time to opine

random olympic comments

2010-02-22T23:42:00.002-05:00

as i continue to compulsively watch the olympics ... and i should preface this by saying that i've been watching a lot of ice dancing in the last couple days

1. when did rhinestones become the new manly chest hair?

2. when you're wearing a full fake-skin suit, are you nearly nude or fully clothed?

3. curlers are no longer just balding, pot bellied men. some of them are quite young *and* quite hot. a lethal combination!

4. did the olympics suddenly decide to limit teams to a choice of 5 pieces of music? why are there so many repeats?

5. why has the olympics turned the entire country into leafs fans? ugh.

and we get to hear the anthem play ... time to go and study up on the lyrics.

time to refresh

2010-02-21T19:50:00.002-05:00

as i've been compulsively watching the olympics, i've been witness to many anthems - and on a few occasions that good ol' o canada.

there was a question posed to one of our gold medallists today as to what is the way to go - do you sing with the anthem - or not?

i would have always thought i would sing along - and i do sing along when it's played, only to discover, much to my horror ... i cannot remember all the words in english. sure, i can sing the anthem in a bilingual manner, no problem ... but make me do it in just english? i draw a blank. is this something i need to study up on? or ... do i just continue on as is? because, really ... when will i need to sing the anthem in full english ever in my life? aren't anthems really just ... archaic?

the line

2010-02-10T22:10:00.002-05:00

there has been much discussion around the recent events and excitement around the toronto mayoral race. part of this seems to have erupted into a debate about the bedroom and what is or is not allowed.

now, i'm a modern girl with some old-fashioned ideals peppered in for good measure, and i must say ... i've been a little shocked and appalled by people's attitudes about cheating. there seems to be a repeating theme coming from what appears to be male contributors (or female contributors with rather macho-esque screen names). a theme that i find quite disturbing. a theme that ... suggests men have a carte blanche to sleep around.

apparently ... monogamy does not start until one is legally married. yes, that is the line.

i guess i learn something new every day. this definitely explains why women are so anxious to lock down their man. and here i thought it was just because you got to have one heck of a party and dress up like a princess for a day.

is sawyer right?

2010-02-09T21:45:00.002-05:00

are some of us meant to be alone? i figure, seeing as lost is an american show ... we'll be proved wrong on that one. but, you never know.

so it's coming up to one heck of a weekend for 2010 ... in order of ascending importance (of course, when i say ascending, i completely mean descending ...)

- family day - to be spent sleeping in and generally celebrating solitude
- opening of the 2010 winter olympics
- chinese new years (in the words of a former room mate - chow yun fat, everyone! let the tiger roar!)
- nba all star weekend - let the raptors roar! well ... raptor, singular
- valentine's day (i just can't get enough of those red tinsel hearts!)
- opening of valentine's day, the movie ... think i should buy my tickets now?

i think that's enough for now. a sort of warm up for things to come.

quick poetry

2009-03-21T10:10:00.001-04:00

i've been crying for a year
now my hair is turning grey
i'm going back to bed,
and calling it a day.

(i can rhyme!)

what a load ....

2009-03-13T23:45:00.002-04:00

so watching tv. gotta love tv - there's always some stupid thing to complain about. today's complaint - lucy zillio - sooo annoying. and worse - always schilling for something. tonight's product? a book that tells you that there's no such thing as being born shy - that it's not natural. that you should look ppl in the eye when you're talking to them - that it shows how confident you are - that it helps you connect with people.

i would like to disagree. while this may be true for some ppl - it's not for all. i think it's just another perpetuation of control extroverts have over the world. there's nothing wrong with being an introvert - it's only problematic because extroverts have decided that it's an issue because they don't understand it.

it makes me rather upset that introverted qualities are deemed as the lack of confidence, and therefore a sign of weakness. it is a form of discrimination that's largely ignored. although - maybe i won't go as far as discrimination - but it results in a lot of misunderstandings. which is unfortunate. and it also results in ridiculous self-help books to make ppl change into something that they don't need to be.

and ... anger has simmered down. that was fairly short.

is it gender bender month?

2009-02-23T20:03:00.002-05:00

so - earlier this month - i discovered my boy kitten is a girl kitten (i've mentioned this before) - there's not much of a story there ... but since this has happened ... i feel like i'm being inundated with transgender stories in my little world - the world of television. (oh prime time tv, what a great friend you are)

in the past week - i have seen parents giving birth to a baby with both parts - on private practice ... then on law and order: svu., there were multiple transgender story lines - and now i'm watching this week's house and ... bam - the parents chose at birth that their child would be a boy and not a girl.

seriously - this is way too much for it to be a coincidence.

electrifying

2009-02-14T12:36:00.002-05:00

the best part of the science centre was always supposed to be the gigantic static ball - the one where you put your hands on it and your hair stood on end. of course, when i went to the science centre, this part was broken - but i have high hopes for the next time around.

i was petting my cat (who after 5 months, i have discovered is the fe type of male) - and could hear the crackle of static. but then ... i started noticing sparks. SPARKS! such super powers i have!

there is something just mesmerizing about electricity - it's the embodiment of power itself. it's something we can try to control, we create, we conjure - we try to keep it - but it's wild - it's not something we can keep caged. instead, we can just marvel as it crackles and pops into thin air.

KABAM!

2009-02-10T21:33:00.003-05:00

and i'm back with a vengeance. ok - i'm not really back with vengeance ... i guess i can't claim that until i've written multiple entries in a short period of time. so - we'll see on that one.

all this talk of valentine's day made me think back to last year at this time when i was actually keeping a note book (apparently if it's not homework, i don't do it ... where is my willpower, man?) ... it's sad that i have things in my note book that are just waiting there, just waiting to be used. and then, of course, there are other observations that never need to be shared or aren't particularly interesting. and for some reason, this it what i wish to write tonight. (go figure)

i remember last year, wandering the mall on valentine's day - for some unknown reason, i had for once decided to partake in the silliness. although, really, i think i was really more inspired by the prospect of chocolate than i was about valentine's day itself.

i had never been in the mall on valentine's day before. and never before had i seen so many men, alone and en masse in the mall. line after line - just full of them. (of course, only at the proper places - the florists, the chocolatiers ...). some men were walking in straight lines, determined to make it to the subway to commence the commute home when they'd do a double take at the line, furrow their brow, sigh and walk to the end of it. never had it been so obvious what a duty, what an obligation valentines has become. but even so - the little girl in me still sees some magic in the little candy hearts and red roses. it makes me miss the day when we skipped around the room sprinkling cartoon festooned cards into the construction paper mailboxes that we so lovingly taped - and later ripped off and dumped - to the front of our desks. oh the days of innocent bliss - how i miss thee.

i wanna go to denver

2009-01-08T23:06:00.002-05:00

so it's the new year - and with new year, should come change. but - to me, it seems like it's the same old story. the record's stuck - the needle fingering the same part of the record over and over again, like some fond memory. but - it's anything but.

there's a certain whimsy about records. they're pressed - like flowers, like pants, like wine. the patience - the care that goes into these products pays off. but now - we just burn a new cd. such a destructive word, burn. the flaming imagery is just representative of our ever quickening society. why do we have to move so fast? it just seems to be more and more destructive. i think we all just need a moment to sit down, take a breath and do nothing. who knows, it might just be good for what ails us.

a step in the right direction

2008-11-12T19:57:00.003-05:00

a couple years ago i had one of those horrible break-ups that usually only exists on screen, given its degree of overdramatization. now - before you get the wrong idea - i'm not talking about the emotional repercussions of the break-up or how long it took me to get over it, no. i'm talking about the 30 or so minutes that i physically spent trying to explain to this guy about how it wasn't going to work, and then trying to extricate myself from the situation. (the emotional attachment on my part was, let us say - slim to nil).

anyway - among the gasping and the sobbing (his, not mine), mr. definitely not right was able to choke out his theory that i would never find love and therefore never be happy. for once, he tried to back up his argument with what could loosely be considered as reasoning (even if i don't personally find it all that reasonable). and the reasoning? apparently, i'm abnormal. and the abnormal cannot be loved. (apparently happiness is defined by heterogeneity).

shortly thereafter, i was talking to another ex, with whom i'm still friendly. he expressed his condolences over the failed relationship (apparently i date in small circles - the guys are acquaintances). during the course of the conversation, he made the assertion that it would never have worked out between me and the other guy, because the other guy needed someone with more stability.

the long and short of it? within a week, i discovered that i am neither normal nor stable.

but - oh! how the tides have turned. recently - i've been blessed with super powers. compared to mere mortals, my powers of super slothdrom are astronomical! however, they (yes - they of vagueries, hooded in the dark corner, unmentionable by name) are jealous and wish that i be disarmed. i am being monitored by their minions - those of the white lab coats and clipboards. and slowly, surely, i am making progress. just check out yesterday's status report: stable.

yes ... finally. i am stable! sure ... i'm not normal yet .. but you can't expect me to achieve it all in one try. so - i just wanted to say - HA! ha! to those of the past that doubted my ability to operate within society. this girl's almost ready to debut - just you wait and see!

a little touchy

2008-10-31T01:00:00.003-04:00

in my den i have a tri-light that's activated by touch. it's a floor lamp, and you can touch it anywhere and it gets turned on (ooooooh, kinky). i rarely go in the den right now (i'm trying to root myself into my couch, become the ultimate couch potato, you know) - but, almost every time i walk by, the light's on. now, you might think that i'm just complaining about the light always being on ... but .. i turn it off every time. and then next time ... it's on again. i first thought it was my adorable little munchkins (kittens will be kittens, afterall) - but, it appears that the light goes on even if the kittens haven't been in the room. i'm confused. and it being hallowe'en eve ... a little concerned and spooked out.

