28 Sep 2006
 | New Family Member Yes, my sister has given birth to her second child and my first nephew! Miles joined us Tuesday night at 10:30 after about 4 hours of labour. (This beats the insanity of 14+ hours when Ella was born!) I haven't seen any pics yet, but he was 8lbs 12oz and apparently long and skinny, as opposed to Ella who looked like a little Michelin Man. So I had something interesting to share at the Sidetrack Cafe last night, when I went to see the AA Soundsystem cd release show. I already have the cd (having scammed a copy off Ayla at Folk Fest!) but it was a great show. They did some alternate versions and I especially like the rocked out version of "Prairie Whole". I also took the bear along and finally got the guys to sign it - I figure they're gonna get famous soon and stop talking to me, so I had to get it together or miss my chance. I also took along a knitted wool stole that I found in the great "Shed Clean-up" and gave it to Gina. I loved it, but being wool, I couldn't wear it and it was right up her alley. She wore it all night, so I guess she liked it! We had a good night and I met a friend of hers named Ally. (Aerin, Ayla and Ally - Gina was definitely the winner of "which of these things is not like the others"! Or, I just realized, it could have been Ayla as the only male. Hmmm...) Anyway, I had as great a conversation as possible in a noisy bar with Ally so I hope I see more of her! She's doing a degree in Stage Management and has a crazy schedule, so we'll see. Gina and I talked about possible Hallowe'en party plans, so I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one. Only one more sleep until we climb on the plane to Toronto. I'm not ready to go, so of course I'm writing this instead of packing. I did get laundry done yesterday, so I just have a few final bits of sewing on the outfit, then I pack and I'm off! Guess I'd better get to it. Ciao! |
excited 26 Sep 2006
| Party and Owwww! Well, I don't know about 'nightlife' but our Autumn Equinox party was on Sunday and I think it was a success. This whole thing started ages ago when my parents began a "Tree Trimming Party" tradition at Christmas. In the beginning it was just a few friends coming over to help us decorate our tree. By the time it ended a few years ago we were hosting 70-80 people each year in our 900 square foot house. Phew! December is getting so crazy busy though, my parents decided to retire that tradition and have an Equinox party instead. We had a large one in the spring, so this time around we just invited Eileen and Peter, Daiyo and Soli and Tom and Judy. Just as well, since my Mom took off for Victoria to help my 'about to give birth' sister and left me with everything. Fortunately, it's a potluck, but I still had to clean and Dad decided that I would bake the pies. Sheesh. As usual, Peter called at the last minute to say that they weren't making it, but everyone else came and brought yummy food! We had meatloaf, baked root veggies, crab dip, guacamole, salmon sushi, bread, chips and apple or blueberry pie for dessert. Super yummy and there's enough leftovers that we won't have to cook until Thursday probably. The weather was beautiful, so we sat on the back deck with the chimenia (sp?) fired up and chatted for hours. It was lovely. So it was a nice end to a busy weekend. Then I mucked it up Monday morning. I was in the pantry getting more canned peaches (I just love 'em at breakfast!) and when I stood up, I cracked my head on a shelf. OUCH! Other than that - I'm just getting excited, only 3 more sleeps until we get on the plane to Toronto! Yeah! Ciao. |
sore 
I actually saw stars, which I've never done before. I staggered over to the freezer for an ice pack, but it didn't help much. I called into work and said I wasn't coming in, then I got back into bed (intending to sleep it off, since my pupils weren't blown), but I laid there for about an hour just moaning. It's 36 hours later and my head still hurts. I'm actually hoping that it will start raining again so I won't feel obliged to go to riding class. We'll see.23 Sep 2006
