since they took over from Red's.) We played pool and talked and flirted - it wasn't love at first site, but it was a lot less nerve wracking than other first dates I've been on. We ended up making out in his truck and talking more which was a blast. There's something really nice about just necking and snuggling when you're concentrating on it, rather than just thinking about getting on to the sex! So, it was a successful first date, I'm looking forward to the next one and that's about all I'm gonna plan for now. On a more material note, my DVDs of season one and two of Dr. Who arrived! YEAH!  To balance that out, my iPod bit the dust yesterday, which sucks. It's under warranty, but I'll be without it for however long it takes to nurse throught the repair process. Why doesn't Apple offer loaners? So today is all about doing stuff that fell behind while I was sick - in other words, cleaning. Tonight, I'm volunteering for Shadow Theater, so the next installment should include a review of "Sexy Laundry". Sounds promising, doesn't it? Ciao! 7:43 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 18 Jan 2007 | Doomed to be biohazard So many things I want to write about today - let's see if I can get 'em down in reasonable fashion without forgetting anything! First off, I want to talk about my readers. I've hit the point where this modest little posting is averaging 50-70 views a week. I'm certainly not in the running for most popular, but since this started as a place to document my travels for the interested and has morphed into basically an online diary, I find it astonishing that so many people read it. To date, I have one subscriber (you know who you are and I love ya!) and know of maybe two more folks who make it a point to drop by; other than that, you all are a complete mystery. I can't help but wonder, can there possibly be that many people who drop by once and never come back? Surely there are a few of you who keep coming by to check on what's going on? I may have to deal with an unfulfilled curiosity, but if there are regular readers out there, I'd sure love to hear from you! Ok, on to the regular input. Wednesday night was my first class back to Pilates, after the Christmas break and my illness. I had been doing machine classes (reformer and cadillac) since the summer, but due to various circumstances, I'm now back to a mat class. I've also had a shift in partner, as Thing 1 is taking a break and Thing 2 has joined up! I think of myself as inherently lazy and god knows I've never been one for physical exercise (well, unless you count sex!), so I'm always surprised by how much better I feel when I go. I shouldn't be, considering all the body therapy training I have now, but applying theoretical knowledge to oneself is never an easy thing! Earlier Wednesday afternoon, I had received an email from my best friend Leela. (I know, I know, I have an inordinate number of best friends, but I honestly don't use the term lightly. They all bring different things to my life and I'd be heartbroken to see any of them go!) Anyway, as she's a travelling musician, I see Leela only 3 or 4 times a year and I'll drop anything when she's in town. (She has an outstanding voice, btw, so check her out - you won't be sorry. myspace/leelagilday or www.leelagilday.com) So we got together for drinks after Pilates and it was great. It only makes sense that alterations are more apparent when we see the subject less frequently. So, after I'd told her a little bit about my recent adventures, she looked at me, smiled and said, "You've changed." And once she pointed it out, of course, I realized that it's true. Everything that's happened with Gerry, with David, even with the flood of mostly specious, but sometimes sincere email to my PoF account; it's altered my approach to life. For several years I've been joking that after being an overly serious and mature child, I'm finally having my childhood - which is great, since I'm old enough to appreciate it. Now, I think, I've entered my teen years - I'm rediscovering boys. And once again, it's great timing, since I now have the experience and self-confidence to do it on my terms and enjoy it. Given what I know I'm capable of in fields where I have my feet firmly under me, all I can think is "God help the boys!" lol So, all honour to Leela for helping me to another bit of self-realization. Hopefully some day, I can return the favour! And finally, to the source of today's subject line. I had an appointment for my annual physical this morning. Good timing, given the previous subject matter, as starting up some kind of birth control seems like a positively brilliant idea. I actually LIKE my ob/gyn, so we had a lovely and informative chat as usual. I'm healthy (this month's viral insanity aside!), I got something new to try (that I will discuss when I have it in my hot little hands and can describe it better) and off I went for my preventative blood work. Which is where we ran into troubles. I'm not scared of needles at all, but I know that I'm happier if I just don't watch it going in. So, the tech got a vein, filled up the vial and pulled it off to label up, leaving the needle stuck it. She set the vial down to pull the pre-printed label off the sheet and when she picked the vial up again, we both realized that it was leaking. So I was watching her deal with that and prep a new vial when I realized