melpie, the bubble tease

2008-10-24T22:27:00.004-04:00

if i were to write an autobiography, it would most likely be entitled "adventures in embarrassment" - or that's what i've decided at least. snippets from my life that would provide endless entertainment to others. and of course, would make them feel better at their relatively low levels of klutziness.

so, today's episode? well, it has to do with bubble tea. after a happy fun day of medicinal discoveries, i was sitting down for this delightful treat with a friend. i hadn't had this scrumptiousness for some time- and it brought back wonderful memories of university.

sucking back the bubbles is of course the essence of the bubble tea experience. these balls were dewy with honey goodness (please - no laughing - this is completely innocent, completely pg ... well, so far ...). how delicious!

anyway - we were chatting, sipping our teas and enjoying the tapioca pearls. i made them dance up the straw, marvelling at the movement. but then, somehow .. one popped out. heck, it didn't just pop out, it popped out of the top of the straw and landed smack dab into the middle of my cleavage. right down the front of the shirt. of course, the only reasonable thing that i girl could do in this situation is to .. well, fish the thing out. sadly - it was a slippery little sucker.

so there i was - in the middle of the tea shop - hand down my shirt - searching in vain for a tapioca pearl. but, i exaggerate. it wasn't in vain. in less than a minute (but probably close to - i found it! now i know how the pirates felt when they found the buried treasure.

the challenged-ling

2008-10-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

i've been re-reading some old entries. it suddenly occurred to me that i used to tell much better anecdotes. what has happened to these light-hearted tales of my endearing klutziness? am i just lazy? am i more self-conscious? is my mind wanting to write things that are much too serious and close to the heart? in the 30 seconds that i've been pondering, i've decided that i should write down some more of these stories.

the first of which, i shall call "adventures of the wide-legged pants" or perhaps, "lessons learned, off the cuff" ... anyway - it's not really important. the title can come later. now this is a story that combines one of my great loves - shoes - with my every day goal of walking without tripping. of course, i've finally managed to get pretty good at staying upright (while sober, at least) in shoes of all styles, heel heights and on all sorts of surfaces - flat, stepped, slanted, rocky, smooth, etc. so - once you've mastered something, it's good to throw in a new twist, a challenge, if you will - to keep things interesting.

my challenge - unbeknownst to myself - is the wide leg pant with the large bottom cuff. they seem innocent enough, swaying no the hanger - but once you get these suckers on ... er, i should say, once *i* put these suckers on ... you never know what's going to happen. the first such incident happened one day as i was descending the stairs at work. to ensure my pants weren't dragging on the ground, i was wearing a sizeable heel, a very slender pretty one at that. i was navigating the stairs with much skill when, without knowing, i stepped into my pants - the heel sliding neatly into the small fold between the pant leg and the cuff. of course, i found out very quickly as i went to take the next step down and ended up hurtling head first down the last few stairs. luckily, my reflexes aren't horrible and i was able to cling for dear life onto the bannister. but, even with my cat-like quickness, i ended up bruised and battered. (sadly, i was unable to wear skirts for a while - and i do love my skirts - and they're apparently much less dangerous for me).

sadly - i did not learn from the first mishap. i've had a couple more going down steps (once in the subway station - again - my amazingly quick bannister-grasping ability saved me) ... and more recently one time walking up steps. all of these incidents involved the stiletto. but ... yesterday - i reached new heights. i was wearing ballet flats and managed to trip in my cuffs. not because i stepped on my pants - but because i stepped in my pants.

so ... lessons learned?

1. stop wearing dangerous pants;
2. stop wearing dangerous pant/shoe combinations; or
3. wear knee pads under dangerous pants.

i think i may adopt number 3 ...

senseless

2008-10-06T19:27:00.003-04:00

i thought they were overreacting at work. suddenly the boardroom is locked and you can only access by asking for the key. there are few supplies in the supplies room - you have to go and ask permission to get a new notebook, for crying out loud! but ... apparently there's a reason. (i'm always somewhat reassured when there is actually a reason) - apparently things have been going missing. moreso - chairs from the boardroom have been disappearing. i know they have wheels - but they don't spin on their own. and these aren't even nice chairs! i just can't understand - and as one who embraces logic with every ounce of her being - well, it just boggles.

this takes me to what i really want to talk about - people with signs supporting the liberals have been targeted in two toronto ridings. there's been some vandalism - but on top of this, slashed tires and cut brake lines. one great thing about canada is the freedom we have, our democratic process (no matter how laughable the current times may make it) - violence is something completely unexpected. and further - violence against the centrist party? what kind of sense does that make? the liberals sit on the fence to not offend anyone and they somehow managed to offend someone so much that it resulted in cut brake lines? but still - this violence worries me. we need more open dialogue and discussion about the policies that could perhaps once again really stir people to pride in their leaders .... and instead, we get the opposite. (more alarmingly, they are targeting federal liberals while complaining about mcguinty - if your'e that angry about politics, at least get your enemy right)

(as a final aside - it's wrong when my reaction to a conservative commercial is laughing out loud, right?)

happy birthday, mr. keith

2008-10-05T22:12:00.002-04:00

if you change the b's and g's in blogger (the route of the blogspot site), you get globber. how do i know? well - i switched the letters ... where did it take me? well ... no where, really. but - if i wanted to spice this post up ....

but, i won't go there. we gotta keep this place disney-friendly, right?

the second of two days of my writing exercises - and the second of two where i have nothing to say. let's cross our fingers for something good for day three.

turning, turning

2008-10-04T22:51:00.003-04:00

when i'm driving somewhere by myself, i like to listen to music. but - not just any music - music that i can sing along to. but when i say sing - i mean like, belt out at the top of my lungs. and when i say music - i mean show tunes.

specifically - i've been focused on les miserables. i used to listen to this incessantly (often while cleaning up the kitchen) when i was younger - and still, all the words are there at the tip of my tongue.

now the dilemma comes - i am going to be taking the thanksgiving weekend. however - i will not be alone. can i still bring the show tunes? or should i be talking to my road trip mate? with two- we could do duets and plays different parts! it would be so fun. perhaps i should forward him the music and lyrics now so that he can learn for the weekend ....

(ok - so this is all pointless - but i'm trying to make myself write again... so dribble that's more useless than usual will likely be the norm for the next while).

what to do

2008-06-07T18:52:00.003-04:00

it's like an ice rink. you're gliding along - there's the occasional bump, but nothing to fret about. you steady yourself - arms out to rebalance yourself - and with another stroke you're sailing again. the air is crisp, not cold. the snow falls lightly. you look up and through the starlight, you feel as though you're twirling - like one of those cheesy movie shots - the worlds opens up lovingly around you. you take in a breath and smile, because - you're happy.

but then - someone speeds speeds by - you're spun one way, then the other and for once, you can't resteady yourself. even though you were being careful, even though you were looking over your shoulder - keeping yourself aware - you fall. you never thought you'd be here - but, sometimes it doesn't matter what you do - sometimes the world shifts, things change ... and you're left to pick yourself back up and figure out how to move forward.

you sit up and brush the frost from your knees and check your hands for scrapes. the crowd continues to skate by - laughing, giggling - but sidestepping you. on the ice, the air is suffocating. you look up - expecting a hand - but know that the hand you need is not there. but you can't sit there and wait for something that will not come. it's time to get up - even if you have to stumble.

belatedly, the last assignment

2008-05-14T21:55:00.001-04:00

April 11, 2008

Mother Nature needs to take an anger management class. She's at it again, the bully -– I wonder wouldn't play with her this time? I can hear her try to sneak down the hollow of my chimney. But, I'm safe. The flue is shut.

I respect her – fear will do that. My lesson was learned as I stood with my family, in the usual place, watching the Canada Day festivities. Colours burst through the air as we gazed up in childish wonder, safe under the man-made glow. We shouldn't have ignored her. Mother Nature was silent, sulking and then suddenly jealous. A slice of lightning. A punch of thunder. Then it was done. My brother, a few feet away, was on the ground. A screaming world swirled around me. At last, he staggered to his feet and we ran for the safety of the cottage. Mother Nature's laughter rolled through the night - forever Queen of the Playground.

peter's little pet

2008-04-13T20:36:00.002-04:00

"It's really amazing how quickly I can feel at home. Already almost one of the natives – partaking in their quaint rituals: siestas in the afternoon, a little vino with our 10 p.m. comida." The hotel's patio overlooking the Mediterranean was his stage. The poor couple across from us, his captive and unsuspecting audience.

Peter and Janet had been there a day, and they were still shaking the last remnants of jetlag here in their tourists' paradise. She knew they had only seen the real Spain as a slide show, scenes changing with the click-clacking of the train from Barcelona. But, Janet would remain quiet. Truth would spoil her self-important boyfriend's needs. The point of the story was always the same: Revel in the glory, the splendour that is Peter. She was free to withdraw and decided to engage in her favourite activity: people watching. As long as she was physically there, he wouldn't miss her.