| Droolin' It's been a long week, I haven't been sleeping well and I aggravated my bad shoulder at Tuesday's riding lesson, so I wasn't sure if I was going to be up to going out last night, even though it was to see Danny Michel play. The other reason I was hesitant was that none of my regular friends was coming with me and hanging out alone in the bar with a bunch of drunken first years wasn't that appealing. However, I was pretty certain that Gina and Ayla would be there so, I came home from work, took a nap, some aspirin and a shower before heading out. I got there just before 10 and found that Gina and Ayla had just arrived, so my timing was pretty good. However, the seats were all filled, so Gina and I ended up standing all night, which kinda sucked. Ayla was there because he's a friend of Danny's and played with him for a couple of songs. Ayla's the lead singer for a local band called AA Sound System; if you don't know 'em, check out their myspace page - they're awesome. The first performance of the evening was a girl whose name I missed. She had a nice voice, but didn't do anything that really caught my attention (to be fair, we got there just as she was finishing up!) Next on the roster was Five O'Clock Charlie. I've seen these guys once before and my opinion hasn't changed, they're good musicians, very tight, but their songs just don't catch my interest. As Ayla points out though, they're all still pretty young, (early twenties) so their potential hasn't been fulfilled yet. I'll keep my eye on them. Then it was time for Danny. There's no doubt about it - I love this guy! This is the fifth time I've seen him perform live and still, every time he fires up a new song, I think, "Ooooh, this is my favorite!" He's gorgeous, he's talented, he has a totally twisted sense of humor and based on his lyrics, he has a very wide romantic streak - my ideal man. My inability to convince Danny that I'm his ideal woman aside - it was a good night. I don't see Gina as often as some of my other friends, but I always enjoy hanging out with her. We had fun chatting and listening to the music. The only real bummer was Will. Will was in his early 20's, from Ireland and really drunk. Not all women are the same, but I say, if you're a guy I don't know and you want to chat me up, it really helps if you can be intelligent, charming and/or funny. If you can't manage it, that's fine, 'cause neither can I really - but I pretty much insist that you be able to stand upright under your own power. I don't really drink and although its not from any moral standpoint and I have no problem at all with other people drinking, I'm not really comfortable dealing with hammered strangers. It's not amusing or arousing when they're leaning on me to stay upright, gusting beery breath in my face and trying to grope me right after telling me their name. Blah. And Gina was less amused than I was. I was just about to switch from tolerant "go away" to "go the f**k away" when he stumbled into the girl next to us and her guy took offence. He swept Will away and that was that - except for the round of thanks from everyone in the neighbourhood when our saviour returned! I gave Gina and Ayla a ride, then headed home. I got back around 2 this morning, but was still pretty wired and past tired into that kinda manic headspace, so I gave up trying to sleep and read until about 4:30. I was up again about 10 and I know this feeling. I'm gonna be productive as hell then crash. It works though, since I have to bake two pies and clean house for the Equinox party tomorrow, and I still have to finish sewing the top for my "party" outfit. I guess I'd better get to it! I'm listening to David Gray "A Century Ends". Ciao! |
productive 
It's too bad that he has a cute, sweet girlfriend. And he lives in Ontario. And I'm still not good at this small talk stuff, so although I can scrape up enough courage to go and talk to him, I'm definitely not at my best and if he remembers me at all, it's probably as some freaky chick. Sigh.18 Sep 2006
| Consumerism, etc. Yup, I finally broke down and bought myself in iPod. This has been something on my wishlist for a while now, but they're so bloody expensive, I never felt like I was justified in doing it. What pushed me over the edge was being moved to a new desk at work - the radio reception sucks and we're not allowed to run streaming audio. Bastards! Plus I've been walking more and I've got another long plane trip coming up. Combined with my firm belief that the economy is going to go sideways sooner or later and all those zeros piled up in people's accounts will be meaningless, it seemed like the moment. For those who are interested, it's 5th generation, 30GB, black number. My next acquisition will have to be a case. I'm leaning toward the iSkin eVo3, because I like the scratch protection, but still having access to everything without having to open anything. Plus I just like silicon - you can do such interesting things with it! I had a busy weekend too - among others things, I volunteered at the Die-nasty Soap-A-Thon. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die-Nasty. The Soap-A-Thon runs straight through for 53 hours (they take a 15 minute break every two hours!) and is completely improvised. And totally freaking hilarious. This year was all about Chelsea Bun-bun's wedding and it was great - especially with the guest actors from Britain, including the gorgeous groom. Everytime she got kissed, Chelsea completely lost her train of thought; boy was I jealous. Oh yeah, and in the continuing saga of "I give up", I struck up a bit of a conversation with an incredibly attractive guy when I was working the concession. Then I saw him later with someone I'm pretty sure was his boyfriend. Urgh. I got to do the volunteering because the big camping trip I'd planned with the Things and their men was cancelled due to rain. Bummer - we were going to Drumheller (one of my favorite places ever!) and several of them have never been! Can you believe it? Instead we went out for Chinese food and pool on Saturday night. We totally stuffed our faces and then went to the Metro. I swear it was couples night - I was the only single person I saw! I also did some sewing, as I'm making an outfit to wear to the party in Toronto. The skirt is done except for the bottom hem, now I'm on to the top. It would normally be going faster, but I couldn't find a pattern for what I wanted, so I'm having to adjust an existing pattern and it's a challenge. I'm listening to lots of stuff ON MY NEW iPOD!!!!, but this is what's on this very moment! Ciao. |
happy 
If anyone has advice on the subject though, I'd be glad to hear it.15 Sep 2006
| What to write? So I'm looking at this handy-dandy counter, which says I've had 99 views and 2 comments (one of which was a response from me!) and I say to myself - what's up? Have these 99 people read three lines and hit the "next" button while they yawn? Am I really that boring? So I looked up the most popular blogs and, big surprise, most of them have to do with sex. I'd be happy to jump on the bandwagon, except that lately all I'm doing is wondering why I'm not having any sex. Well, that's not exactly right, I'm wondering why the only guys who hit on me are so drunk they slur, need help staying upright and generally can't remember their own names. I will NEVER be that desperate! After that, I tend to degenerate into whiny self-pity which is a habit that I'm trying to break; it's not useful or attractive. In other news - I'm a bit stiff today. We were trotting on our own on Tuesday (with no one leading the horse) which was fun, but boy can I feel my thighs! And then my horse shied at something in the trees and I was almost dumped off. I did manage to stay on though and I don't know who was more surprised, me or Thing 1! (Have I mentioned my history of broken bones? 4 broken arms and all my fingers to date.) Then Wednesday was our first Pilates class in a month and we decided to shift up to a split 2/3 level class. It's also a combined equipment class, so we tried out the "cadillacs" for the first time. All the equipment looks like something from a dungeon or medieval torture room, but unlike the horizontal 'reformer', the cadillac is more upright. So all told, I'm feeling it. I went for a sauna last night, which was great but what I really need is a massage! (I live a variation of the old saying, "Who shall give bodywork to the bodyworker?") Unfortunately, I'm on a restricted budget and saving my cash for my upcoming trip to Toronto. Going back to my earlier comment, I need a guy with good hands! Well, if any of you dear readers have made it this far - thank you and congratulations. If there's something you'd like to read about, let me know! I'm listening to Peter Gabriel "Three" Ciao! |
curious 
10 Sep 2006
| More about me This survey was passed along, so here's my stab at it: Last thing you burned while cooking? Pork loin
What celebrity would you have coffee with? What celebrity would you not have sex with? What is the main ringtone on your cell? What were you doing at midnight last night? Last TV show you watched? Who is your best friend? Thing 1 and Thing 2 Who in your family do you get along with? What is your top 5 hollywood hottie list? When/where was the last place you traveled? What did your last text messge you received on your cell say? What is a saying you say alot? Best clothing style? Ever been to Europe?