that my arm felt a little odd. Now, there was still the needle stuck in it, so it didn't really feel normal either, but this went beyond that. So I looked down and realized that there were little spurts of blood coming out the end in time with my pulse. And it had evidently been doing it for a while, since it had run across the arm rest and was dripping onto the floor. Ok, that's not good - so I calmly brought the tech's attention to the problem. She wasn't quite as calm, but eventually it all got dealt with. There is a little valve dealie in the needle structure, that's supposed to be opened by the vial going on and closed by it coming off - it malfunctioned. The biohazard specialist in the lab had to be called for clean up and they stuck a needle in the other arm to get their sample and at the end of the day, I was short a fair chunk of blood. It's hard to measure the volume of a puddle, but the nurse's best guess was maybe half again as much as they take when you donate. On the plus side, I got a cookie and a bottle of oj on the house! I was a wee bit spinny and the nurse suggested that taking the day off might not be a bad idea. It was about 9:45 at this point, so I decided to compromise - I'd go home for a nap and go to work this afternoon. Well, even with my electric blanket cranked up and an extra comforter, it took me about an hour to warm up enough to fall asleep! I woke up shortly before 1pm because my stomach was grumbling. I ate and was still inclined to shivers and faintness if I moved too quick, so I thought, "I'm recovering from an illness and I have a client tonight that I really don't want to ask to reschedule yet again - screw it, what's one more day missed?" Now, I'm chilled again, so me and my bruised elbow are gonna climb back under the blankies. Cheers to all of you who made it this far! Ciao. 7:31 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 17 Jan 2007 | Cautionary tales
Category: Dreams and the Supernatural Well, I think I spent my whole 7.5 hours of downtime last night in REM. Fun, but I'm exhausted today, not too mention kinda spinny and a bit nauseated. Is this punishment for spending the last couple of weeks sleeping 12-15 hours a day? At any rate, I actually have reasonably clear memories of at least two of the dreams, which is unusual for me. In the first, I was one of a mob of super-intelligent kids and teens. It was a fairly standard plot line - we'd developed some doohickey that was supposed to revolutionize the world. I don't remember what it did, but it was lots of fun; a sort of giant, massively intertwined tube slide. Kind of like mixing up several sets of intestines and then being able to ride down the inside - but without the gore. Unfortunately, something had gone wrong and we were all being inexhorably sucked into an evil group mind. The details get foggy after that, but you'll be happy to know that somehow or other we saved the day and the world is safe again. Phew! The second dream started with an image of a map of Canada, except that it was one of those dream maps that part of your mind knows just isn't right. At any rate, there was a educational video type description of two lakes situated close together and joined by a stretch of grassy swampland. The government had decided to dredge the swamp in order to increase the amount of lakeshore to meet demands for cottage country real estate. They went ahead and did it, despite protests that it would adversely affect a tribe of native americans, whose livelihood was based around the swamps. Cut to me going to visit a young native american couple who had apparently successfully made the transition to a "normal" NA lifestyle. The mother was at home with the kids and one of the kids' uncles. She explained that her husband often worked long hours. They lived in what was a fairly nice house, subsidized by government funds, but it was a bit run down. The nanny, a teenage girl who seemed developmentally challenged and had no hands watched as I was shown the rooms of two normal, although frenetic kids. The girl and boy seemed cheerful and bright and had rooms that were cluttered but clean; full of toys and books . However, as the tour continued, it became evident that there were other children, who each had some kind of mental or physical problems. I began to be suspicious and it turned out that the "nanny" was actually an older sister. Once again, I don't remember how it came to light, but it turned out that the "uncle" was the mother's brother AND the father of the children. Un huh. At this point, my alarm went off and I woke up, so who knows what else was prepared to happen in the plot line? Standing in the shower, it seemed to me that there was a strong theme of caution in both dreams, but I'm not sure what my subconscious thinks I'm not being careful enough of! Certainly, the kids were a bit scary in both, but since I'm firmly decided to not have any, that's probably not it. My mother's opinion is that it's time for me to start writing again more seriously; I gave it up for lack of original plotlines though and I'm not sure anyone would really get into the above! Oh well, I'd be happy to exchange excitement for a good night's sleep tonight! Ciao!  | Currently listening :
Altered Beast
By Matthew Sweet
Release date: 13 July, 1993  | 3:26 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 15 Jan 2007 | The Tragically Hip!