Janet's gaze had fixed on a sturdy Labrador, bounding around his owner, when Peter's fingers pressed her arm. Her signal to perform, to be "the girlfriend" - to nod, to titter, to agree. She was well trained, Peter's little pet. He would never suspect the boiling jealousy she felt as the dog flashed by, red leash streaming behind, like a flag of freedom. As always, her china doll smile was perfect.

grey

2008-04-06T15:44:00.003-04:00

The lines on the article on her desk are beginning to dance off the page in time to the incessant tap-tap typing beyond her work space. She shakes her head and tries to resume reading, but a voice breaks her concentration. "You know it's a bad night when it takes three shots of tequila before you can even pretend she's worth looking at." She swivels in her chair, searching for the source of the disturbance. The walls of her cell mock her. The furnishings - drab, neutral - are adept at hiding the grime that disputes the existence of the regular cleaning service. Her eyes narrow on the owl in the wildlife print that adorns the wall. Is he the one sharing this uninspired tale of inebriation? The foul de-oxygenized air must be suffocating the portion of her brain dedicated to reality. The voice continued: "You know, fat girls are like mopeds: fun to ride, but ..." She sighs. It's just Jason, the pompous foghorn doing time in office 347. The wax paper walls are no match for his twanged drawl.

p.s. i cheated and did not post my poetry assignment - it was pretty horrible - so we'll pretend it didn't exist.

white knights ride donkeys

2008-04-01T22:35:00.001-04:00

DING

I bet his mother picked out his outfit. Wait, he’s mumbling something. Charlie Rubble? Oh Charlie, you’re a long way from Bedrock. Are you too shy to look me in the eye? This is so pathetic, yet another computer programmer. If I tune out now, I won’t have to hear him wax poetic about the un-fracking-believable phenomenon that is Battlestar Galactica. At least his shirt is ironed … it really brings out the colour of his eyes. Pure blue, they’re almost unreal. No receding hairline either (that’s a first for tonight). If only he’d muss it up a bit so it wasn’t such a Lego man hair helmet. And that smile, so endearing, so genui --

DING

sleeping senseless

2008-02-26T22:49:00.001-05:00

“Where is it? I can’t find it.” My sister pawed through the closet like a squirrel in search of its forever misplaced acorn.

“Huh?”

“Where did you put it?” A dirty sock landed on my face.

“Wh.. what?”

“Where is it? Where’s my necklace? Where did you put it?” The dresser drawers, now the innocent victims of her midnight rampage.

“ … necklace?”

“MY necklace. Don’t play dumb with me. I KNOW you stole it.”

I rubbed my eyes. “I wish you’d make sense. Which necklace – what does it look like?”

She turned, the dumbly contented sleepwalker. “Well, actually,” she said, “it’s socks.”

dye a log

2008-02-24T22:35:00.002-05:00

"i want it to be pink," he said.

"pink's so unnatural for maple though!" she said.

if you haven't gotten it yet - class number three was about dialogue. (ok, this is a couple weeks late - but i figure i should let you in on the lesson before i present my assignment).

apparently dialogue can be one of the most powerful part of the prose. it can say so much with what characters say and don't say. a lot of the lesson was about letting the dialogue talk by itself and to take away all distractions. keep simple tags like he said or she said and stay away from things like she exclaimed or he cried, etc. also - adverbs are apparently a huge sin.

the talk about dialogue did make me start to pay attention to the dialogue in books. usually i don't pay all that much attention to dialogue. maybe that's a sign of my introversion - i find the observations and internal musings of individuals much more interesting than their interactions with others. i found when i was writing this week that i really needed to put in more than just the dialogue - i needed more description. (apparently this was somethings i was supposed to stay away from in the assignment - we're supposed to work on things that we're weaker at and not to use our strengths at crutches or something like that).

thinking about it - i really should work on my dialogue more ... although, maybe it'd be better if i practiced talking to real people rather just writing about it ...

pressed time

2008-02-12T23:04:00.002-05:00

and time for my good beginning ... although, i must stress that good is quite the overstatement. i wrote this while sick and without any real rest .... but maybe my preface is just an excuse ...

(as an aside before the actual story - i love the fido commercial where the guy has to use his video phone so his girlfriend can tell him which feminine hygiene products she wants him to buy).

------

Thinking back, she’s convinced she saw the crystals of ice before she felt the big hunk of snow break over her head. Startled, she paused, but only long enough to shake the snow from her hair. No, Vanessa could not slow down - she was hurtling forward with unbridled momentum. Her Blackberry demanded that she continue to her next appointment, but something restrained her. Pressure on her shoulder. Annoyed, Vanessa spun around and met his calm, blue gaze.

- Hey, are you okay?

And so she met Len.

a good beginning ...

2008-02-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

so i think i might have over-reached last time - i said i'd write a note about my lesson and then give you a taste of what i had written for the assignment that week. well - writing about the lesson seems like a lot of work and i'd have to re-write my notes, plus i feel like it'd be cheating the teacher who had put the notes together. but, i will still give a brief summary - but it's just a summary. and of course, with any of the lessons that we get and rules we're told, it's important to remember that rules are made to be broken - you just have to be aware of why you're breaking them and be doing it for a good reason. a writer must be very aware of what he is doing and ensure there is a purpose for it.

anyway - back to a beginning. what makes a good beginning? we had to bring in some first sentences in books that we thought were good and then discussed some other examples. my favourite was from a molly peacock book and went along the lines of "when i was three, i decided not to have children." ... the example i brought in was from "portnoy's complaint" (philip roth): "she was so deeply imbedded in my consciousness that for the first year of school I seem to have believed that each of my teachers was my mother in disguise."

but what does make a good beginning? everyone seemed to have a different definition - among them, it has to be something to pique your interest, to raise questions - to make you want to continue reading. it could help put you in the time, in the place, meet a character - it can help introduce you to the genre (for example - from "1984": "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.")

these discussions are interesting because it really helps you think about what kind of reader you are personally ... after this week's workshop (where we talk about ppl's work) - i realized that i really like beginnings that introduce me to a character. a character can be much more important than a setting. if the character isn't compelling or interesting, how can they take you through the whole novel? although, i do also like beginnings that let me know i'm going to learn something from the novel (i do like the well-researched, historical books).

i would type more - but i'm starting to lose circulation in my fingers. the house was 16 degrees when i woke up - and now the thermostat tells me we've made it up to 19 ... i guess i shouldn't complain. it's still almost 50 degrees warmer in here than outside ...

writing class

2008-02-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

so, i've started a writing class. i know some of you (ok, one of you) who reads this blog has been somewhat interested in my progress (as in my writings) as well as what sorts of things i'm learning. so ... in response, i've decided that i will post some of my work as well as some of the notes from the class. excitingly for those of you who have been disappointed with my lack of entries, this means that i'll now be doing about 2 a week for the next 10 weeks or so (although - i must warn you that there are two weeks without class, so - there might be times when i'm making entries less often ... but at the same time, i'm finding myself more inspired to write now, so maybe this will make me write more often period. it's all an experiment ... let's see how it works.

so ... without further ado (wow, i just wrote that as "adieu" .. what was i thinking?), here's my assignment from week number one - to write about a childhood place. i have tentatively entitled it, Ribbit:

The tractor coughs and then sputters before it continues ploughing the field just beyond the rustling reeds of the creek. Peeking out into the sunshine, I absorb the scent of fresh earth. For April, it is surprisingly humid underneath the tiny bridge.

I brush away the flake of cement that has become stuck to my forehead. This old bridge is falling apart. Rory's too scared to play under here. But still, as I explore, the stoic white German Shepherd waits, standing there, ankle deep in the water.

-- Crrroak -- I hold my breath. -- Crrrroooaaaakk -- I squint in the dark and the big, green frog comes into focus. I creep along towards the wily amphibian, crouched down so as not to hit my head. -- Plop -- he tries to sneak away, but I'm not fooled. It's easy to track his hops. I'm going to catch this frog!

The muddy water oozes into my pink rubber boots. Despite my best efforts at stealth, I slosh along. Little by little, I near my prize. Then, the fateful step onto that slippery, slimy stone.

When I open my eyes, Rory's licking my nose. Maybe Mom is right, playing under the bridge isn't safe.

champagne anyone?

2008-01-04T00:20:00.000-05:00

so i'm looking up stuff about birthstones and travelled over to wikipedia's page about birthdays. they have a list of special birthdays - including that of the champagne birthday. their example for a champagne birthday? turning 27 on december 27th! i feel like i'm one step away from being cited in wikipedia! that's almost famous, you know!

perceptions

2007-12-11T21:37:00.000-05:00

knowledge is powerful. knowledge is indispensable. knowledge is dangerous.

why do i say this? i, the one who is a self-admitted information addict? how can i make such statements against knowledge? what has caused me to turn against it? do i still trust it? do i still crave it?

it's natural to let the knowledge of the past inform opinions of the present. sometimes we have to learn things the hard way and hopefully that experience keeps us from repeating our mistakes. but what about when we learn of the history of others. should that inform our opinions of the present?

i've been reading lately. well, reading more committedly as of late than before ichapod went into his current vegetative state. my books often take place in different times and in different places. lately there seems to be a recurring theme of revolution, rebellion - and of racial division. what's scaring me is that it's starting to make me look at the world differently. in canada, we're so far away from that struggle - from those emotions - from that deep hatred, the passion and need for freedom. it's easy to paint everyone with the same brush. but then you start learning about the past and it changes things. it can make you embarrassed of your own history. it can make you question others' motivations. it can help you understand where others are coming from - but, at the same time, it can make you wonder what's really hiding underneath. what are people not expressing? is everything as open as we would like to believe? does the white snow wipe out the history? how dangerous is our naivety - or should i call it ignorance?

or am i just getting paranoid?