What would you do if you could be the opp sex for a day? Total jail time? Big or Small? Worst physical pain you ever experienced? Tell us something about your childhood? If you could be anything for a day, what would it be? Most prized possession? Would you ever sell it? What is one of your pet peeves? Favorite actor/actress What song are you listening to right now? If you could sucker punch someone right now who would it be? Any secrets? Unhealthy fascinations? Favorite sexual position? What do you notice first about opp sex? Favorite physical part of the opposite sex? What physical part would you change about yourself? Do you think anyone actually has read this far? |
05 Sep 2006
| Yet another "unexpected error" I had a lovely post written about Waynefest, Steve Irwin and appreciating life, but there was an "unexpected error" and it's lost. Rats. I get this message about half the time I try and navigate through myspace - is it just me or do others have this problem? And would expected errors be better? Ciao. |
04 Sep 2006
| Long Lost Weekend Well, the September long weekend is almost over. This weekend is usually seen as a kind of last chance to celebrate summer; the warm weather may continue but school is going back in, jobs gear back up from the vacation doldrums and it generally seems like the end of carefree enjoyment. So people go to the lake, go camping, have barbeques and parties. The police services make their quota of drunk driving tickets and no one wants to go back to work on Tuesday. How did I spend this weekend? Helping my parents clean and organize the shed. For the past ten years, it's been the dumping ground for gardening supplies, everything that didn't have a place in the house and all the junk they've been storing for other people. You couldn't get all the way to the back and god forbid you actually had to find something! So we pulled everything out, sneezing and blinking the whole time, sorted, organized and replaced it. For a while there, the backyard looked like an episode of "Clean Sweep"; we had the pile for ACLF, the pile to the dump, the pile for recycling and all the piles of "related stuff". We did this in the basement the year that I moved back, so Mom is getting better. I don't have to be quite so ruthless about her packrat tendencies, she's starting to realize that not everything is worth keeping. So we'd sort out the keepers, then consolidate them and put them away. Now, not only can you get to everything, but there is actually free space! So it may not have been fun per se, but at least there's a sense of accomplishment. Dad and I have $20 riding on how long it takes to get out of hand again.We'll see. The other thing we did was take photos of all the so called "antiques" that are stored out there. There are 7 or 8 boxes of miscellany that were inherited from various family members over the years, that various still living family have expressed an interest in. The plan was to get everyone here and go through them, but getting my small family in one place at one time is a Herculean feat. Instead, we'll email out the pictures and anything not claimed will be sold, donated, thrown out - I don't care. Today I'm being domestic. I've started making an outfit for my school reunion and Thing1 is coming over later to help bake cookies for our riding instructor. (Not that I need help, but it should be fun!) I didn't party the weekend away, but I still don't want to go to work tomorrow. Sigh. Ciao. (I'm currently listening to the Dave Matthews Band "Crash".) |
good 01 Sep 2006
| Cars, bah! I had my third horseback riding lesson last night and I love it! It's something I've been interested in for a while, but not so interested as to pay the $90+ an hour. However, Thing 1's mother used to ride and break horses and thus knows people in the community. So we've found a girl who competes and is looking to get into teaching - we're her guinea pig students for a very discounted rate. Yeah! Part of what makes this challenging is that I'm actually allergic to horses. Yup, congestion, sneezing, watering eyes, rash, the whole works. However, I bopped off to my favorite Homeopathic doctor and got some remedy that seems to be working well. Also, I had a brainstorm and took along one of those cheapie filter masks and wore it while we were grooming the horses. Since this is when the fur flies (literally!) it made a huge difference! We are learning English style riding, since we were told by many that if you can do English, Western is fairly easy to pick up, but not vice versa. The most obvious difference is in the saddles, English style don't have the large pommel and back, so it's a bit more work not to fall off! My calves are sore today, but it's so worth it. And the learning curve is fairly steep, new concepts, new terminology, new muscle memory but when you get it all together and feel like you and the horse are really moving together, it's very cool. Except for the jeans, I feel very Jane Austen and I can't wait until next summer - I want to go riding, have a picnic lunch, the whole shebang. And when we run out of gas and alternative fuel cars still haven't been perfected, I'll be ready to go! My friends have heard this before, but it doesn't matter how drunk you are, a horse won't run into a tree! Today, I am listening to AA Soundsystem "Laissez-Faire". Ciao. |
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