Category: Music First off, I bought two tickets, thinking that one of my friends would like to join me. Surprisingly, they all turned it down, so I took my Mom instead. Thank goodness it was the Hip and not say... Queens of the Stone Age! lol Since it was still pretty cold and I'm not 100% healthy yet, we decided screw the cost and drove. It worked out well, as we stumbled across a lot right across the street from Rexall offering a lovely sheltered spot for $10. Yeah! We hit our seats at 7:30 on the nose. (Said seats were on the second row of the balcony, on the end farthest from the stage, just before the curve. Not great, but except for some neck crick, not bad.) The opening band was The Sadies and they fired up their set at about 20 minutes to 8:00. I'd seen them once before in Toronto and I like them. They tend toward very short songs, but they really rip into 'em! Any band with a stand up bass is ok by me and Mom loved the one singer's very deep voice, so we were happy. The only problem is that they tend to mumble a bit, so in a stadium venue like that, if you don't already know the lyrics, it was pretty much mush. There was about a 20 minute break to reset the stage and then at 8:45, the Hip hit the stage. As I'd said earlier to Mom, I love the Tragically Hip, but I'm not a mega-fan, so I was gonna be happy whatever they played. They did a nice mix of new, old, Top 40 hits and more obscure stuff... The Lonely End of the Rink, New Orleans is Sinking, Grace Too, 100th Meridian, Courage, Fiddlers Green, Yer Not The Ocean, Ahead By A Century, Blow at High Dough, In View, World Container... just to mention a few. They did one encore and the whole thing wrapped up by 10:40 - nice for those who didn't have the option of taking today off! lol The highlight of the show though, was Gord Downie. I've never seen them perform before so I had no idea! The man struts, strides, scampers; jitters, pirroettes and references every famous rock move since Elvis. He skulked and rolled around the stage hiding behind the his band mates like the title character of a first person shooter. He teased and vamped his mike stand, then rode it like a slow motion mechanical bull. All the time singing and screaming and playing his guitar without missing a beat or even sliding seriously off key. He is definitely the front man of the act, since everyone else pretty much stood in their place and played. Wow! I'd say I was in love, but actually what was in my mind is that he's a father. Man, I wish he was MY dad! I should mention the stage. It was a pretty simple set up - drummer behind and four guitars in a line in front. They had 5 projection screens in the back making a kind of amphitheater shape - 2 flat in back, one on each side at a bit of an angle and one trapezoid at the top angled a bit up and over. They alternated video clips, live stage shots and no projections, just shadows from the light show. Nothing too outrageous, just a nice backdrop. My favourite video was of the sky, shot through the windshield of a moving car with the wipers swishing back and forth. That was cool. Several people made joking comments before hand about smoking up for the show. No I didn't, but there were odd whiffs of interesting substances as the night went on. Not as many as I expected though! And I did break down and buy a shirt. At no other time would I even contemplate paying $45 for a bloody t-shirt, but it's such a part of the whole experience. These days, I don't do it unless they have something that I really like - I don't buy anything just to prove I was there. This one is a very "Aerin" shade of green, with the World Container logo and says "Contents Under Pressure". And thank god they had "girls shirts", so it's fitted instead of swimmingly huge with sleeves down to the elbows. :) So, that was the concert. I had a blast and now I can say I've seen the Tragically Hip - yeah me. Ciao! P.S. MySpace is having fidgets, so I'm currently listening to Barenaked Ladies "Maroon." 