(wow, that's a lot of question marks)

oh, shining torch

2007-12-04T21:56:00.001-05:00

after a rather bland fall, the cn tower has once again become a beacon of colour and light. it seems to have really began with the seemingly uncolourful grey cup. the colour schemes that are chosen are usually fairly self explanatory - silver and green for the roughriders, blue and white for when the leafs play, red and green for the coming festive season ... but tonight? yellow and red. am i missing something?

yeah - this is a lame entry - but i was feeling like i wasn't writing enough. i gotta get back in the habit. i'm taking a writing course starting at the end of january. i think i'll have to start now to get those creative juices frozen (they're much like popsicles right now ... time to defrost)

r.i.p., ichapod

2007-11-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

i must confess: i do not have the best luck with electronics. or, this is what history is teaching me at least. the latest victim? ichapod - my ipod mini. yes - i still have a mini - it's almost embarrassing to bring out the oversized, yet once so slim and sleek mini. they haven't even made them in over two years.

anyway - a few weeks ago i dropped ichapod, once again. he usually was able to survive these little free falls to the concrete (much more resilient than you or i, for sure). alas - this time was different. after the fall, he started acting funny. i finally was able to get him to turn off - but, when i tried to turn him on again there was nothing. i gave him a couple uh ... taps of encouragement, we'll say - and finally he turned on. but instead of his usual menu coming up - he came up with a rather not good looking face:

i must admit - this was almost as traumatic a thing as when my sim decided to commit suicide. (for the record, i've decided no more virtual people deserve such a fate and have not played the sims since).

now, ichapod has been in this state for a few weeks now. i keep hoping in vain that when i try to turn on he'll be all honkey-dorey (just as when i cross my fingers when i try to turn on my old thinkpad every few months ... you can't accuse me of being totally devoid of hope and optimism).

and what impact has this had on me? well, my walking is now lacking a soundtrack. no pleasant tunes to keep my mind occupied. the result? i think i'm thinking too much. this cannot be good. i think it might be time to bite the bullet and buy a new ipod.

the reform

2007-09-12T23:20:00.000-04:00

since apparently many people don't know about this... i thought i'd post (this has nothing to do with my complete laziness and inability to come up with anything interesting or witty to say).

we're having a vote in ontario on october 10th. well, actually - we're having two. one, well, i think the result is a foregone conclusion and if we get it wrong - well, we can always have another go at it in four years ... the other one is a much bigger decision, one that is systemic and could change the way our province is run (of course, this would seem to assume that people pay some attention to how the province is run ... but it seems like fewer and fewer do ... either that or i'm just getting increasingly cynical?)

so the decision? well, it's on electoral reform. basically - do you want to continue to have the first past the post voting system we have now 0r do you want to change to a mixed member proportional system whereby the parties get to top up their locally elected members with additional allotted seats so that in the end, each party has about the portion of parliament that the popular vote would suggest they should have. (for more information, click here)

i, myself, haven't figured out how i'm going to vote for this one yet - each side has cons ... especially given our electorate. either way - i think it's important that we look at this issue and vote one way or another. heck, go and vote for the referendum and don't vote for a candidate even - because you can (although, i wouldn't recommend it ... as a citizen of this province, i think it's your responsibility to vote ... and to educate yourself about the vote ... but maybe that's just my pie in the sky ideals).

for the system to change - a majority of districts (i.e., 64 of 107) must vote for the change as well as 60% of people overall.

so there you go - you have over 3 weeks to decide. read up and make sure you go to the booth on election day.

the worst possible question, for $100, alex

2007-08-20T22:32:00.000-04:00

so it's always fun introducing a potential boy to my friends. they usually behave ... that is until you put some beer in them.

usually i wait a while to make the introduction - but this time, i decided to be spontaneous. only a few dates in. on friday, i make the mistake of saying - hey, i'm having a pint after work with my friends - just meet us there.

things are going well - everyone is jovial. there's a bit of grilling going on but it's all in good fun. and then ...

"so melpie, are you still obsessed with getting married right now? i know you said your biological clock was ticking and you didn't have much time left ..."

*hits forehead*

thank you jfrost. thank you again.

not fooled

2007-08-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

so, i have bought more than a few toasted and buttered bagels from tim hortons in my days here on earth. for as long as i can remember (and probably as long as i was what you might call a responsible adult), i have never seen tim hortons do a bagel advertisement campaign.

and yet now - not only gigantic signs at their stores but i just witnessed a television ad.

now normally, one would think that perhaps bagel stop has started making a big dent on timmie's bagel market - but, for some reason, i think this is unlikely.

for some reason, i think we're being played for fools.

and what is that reason?

well ... the new commercials are advertising that a bagel is $1.05 + taxes ... and i swear, last week, i paid $1.06, taxes included.

no tim hortons, this girl is not fooled.

the epilogue

2007-07-25T00:28:00.000-04:00

i just finished reading the final harry potter (don't worry - i'll do my best not to put any spoilers) - and i was thoroughly contented until i came to the epilogue.

i think i have decided that i'm rather un-fond (that being the opposite of fond - apparently i am now using newspeak - i'll really try to avoid it in the future) of epilogues. sometimes, yes, they are good. but that's if they're used effectively and correctly. but ... for the most part, they seem to be used to tie up the story - wrap it in a nice neat little package, if you will.

i seem to think that the masses seem to be craving this more and more. movies are more often ending up with those nice little synopses of what happens to the characters of note in the future - and i'm finding books are doing the same thing.

isn't a book or a film or whatever medium through which the story is told supposed to just be a glimpse of what happens in people's lives. it doesn't have to be the whole thing. the necessary parts of the plot need to be there - but we don't need to see each person's life to conclusion. is this just an extension of "happily ever after"? do we not trust "happily ever after" any more? instead do we need to be told exactly how happily ever after happened (or how the unlikeable character got his or her - for lack of a better expression - just desserts?)

perhaps it's just again the confusion of story telling and writing ... the two are not necessarily the same thing. a good writer doesn't *have* to be a good storyteller - the beauty of the prose and the imagery in and of itself can be enough to carry a book (for me - this is the wonder that is ondaatje) ... and a good storyteller doesn't have to be a good writer in order to become popular (the best example of this, i think, has to be the da vinci code, which i will not go as far to admit whether or not i have read, here).

i guess it comes down to what you're using the medium for. are you appreciating the art that went into crafting the piece ... or do you want pure plot and escapism? and why, oh why, do these two things seem to be increasingly separated? or am i just becoming increasingly sensitive to it and, dare i say, cynical?

measurement park

2007-07-09T23:18:00.000-04:00

have you ever wondered just how tall you actually are? for me, it doet matter how many times i do it, i still want to see how tall i am. well, luckily, the city of toronto also shares this wonderment and as a result, measurement park! it's replete with muskoka chairs, just in case you get tired standing next to the various poles to see how high you measure in centimetres.

but really - why stop there? i want more measurements - i want weight, i want volume, i want iq, i want self-worth, gosh darn it!

and that's what it really comes down to - doesn't it? we are always looking for the approval of others. we need to make sure that we, well, in short (or in long - depending on which is more beneficial at the time), measure up. whether it's to be above average or to just meet it - we want to make sure that we are there.

i don't think there's anything wrong with trying to measure up - but i guess the real question arises as to - what are we trying to attain? who tells us what we are trying to attain? and do they have any idea what they're talking about? all i can say, whoever they are, i hope they did their fact checking.

an experiment

2007-06-10T20:07:00.001-04:00

im rather fond of punctuation and am a great proponent of its proper use it helps us communicate better and helps us understand each other better assuming tha tyou see communication and comprehension as two separate things as i do so as an experiment i decided that i shall not use punctuation i dont know how long i can last at doing this because it is very automatic for me to put in the apostrophe or my beloved ellipses but i shall perservere and all of this is as an example and an urging to all you readers out there to use proper punctuation its kind of funny really because when i type i dont utilize capital letters because well lets face it its mostly because im lazy too lazy to even hold down the shift key while im typing and im sure that someone would argue that its rather hypocritical of me to eschew capital letters but be such a stickler for punctuation but i must say that i think that punctuation is the more important of the two while capitalization gives one a visual reference for how important one thing might be to another and i guess a sort of visual clue for the beginning of a thought i would argue that punctuation is much more important it can also give you the visual cue for the beginning of a new thought simply because it is used to denote the end of the previous thought it is also necessary for the expression of thoughts while not having a capital is unlikely to change the meaning of a sentence generally at least a misplaced comma can make things much different commas are important in writing because they allow you the writer to provide a guide to the reader readers will always take what they want from a piece but as a writer you want to at least nudge them in the direction you were thinking or maybe thats just my wishful thinking i was going to end here with a period but then i rememberd how i wasnt using any of those so ill just stop full stop instead ciao

exciting news!

2007-06-08T22:38:00.000-04:00

looks like lauryn's back for real this time. an actual new single (lose myself) came out on tuesday and she's planning an 8 country tour for the summer of 2007 and the next album, call me miss hill is reportedly slated for release in the fall or early 2008.

so - it looks like it's for real this time. i hope she doesn't disappoint.

oh, hilde

2007-06-05T23:04:00.000-04:00

back in the day, i used to watch a lot of trading spaces - and when i say a lot, i mean it. as a university student, there's only so many decent things on decent day time television that you can use as distractions from your work. plus, i thought ty was so dreamy. now, i've come to my senses and see him as just a *tad* creepy and a little more than a *tad* annoying. but, as usual ... i'm getting distracted from the entry at hand.

so, i'm sure that we all remember hilde. hilde was the crazy one (who used wine labels as wall paper in a teetotaler's kitchen), the super experimental one (straw and/or moss as a wall covering, anyone?), the sometimes not far sighted one (cloth flowers to cover a bathroom wall? stuck on with hot glue?). and then there was that time that she made a room into a virtual circus tent. large panels of red alternated with large panels of white. hmm .. i think it was hilde, at least. she seems like the one that would be just so inspired to do that.

it's funny - some parts of society like to contend that television doesn't affect us. but if it doesn't affect us, why have i made one wall of my new room a circus tent? why?!? of course, mine it's so carnival-esque - the panels are chocolate brown and raspberry - but the general pattern is still there, when they're closed at night at least. (i'm not a fan of having the whole west side of the apartment/condo building beside me be able to see me in my bedroom at night).

and let me say, that the inspiration has not ended there. i think i'm now going to start a campaign to get raspberry ripple fudgsicles. what a wonderful tickle for the taste buds on a hot, summer day. if they made it, i'd sure buy it. (hey marketing/product development blog-trolls - take note! pleeeease). mmmm .... chocolate raspberry ....

invisibility cloak

2007-04-21T21:07:00.000-04:00

i'm finding this very unsettling - especially due to the frequency in which this keeps happening.

earlier this week - i had an early morning appointment. the office that i was supposed to have the appointment in had been moved though. truth be told, i was there before the office actually opened, but seeing as i was supposed to have the first appointment of the day, i thought that this was quite prudent.

i went up to where the receptionist was and stood, patiently waiting. i got nothing. not even an acknowledgement. finally, i had to wander elsewhere to get someone who would actually help direct me to where i wanted to go. so i end up in a different building, with a different receptionist. she's chatting away to someone in this back office. i stand there, again, patiently - although, as the time goes on, i get increasingly loud to try to let them know that i'm there. and still, no acknowledgement of my presence! after about 5 minutes (after the office had technically even opened) - they finally decided to talk to me. and then later they seemed peeved that i had come late (*shakes angry fist*)

so that was the first time this week. and then today it happened again.

i went to get coffee this afternoon. i wandered into my local timothy's (and i'm pretty sure i'm not going there again - which is sad, because i like timothy's, apparently just not this one). there were two people working behind the counter and someone at the cash trying to pay and collecting the drinks that she had ordered. i waited - standing aloofly in front of the long counter. and nothing. but that was not it! then someone else comes in and they ask to serve her! then after they finish with her, they ask for my order - almost as an afterthought. i was a little peeved by this time. but still, that's not it. i'm waiting for my drink and waiting to pay in front of the cash. someone else had come in and ordered a coffee after me. they rang in his order first - despite the fact that i was standing there right in front of the cash register - then they had to operate around me. let it be known, melpie, was not impressed. and her patience has been tried for the last time this week (luckily, there's less than 3 hours left in the week - so the patience metre will fill up again by tomorrow morning)

conrad black

2007-03-25T21:40:00.000-04:00

so for some reason, the star has decided to refer to conrad black as just "black" in many of their headlines. other papers use "conrad black" ... and for good reason ... so far, i've read about:

- black's lawyer attacks trial's first witness
- poor black was duped, trial told on opening
- black in jail? don't count, er lord, on it
- black's big battle starts today
- black jury begins to take shape
- black's unlikely peers
- no sympathetic victims in black case

and my personal favourite: black as a bandit

it really seems reminiscent of the headlines i'm reading in my current novel, native son, about the murder trial of bigger thomas, circa 1930 chicago. funny how the words stay the same - but the meaning can change so much

on the move ... again?

2007-03-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

so i had this weird dream the other night - i dreamt that my room mate had bought this fabulous place that was basically a mansion of a condo unit. it spanned from the east to the west - full windows on both sides and was gorgeous. i kept wanting to ask how much it cost - but thought that'd be rude - so i just had to be satisfied with the comments of how good of a deal she got on it.

apparently - i'm psychic. or semi-so at least. it looks like i'm moving again - but the question is - where? i'm at the point where i could perhaps purchase something myself, but will i have that in time? should we give our two months notice? and plus, her new place will have two bedrooms - one of which she wants to rent - so i *could* just continue playing the renting game.

i've got 23 days to figure it out - 3 weeks. yeeps. why is march going by so fast?

welcome winter

2007-03-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

now, i know this is a little belated - but without my lovely xavier, i haven't been able to write about this. but here goes ...

i keep getting told that i'm nuts - but i like winter. i ignore the fact that it might be -34 degrees (celsius) - i like it. today i was walking outside as the temperature was dropping, and i couldn't help but smile (perhaps it was the snowflakes in the air - i find the snowflake smell intoxicating).

as much as the cold does bother me (clinically so even) - i don't know how i could do without winter. it's a breath of (sometimes overly) fresh air. the fluffy white snow seems to clean everything and make it brand new again. then it melts away and the green comes out - what's more wonderful than that?

last week, i had to walk through the park to the old industrial building that's full of sand and volleyball nets. no one else had walked through the freshly fallen snow. it was beautiful. the lights from the baseball field made everything glitter. it took everything that i had to not do a backwards leap into the snow and commence making angels. come on - you know you've had that urge too - with all that undisturbed white stuff out there - you just gotta do something to it, don't you?

fuzzy vision

2007-03-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

so, first, let's welcome xavier home. he has had a few difficulties in the past few weeks - but he's back from rehab with a brand new motherboard, dvd drive and lcd. nope, there wasn't too much wrong with him.

i think that my vision is suffering lately - you know how they have the added security feature in many sites now where you have to type in what you see in the box to verify that you are indeed a person. well ... i've been having a lot of problems figuring what's in the boxes lately. why must they make them so tricky? i feel somewhat wrong when i have to click the area that's for the vision impaired ... but hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

good bye cruel world

2007-02-06T20:33:00.001-05:00

ok, don't freak out. but .... i'm not going to be around much in the next two to three weeks. xavier has checked himself into rehab. i think i might cry. but, i'll be back, ya'll. don't you worry. in the mean time, i guess there's always the *shudder* phone.

word to the wise

2007-01-21T23:12:00.001-05:00

just because wine comes in a little bottle and looks like a cooler, does not mean it should be consumed as such.

ow.

the love tap

2007-01-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

so i rented a car today to make my way home for the wonderful stagette *tries to hold in enthusiasm*

anyway, once i picked up the car, i realized that i had forgotten some stuff at home so i had to drive back there. gotta love fighting saturday morning traffic (with the lazy shoppers wandering here and there along the streets) ... ok, there was a brief interlude in this all ... and now it's sunday night - but i shall recommence the story telling anyway.

so i'm driving down the street and have to stop at a red light - there's one car in front of me. while the light's red, i try to put a couple containers with food in them the right way up again (don't want any spillage or anything like that, you know). while i'm doing this, i must have accidentally eased up the pressure i had been applying to the brake.

*THUNK*

yep, i rolled into the car in front of me. the guy whips around in his seat, throwing his arms up in despair and proceeds to get out of the car to survey the damage. i too get out of the car to see how bad it is ... luckily, there's no visible damage. even luckier, the guy seemed to soften as i got out of the car and even smiled at me as i apologized profusely. he even went on to say - i don't think there's anything to worry about, it was just a love tap.

thank god i'm not ugly. that's all i've got to say.

the dog whisperer

2007-01-19T23:50:00.000-05:00

so yesterday i was waiting for the elevator (i was doing laundry - which is really the only time i use the elevator - especially since they've started making weird noises and the random ppl were drilling holes in the door ..) ... the elevator going up opened and out bounds this cute little husky puppy.

he quickly scampers over to me and jumps up on me and keeps saying hello. the guys with him thought this was quite odd - because the puppy never does this. then they called the puppy to come back with them to their apartment and the puppy went away, only to return seconds later to play with me again.

it was then that one of the guys commented that he was jealous of me because the puppy liked me so much - and he could never get that kind of attention from the dog. i know, i know - you're thinking, "melpie, don't be so naive - these guys were probably just hitting on you" - but i'm pretty sure they were batting for the other team - if you know what i mean. like, how many heterosexual men go out to walk a puppy in a pair at 10pm at night? weird, i tell you.

so my conclusion? i'm the dog whisperer. watch out cesar millan, it's melpie's time to shine!

thai's my inspiration

2007-01-18T23:40:00.000-05:00

so, this is something i've been meaning to write about for awhile ... but really, i figured, who would care. however, i just read an entry in a friend's blog and it reminded me once again about the subject - a subject that i adore - my books.

i'm a bit of a bibliophile - no where close to rory or anything, but i still do enjoy my books. they're like battle scars - i like to keep them as badges of my accomplishments and as reminders of where i've been and where i have yet to go (it helps when i'm trying to do things like stroke books off my "to read" list .... i'm done 22 ... only 78 to go!) ... and i do sometimes donate the books to charity that i find particularly embarassing (now no one has proof that i ever owned the da vinci code or one of the gilmore girls books) but i think that books are wonderful gifts that are meant to be shared. sometimes i wonder if this is a good idea ... they often go into the abyss and i never get my dear friends back. sometimes i look at my shelf for a book that i wanted to see again and it's gone and i can't remember where ... so here, so i don't forget ... i'm going to make a list of the missing. please friends, come home soon!

oryx & crake
the invisible man
family matters
a prayer for owen meany
in the skin of a lion
the way the crow flies
testament
the princess bride
the white bone
white teeth
the last days of summer
fried green tomatoes
kite runner
the fountainhead
the secret diary of grazia dei rossi
fierce invalids home from hot climates

so now the question is .... do i replace my friends, or simply wait for them to come home?

the loose noose

2007-01-17T23:02:00.000-05:00

come on stephane, it's not *that* bad ...you don't have to do yourself in yet ..