6:33 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 14 Jan 2007 | Online insanity So this PoF thing is entertaining, if nothing else. So far I've met a guy into trains, one with a kink I promised not to share (although it doesn't bother me!), a black guy who just wants to talk about how sweet and sexy I am and a couple of single fathers who haven't shared much yet. Plus an assortment who put me on their "favs" list, apparently for later delectation. I have a bone to pick on this sexy thing. I know that guys are visually stimulated, but give me a break! I've posted two pics - my headshot here and another headshot with sunglasses - and yet they almost all make a point of saying I'm sexy or pretty. To me, a person may be appealing physically (or not!) but sexy is about personality. I refuse to believe that you can decide I'm sexually appealing based on the little blurb in my profile. Therefore, either they think I'm kinda slow or they find anything sexy - either way, it's not appealing and is kinda creepy. They are male though, so I guess one should cut them a little slack. It is funny though, how your criteria evolves, based on experience. "Dream guy: smart, funny, generous, romantic, doesn't call me sexy in first breath..." LOL Anyway, tonight is the much anticipated Tragically Hip concert, so full details in next post. Ciao!  | Currently listening :
Trouble at the Henhouse
By The Tragically Hip
Release date: 09 November, 2004  | 9:44 - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment - Edit - Remove | |
|
| 12 Jan 2007 | New meat and new cities Wow, there's nothing like being the new kid on the block! I've gotten an amazing number of messages from guys on Plenty of Fish. Some look promising, some not so much.... lol. I think some of them just message anything that's female in hopes of a response. Yuck. I have got a little exchange of email or instant messaging going with a couple of them. (Having all this free time, with no energy to do much but sit and type has been good for something I guess.) However, it has led me to think a little bit about the phenomenon of pet names. I haven't said much here before about Mike, my one long term boyfriend. He is a great guy in a lot of ways, but romance is definitely not his strong suit! So now I'm meeting new guys and they all seem to want to call me pet names: baby, sweetheart, my darling... and frankly, I react like I'm 16. (Before things went sideways with Gerry, at one point we were talking about Giz and my allergies. He said, "Oh no, my girl is allergic to my baby!" and I almost fainted.) Sad, but true. And they compliment me! Sheesh. Certainly, with online dating, I'm sure the guys feel some pressure to do anything they can to keep a girl's attention, but it is nice that they think mine is worth keeping! Once again, Mike isn't the type to compliment spontaneously and he hated being chivvied into it (which in retrospect I did too much. Sigh.) At any rate - I need to work on my response to all this. My initial thought is that they don't mean it all and it's all secondary motivations. On the other hand, I'm too inclined to take it seriously and fall (at least briefly!) for every guy who's nice to me. Must try and walk the middle line, yet again.  On another note entirely, I had a brief email from Wayne today. To sum up: I met Wayne in my Latin 101 class in university and we became great friends. After graduation, he went off to Asia to teach English and ended up in Singapore for 10 years. He met and married his wife there and they've just arrived in Toronto! They're gonna be living in Canada, yeah! He's been gone long enough to find it cold, even though the weather there, right now at least, is actually pretty mild. I can't imagine how Charlene is dealing with it. TO's not exactly an hour's drive, but it's much cheaper to arrange than Singapore, so I hope to see more of them. Well, Thing 2 just called and asked if I could help her get through the one week anniversary of the big night. Which means I should get off my butt and out of my pjs! I'm not well exactly, but I've been staring at the same walls for four days now, so.... I guess I'll chance it! Ciao! | |
) and posted it on Plenty of Fish. I'm telling you guys, but I'm not gonna mention it to my 'in person' friends just yet. Recent experience shows that folks just get way too excited on my behalf and it's too harrowing to have to explain "why it didn't work out" to the legions. The next romantic possibility is staying as under my hat as best as I can manage for the first little while!
No comments:
Post a Comment