(photo courtesy of reuters)

the vaccuuming

2007-01-17T22:51:00.000-05:00

so, i think the cleaning people at work have finally taken offense to us constantly complaining about the lack of vaccuuming, or should i say the lack of physical vaccuuming.

today, the vaccuuming began at 4:45. no, this isn't disturbing at all. 4:45 is a good time to start that sort of work because most ppl are long gone from the office by then, right? so then they unlock the offices that ppl aren't in (because some ppl *do* leave that early, just not the majority) and vaccuum them and do a very meticulous job of the hallway .... but i don't think they go back to offices after ppl leave to do them. so if you're in your office when they come, you're out of luck.

yesterday i was in my office when they were doing the dusting (this happens about ... oh, once a year) ... so i missed out on that one too.

hooray for working in a dust bowl.

dear miss manners

2007-01-10T00:46:00.000-05:00

i'm having some etiquette issues. first, i'm a huge believer in holding the door open for the person behind you - it's the polite thing to do. i get extremely angry when someone lets the door slam in my face (especially if it's one of those heavy ones that i have to use all my might in moving) ... but ....

lately there have been a few security issues in my building. like, first there were break-ins in the parking garage (i don't have a car so this didn't bother me so much). and THEN .... around christmas, some ppl were caught on video drilling holes in the bottom of the elevator doors. like, what the heck? so to try to make us feel better, they have had a security guard around at night to escort you in the elevator if you're scared. of course, i just randomly run into the security guard in the hallway and it kind of creeps me out (one of those things that if you see the policing then you are aware that policing is needed and become concerned about the reasons that policing is needed) ... and then finally there was the fire alarm that was pulled yesterday morning and aroused me from my sleep (between the snooze times on my alarm). all strange occurrences.

so to get back to the etiquette question ... i'm a little concerned about the type of ppl that seem to be roaming about my building. sometimes when i am coming or going there are ppl in the vestibule thing waiting to come in but that don't have the scan card thing to unlock the door. or just haven't been able to find it in their bag or whatever. so ... do i be courteous and unlock the door for them? or ... do i push the door shut so they can't get in? i'm so torn!

oooh, in an amusing sidebar (although this is the end of my entry - so it's more of an endbar?) .. there is a channel on my tv so we can see the ppl waiting in the vestibule. it can be amusing to watch. anyway, apparently some ppl abuse this. on new years, i witnessed someone trying to get buzzed in and be told that he had to jump up and down on one leg, close his eyes and touch his nose .. hump the carpet .. and that's where he drew the line. i felt bad for the guy at this point and finally let him in. but it made me giggle nonetheless. and .. end end bar.

p.s. espresso at night = bad

two in one day!

2007-01-06T18:34:00.000-05:00

so ... my little sister is getting married. we've known about this for a while and the wedding's now less than a month away. crazy to think that in a few short weeks, my sister and i will no longer share a last name. but that's another issue.

anyway, she has a large wedding party (or i think it's a good size at least ... 5 on the bride's side and 5 on the groom's). on the bride's side, it is four close friends from high school and myself. and sadly - i am starting to feel a little isolated (i'm taking much comfort in the fact that i will have friends at the wedding).

all of the girls live in the home town - i live in the city. ok, to be fair, the maid of honour just moved down to the states - but she's still in charge of things. so every once in a while i get a phone call to fill me in on the details of this or that. and then when the event in question happens (for example, the buck and doe), i get to stand around like a doofus and do nothing.

so .... soon we shall have the "friends" shower and the stagette. i am dreading this. i got the phone call about the plans a couple days ago. they think that there should probably be about 25 girls .. and then i was asked if i wanted to bring a friend.

yep. it's gonna be one fun day. *resumes dread*

the winterless winter

2007-01-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

one of the things that i've always liked about canada, and have always been sure that i would miss if i was somewhere else, is our incredibly distinct seasons. we have the lazy hazy crazy days of summer with all the heat and the suntanning on the beach then autumn hits and the trees turn spectacular hues of yellows, reds and oranges then just as the mud is setting in, winter swoops in with a wonderful blanket of white covers everything and the world is all fresh again. and of course, we get tired of the cold that accompanies the crystalline beauty and cheer as the snow melts insto spring and we get to witness the fabulous rebirth of green.

well folks .. this has been shattered. what has happened to my seasons? where are the seasons? it's the first week of january and i haven't seen snow yet! ok, i have - but only as flakes in the air or the very fine layer that covers the ground and melts the second you turn your back on it. that's not snow people, that's not snow!

perhaps there's something to this whole global warming thing - but that would just be too convenient (rather than inconvenient as al gore would have you believe). it has me re-examining things. should i be upset when things aren't living up to my expectations or, instead, should i embrace what is given and enjoy the new experiences while i have them. or maybe i should just stop thinking ... afterall, ignorance *is* bliss.

my arizona adventure

2006-12-09T13:39:00.000-05:00

so i've spent the past week down in the valley in arizona. it's strange that it is such a different world down here - while it's the same - it's also different. during my adventure (which mostly consisted of sleeping, shopping and eating out) i've wandered here and there and seen some amazing vistas and made some observations ... among them:

everyone drives here - i mean everyone - well, aside from the few migrant workers who are going to or from work. people kept looking at me funny seeing me walking along the sidewalk - all by myself. see - the sidewalk is bare!

and if you're going to drive - you might as well drive the largest vehicle possible. suv's are somehow bigger here - i swear there are supersized models for this market only - ones we wouldn't see at home. it's crazy!

oh yes, and from the relative comfort and anonymity of the giant suv and/or pick-up, the boys find the freedom to be quite vocal. the hooting and the hollering was something i've never experienced before - aside from the occasional walk by a construction site in the summer. it's a little unnerving.

oh yes - and for future reference - they don't call it old scottsdale because of its age - but more the age of the tourists .... man i feel young. but that's a good thing, right? maybe this is the way to get me through my quarter life crisis. who knew i'd be so scared of turning 26?

passing time

2006-11-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

it keeps on going and going. tick tock, tick tock. it seems like i might be having something interesting or artful to say, but .... no, i'm just leading you astray. i've got nothin'

but, in odd things - i was just watching a hair club for men type commercial - one where they take your own hair and replant it to where you're balding (perhaps i should get this for my brother for christmas ... i think he's past the time where rogaine would be of any help).

anyway - the real hook for this campaign - if you call now, you get free gas!

now, i'm not sure if they were talking about gasoline or perhaps just ... like gastro-intestinal type gas as a side-effect of the surgery - but that's what they were advertising. i'm pretty sure that they were talking about the former though.

it was definitely one of those disconnects. how do hair and gasoline connect? the hold is tenuous at best - when you regain hair, you want to drive in a convertible with the top down and let the wind zip through your hair (and in this case, youc an be confident in doing something like that and your hair won't fall out) - and to drive a convertible, you need gas. but that's way too much thinking to make it make sense. we the ppl need things handed to us on a silver platter - how can you expect us to think? that's just way too demanding!

an open mind

2006-10-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

i've been having quite the discussions lately about politics with people. and yet again i'm reminded that there is no political party out there that really speaks to me. in general, i think i have two issues with political parties:

1. they seem to be a little to idealistic and do things sometimes just to prove that they believe in x ideal; and

2. they are too afraid to admit that things change and the changing world can sometimes make a policy or idea that was good at one time not be good now.

politics, in general, fascinates and frustrates me. there are so many good things about it and so many bad. because the talk of politics is so entwined in an individual's personal views and morals, it becomes a topic that is difficult to talk about openly, fairly and without fear of being rebuked. it becomes too emotional and the emotion prevents us from having those discussions that we need to have.

it saddens me that these days we don't really have that visionary, that charismatic leader to get our blood pumping. even if i don't agree with what the leader says, i'd still like there to be someone out there like that. where have all the kings of rhetoric gone? is it because there's no longer the same glory there once was? or is it because there's more opportunity in the knowledge based economy for those individuals now - that they can excel elsewhere and make a prettier penny doing it? or ... are those visionaries so fed up with our society that they've turned their back on it?

maybe i'm asking too much - because how often does a great leader come along? and how often do we see past great leaders as great simply because of the situation that they were in? would they still be great if they hadn't had to deal with that situation? would we remember them at all? i much prefer that we live in non-descript times rather than to have driven these people from the public sector ... but, you never know.

freak out 2006

2006-10-15T23:32:00.000-04:00

i can't believe that i freaked out that much. i really had no good reason to freak out. but there i was, and i couldn't stop myself. i thought i was having a good hair day, i thought i was looking cute - but then the self-doubt kick in. had i been simply living in a dream world and this was the pinch to bring me back to reality?

i couldn't even look! i had to avert my eyes. here i am, woman (hear me roar) - and i'm left breathless in the wrong way. i thought i was doing well - i was feeling strong, confident, ambitious - i was going places. and then, for a split second, i saw it all in a different light. much like the interrogation light - bright white - it highlighted every bump, every wrinkle, every imperfection.

god - i hate bathing suit shopping...

and i'm sure i'll feel even better when i get the whole bathing cap and suit ensemble going. the funniest part - i had to shop in the "competitive swimwear" section. anyone else find that thought funny, or is it just me?

new contest!

2006-10-04T23:24:00.000-04:00

so - you might have noticed, i changed my template. i haven't decided if i like it yet and i still am a little bit embarassed that i'm using a template in the first place. but then - my design skills aren't nearly what they used to be.

so ... out of laze, i have decided to have a new contest. huzzah! are you excited yet?

what is the contest? well, to design me a lovely new blog. i'm open to most ideas (although - i tend to prefer ones that are pretty and not x-rated) - so go ahead and do it! if you win, you get to see your lovely design every time you come to read my witty and thought provoking posts.

(hmm ... i wonder if any suckers will bite on this one ... oops ... did i type that out loud?)

fears realized

2006-10-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

everyone has those things that they're scared of for no real good reason. there may be an explanation (weird, i just wrote explication - that's not even a word! is it?) in their past, some logical progression from no fear/indifference to petrification. but then sometimes, the fear is inexplicable.

for me, this inexplicable fear surrounds falling. well, not really falling, per se. more - having the "ground" fall from beneath me. and when i say ground, i don't mean that actual earth - i mean the suspended floors we create for ourselves - i.e., sidewalk grates, the glass floor in the cn tower, bridges, etc.

luckily, this fear isn't as bad as it used to be. i remember a time when i was basically frozen if i had to step on a grate in the sidewalk - but these have become *almost* commonplace for me now walking around the city (of course, i still *try* to avoid them, although, this is only partially motivated by fear of the grate collapsing - the other part is for my heel slipping through the grate - it's no fun to be stuck AND ruin new shoes. it's very sad, really). however, i still have some issues with the rather large bridges - i was a little shocked when i discovered the large bridge i had to cross this spring when i made my way down to wine country. but i took some deep breaths, stared ahead and gripped the steering wheel tightly and i made it across.

when talking about this fear with people, i'm always told how silly i'm being. that the floor of the cn tower just wouldn't fall out, that bridges just don't collapse. but ... they do! and that's what the unfortunate events in laval this weekend have taught us. i'm not crazy (and this is definitely going to put my fear-dealing a few steps back).

it's sad that we have things like this happen - that we can't keep up with our infrastructure needs. there seems to be this grand idea that if we keep building new infrastructure we can keep growing and growing. but what do we do when our existing infrastructure can't even be maintained? sure - shovel-digging and ribbon cutting ceremonies get you a lot better press than filling in the ever worsening pothole. sure, people complain when they aren't able to use a road because it's being redone. but ... we've gotta do it. we depend on the safety of the infrastructure provided to us - being scared of bridges collapsing under you feet/car *should* be an inexplicable fear - not a reality.

a new place

2006-09-25T00:16:00.000-04:00

so, as i alluded to in my last post - my room mate of many years (well, like 3 ... does 3 count as many? when it's over 10% of my life and like half the time of my life since i lived with my parents, i think it counts as many years) is moving far away. result? i moved in with another friend. this weekend was moving weekend. fun? well, it wasn't that bad since none of the heavy lifting was done by me. hooray for male friends! they didn't even grumble (that much).

my new room mate is out of town for a few days - which is kind of nice because i can have the place in a huge mess as i slowly put all my stuff together. however, at the same time - it's a little eerie. i'm moving into someone's place - someone that's been living in the place for quite some time. i don't want to be overstepping the lines or anything. i haven't done that much - although there is little in the way of decorating through the place so i have added some splashes of colour, plant life, etc. ... mostly i've just worked on my bedroom and what is pretty much my bathroom (although it's kind of like the main bathroom ... the other one is an en suite to the other bedroom - so that wouldn't be too practical for guests to use).

but tomorrow - or tuesday or wednesday - depending on my schedule, i've got to start integrating more of my stuff into the kitchen. i opened up the cupboards today and saw a huge mess. i'm a little bit particular about my kitchen. my bedroom can be the biggest mess - the other rooms need to be somewhat neat and organized - but the kitchen must be well organized and well cleaned. i'm not even sure where my stuff will fit. but i'm a little scared to move too much. just like i'm scared to put pictures on the wall. i don't want to do anything offensive in my first week!

it's weird feeling like an intruder though. it's also weird to have moved. i still don't think it's quite sunk in. but then - maybe that's part of the nomad in me. i'm a rather adaptable person - and sometimes i wonder, am i too adaptable and accepting of the circumstances that life gives me?

note to self

2006-09-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

copious amounts of white wine on a tuesday night is not a good idea.

this continues melissa & melissa's research into wine on week nights. (my partner in crime, who's soon leaving me for another country *wipes tear* discovered that a bottle of red wine on a monday is not a good idea either).

so next week, should i try wednesday with a blush?

cold feet

2006-09-20T19:27:00.000-04:00

hah - made you think i was getting married, didn't i? but no - the title actually refers to my literally cold feet.

you'd think that if this was such a problem, i'm put on some socks. i have a rather warm pair of fuzzy pink ones ... but instead, i sit with my bare feet elevated - further exacerbating the problem. gotta love how lazy i am.

the cold feet make me sad. they're quite representative of a change in seasons. the point in time when i actually have to start wearing socks and shoes. i rather like wearing sandals/open toed shoes. but now i'll have to start squeezing my feet back into confines of boots.

it's weird that i feel so opposed to this. i think my favourite article of clothing is socks (i'm currently in the process of packing up all my clothes and have discovered that my socks fill up a gym bag - do you think perhaps i have too many?). so why then, am i loathing the thought of having to wear them every day?

... and so continues the life of the walking contradiction ...

it does exist!

2006-09-14T19:02:00.000-04:00

so, according to the latest (well, i guess seeing as thursday is publication day, the next to latest would be the better description) issue of the economist, global warming does exist! and just when i thought all that chatter about the hockey stick was make believe!

so one and all, it's time to batten down the hatches! the warming will come! it's the truth - despite it being a little inconvenient. of course, we do have to weigh the costs of fighting global warming with the potential unknown benefits. maybe it's already too late, maybe spending billions now won't really produce a real effect anyway ... there's a lot of risk and uncertainty there. but i guess the point is that we should spend something ... just because the impact of the threat is unknown, doesn't mean you should ignore it, right?

and most of all, remember to think responsibly.

the darkness

2006-08-20T13:23:00.000-04:00

it's strange - i never realized how dark the night really is. when i was younger, i just took it for granted that when the sun goes down, it gets black outside. as a child, i lived in the country - far away from the light cast from the street lamps. at night, it was dark. it was comforting in a way to know that we were so far removed from the evils and dangers of society. the most dangerous thing hiding out there was the crickets chirping or the occasional skunk snuffling for some grubs to eat.

it was quite different for me then, when i moved into town and had a single street light right outside of my window. even with the blinds shut, the light filtered through. it never seemed like it was truly night, but i adjusted. and as i moved here and there, from the small town, to the small city to the bigger city (well, i guess this is kind of a big city seeing as it is in the top five in north america or something like that, in terms of population of course)

now it seems that everything's turned around. i find it somewhat comforting that the whole city glows at night - that i can see where people are and decipher whether or not they're threatening. i go back to the country every now and then to spend the night, and when i peer into the darkness ... it's all changed. it scares me. well, that's not exactly correct. it's not the dark that scares me so much - it's what might be hiding within it. it's weird how our perceptions change.

p.s. question of the week - if one part of a girl-guy friendship is attracted to the other, can they ever have a truly platonic relationship? is it too much to desire a truly platonic relationship? or is that just an oxy moron, a figment of our imaginations?

judgement

2006-08-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

lately, it seems to be bugging me when people say something about another's appearance and then say, "not that looks matter" or something of that kind. what a load of crap.

i think i want to go on the record now (although, i may recant in the future) - but looks do matter.

we as humans have 5 senses ... we have to use these senses to make decisions, judgements, discriminate. depending on the situation, we are limited in which senses we can use to help guide our judgements. with people, we've got sight, sound and smell (and as long as you don't give the person the no feeling, touch). i guess you have taste too - but that's for a more, uh, intimiate type of judgement.

i guess it gets me that we have absolutely no problem with discriminating against people on their smell. if someone has bad b.o., it leads us to believe that they don't have good hygiene and perhaps they're someone that we want to stay away from. maybe we think this is an ok judgement to make because smell is something that a person can work on, can mask, can change.

so then why isn't it ok to judge based on appearances? appearances are something that one can change. i'm not talking about drastic changes that require surgery - but rather other things that are simple. clothes, hair style, cleanliness, posture, etc. it's weird, but if someone dresses well, holds himself well - that shines out despite the good (or bad) looks that god gave him. and is it really so bad to judge on that?

we are visual beings after all, right?

or maybe i'm reading too much rand :S

tv show heaven

2006-08-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

i'm the type of person who finishes what she starts. in fact, i'm sort of anal about it. if i pick up a book, i'll slog through it - no matter how disinteresting i find it or how much i don't like it. it might take me a long time, but i finish it. heck, my first hemingway (for whome the bell tolls) took me numerous starts and five years to actually complete. but, the point is, i finished it.

so this is why i sometimes find tv so difficult. you start watching a new show, it's got a hook - a mystery. sure, it's not all that *great* - but you've put in your time, you've watched one, two ... maybe even four or five episodes. and then - just like kaiser soze - it's gone.

i feel cheated, incomplete. you can't just pull the story out from under me. sure, it wasn't getting the ratings the big execs had hoped (and the sad part is, sometimes it can still be getting great ratings, just not relatively so against other shows in the time slot - like when family guy was put up to compete with friends and survivor ... yes, that's definitely a good spot for a new show to grow and thrive ... ). sometimes these shows are even still out there, they've been filmed - just never aired. they hang in limbo where no one can get them. and i stay here, teetering, hanging on a cliff.

but maybe, with the advancement of technology and the morphing of consumer tastes and growth of comfort watching tv streamed or downloaded from the internet, this can change. maybe the shows that now go into tv limbo could go to tv heaven - people could download them at their leisure and not be left for such a lurch. heck, cult followings might even be created for shows. it will bring a whole new dimension, market for stories told in episode form.

alas, i'm afraid it's just all a pipe dream.

yay me!

2006-07-03T22:01:00.000-04:00

i did it! finally!

i moved downtown almost two years ago - and since that time i've been telling myself that i should go to the carlton. i walk by it often enough. i figured it could be a test to see if i could handle going to a movie by myself. sure, going to a movie by myself is nothing like eating by myself (sans book) - but it's all about the baby steps (see the below post).

i can't say that my first experience at the carlton was something to write home about. the movie started late, there were technical difficulties so they had to stop it half way through and i think we kept missing a little bit of the footage. however, they did make up for it by giving me a free pass for next time.

and i'm sure you're wondering what i went to see - well, it was a showing of thank you for smoking, which i found rather amusing - i'm sure it would have been even better had i seen the film in its entirety and if there wasn't a break in the middle and if the vertical alignment wasn't messed up for a few minutes - better luck next time.

confession

2006-07-02T22:22:00.000-04:00

what i'm about to tell you all is by no means a signal that i want to get married and have kids right now, as much as it may seem to be. i'm enjoying life right now - and in no way am i ready for that "next stage" of life. i think i still have a few commitment issues to be dealing with - but i assume those will dissipate when the time comes. however, i do feel that i've made a teeny weeny baby step closer towards it.

whenever i've pictured my future, i've assumed i would have 2 kids (except for a phase in high school where i decided i wouldn't have kids. apparently i told my mom about this plan at that time - and now she thinks that i never want to have kids, which works well for me b/c that means no pressure for grandkids - or not yet at least. but then again, i'm only 25 - who knows what the coming years will bring)

so back to my original assumption - i can see these two kids - a girl with long ringletty hair and a cute little boy. both of them had the blond(e) hair and the blue eyes. this works well for me, being blond(ish - more blonde as a child) and blue-ish eyed myself. however - i've always been attracted to dark eyed, dark haired guys - you know the type that would be unlikely to produce a little blond, blue-eyed children. and the blondish, blueish eyed men? well - i never found them all that pretty ...

until now. is this a sign? am i entering a new phase in my life? or am i just bored with the same old type of guy and want to taste a new colour in the rainbow?

wow this is pretty personal - i guess the real question is will i have the guts to publish this? and if i do ... how long will i let it stay up?

early mornings

2006-06-20T20:04:00.000-04:00

i am by no means a morning person. actually, i'm very much the opposite of a morning person. unfortunately, my work schedule doesn't always accept the fact that i'm not a morning person. yesterday morning was a prime example.

due to an unusually early start time yesterday, i had to get up early. unfortunately, i slept in. more unfortunately, i was in a daze as i got ready. then i made my big mistake. i decided to accessorize. cute earrings, yes?

because i was super late, i grabbed earrings and put them in as i searched for my umbrella, ran down the stairs, locked the door, put up my umbrella and rushed to the street car stop. it was truly miserable weather outside. i was running a little late - but not too late. it looked like everything would turn out all right.

half an hour, 2 street cars and 1 subway ride later (during rush hour, no less) - i arrived. i engaged in some early morning banter with a co-worker. while doing this, i started playing with my earrings. (i have a bad/nervous habit of playing with my earrings or necklace when talking to people.) it was then that i realized it. i was not wearing the earrings i thought i was wearing. sure my left ear held the above dangle ... but my right ear on the other hand ...

yep, that's right - i'm awesome. to make matters worse, i had my hair pulled back, so you could really see the difference.

serves me right for leaving the house without looking in the mirror first.

*hangs head in shame*

gst

2006-06-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

yes, the goods and services tax. it's that lovely value added tax that mulroney introduced back in the day. a wonderful little consumption tax - the one we should be raising, rather than lowering (... but that's another rant, for a different day)

yes folks, that's right, i don't know if you heard the news - but the gst will be decreasing by one percentage point (from 7% to 6%) effective july 1, 2006.

now, i know this has been all over the news - but subsequent to a couple conversations i had this evening with rather intelligent, well-read individuals - apparently not everyone knows this!

kiddies, this is why you need to read the news! *just shakes her head*

sizes

2006-06-19T19:53:00.000-04:00

we come in all sizes. it's been a pet peeve of mine for a while to see that sizes are changing. i'm a huge believer in standardized sizes. you should be able to go into any store and pick up a size and know it's going to fit you. an 8 should be an 8 should be an 8. it's easier in pants where we use waist sizes and it's measured in inches - then you know what size you should be.

as the population has been ballooning (thank you coke and french fries), stores have been adjusting sizes to make us women feel better about ourselves. they're trying to trick us. a couple years ago, if you were a size 8 - you suddenly became a 6 ... and so on and so forth (sorry, just wanted to use "so on and so forth", it seems ever so eloquent). as a result, the lower end sizes have basically fallen off the map. now instead of a size 2, there are size 0's and size 000's ... which seems just a little bit more than wrong. it seems as though teeny tiny ppl are no longer allowed to exist for the purpose of many clothing retailers. (which i think is sad - shouldn't shopping be accessible to all? it sucks to not be able to find clothes that fit properly - whether you're big or small, short or tall - we all have issues finding well fitting clothes. do we need to make it even harder?)

so the reason for this diatribe? i think that this upsizing is becoming a little ridiculous. sure, if you fit into a size smaller than usual, it's flattering. you feel as you might have actually gotten rid of those couple pesky pounds that just wouldn't go away. but when you suddenly need to go down 2 or 3 or 4 sizes smaller than usual - then i feel like the retailers are just insulting our intelligence.

however, we, the female masses, seem to fall for this trick. we feel somewhat reassured that we can fit into smaller sizes, while knowing that we have not in fact lost weight or even knowing that we have gained it. we're so easily manipulated. and now, i must admit, that i too have fallen for this manipulation. yesterday, i was out shopping and was trying on jeans. i fit into a size that i haven't fit into since i was probably 14. i'm unsure if they're the perfect jeans, great jeans, comfortable jeans - but i couldn't let them go b/c they fit.

while i try to be vigilant, i too have fallen for this marketing trick. and whenever the marketers' manipulations have an effect on my behaviour, i must applaud them.

so bravo, marketing minds, bravo.

ka-boom

2006-05-30T23:12:00.000-04:00

a car exploded outside of my office yesterday! not just outside of my office building, i'm talking about outside of my individual office window! there was just the tree (where the squirrels play and provide me much afternoon entertainment) between the car and my office window! crazy!

ok, ok - i may exaggerate a little bit. but let me start from the very beginning (a very good place to start)

so i'm sweltering in my office yesterday (apparently the ventilation system broke ... plus they had to turn off the air conditioning anyway b/c the government thinks it must make a good conservation example and does this by turning off the air conditioning, non-essential lighting and 25% of the elevators when there's a smog day... the a/c doesn't come back on until the interior temp hits 27 degrees or something like that. i'm usually ok with this, except that they didn't have the ventilation system on yesterday - so as a result i was light-headed, dizzy, hallucinating ... but this story did actually happen! i swear!) ok ... so back to the start...

i was sweltering in my office yesterday. there's a sudden commotion down the hall. a bunch of ppl are gathering in a co-workers office and making exclamations. i ignore it and continue with my reading. the excitement seems to die down and then one of the group walks by my office and says "you shoudl check out your window - there's a car on fire)

so i look ... there's flames! lots of flames! i pause for a minute - then i think, "MY GOD! WHAT IF THE GAS TANK EXPLODES!" so i grab my purse and my keys and hightail it out of my office. by this time, most everyone with an eastern exposure has seen the car on fire. some are still wanting to watch yet torn because, what if the thing explodes ... the whole wall could be taken out. so we start heading outside ... i glance at the windows behind me and see billowing black smoke. there are some small booms (the tires popping?) our director decided at this point in time that perhaps we should all evacuate - but then, one of the ppl who just couldn't keep their noses away from the window noted that all the excitement was over. the firemens had come, they spayed the waters and the fire was out. still ... there was shattered glass on the sidewalk and even some melted aluminum or something like that.

from there on out, i just had to deal with the toxic fumes that made their way into the stagnant office air.

such an odd day.

AND ... it wasn't even the only car fire i saw yesterday. when i was walking after work, i saw another burnt out car in a puddle of water with firemens milling about.

apparently it was just *that* hot out yesterday. i don't know how many more days i can handle with it feeling like it's over 40 degrees ...

becoming the cat lady: step one

2006-05-28T12:37:00.000-04:00

i've taken the first step, yes, yes i have.

back in the day, i believe i was voted "most likely to become a cat lady" in my high school graduating class. since that time, i've been resisting the urges, i've been analysing my actions, i've been trying to ensure that i don't become a cat lady.

but really, what is a cat lady? how many cats do you have to have? does one cat make you a cat lady? does two? and why aren't there cat men? that just doesn't seem fair! but this is all beside the point right now.

yesterday i took the first step - now i'm sure you're thinking that this means that i got a kitten (which would be fantabulous if i actually did) ... but no, i did not. however, i did get me one of those nifty shopping carts so i can easily wheel my purchases from the grocery store to my house.

maybe this is really just the first step on the way to me becoming a bag lady ... but i think it's more the cat lady route. you see, this little cart can make me more independent - i won't need to grab a taxi or even go on transit with the other pl in order to transport heavy purchases home. instead, i can do as i please, in my own little world. heck, i can even block out the real world with the music on the ipod (so if we step backwards, maybe that was the first step to becoming a cat lady. if i'm listening to music, i find i have an excuse to ignore ppl when they try to talk to me on the street)

and in the end, what's a cat lady but an independent, recluse who only has cats for friends?

bits and pieces

2006-05-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

i keep thinking i should write in my blog and i have lots of things to write about. but when i think about writing them, i find i have not much to say - no expansion upon the original thought. so this could definitely be a post of random thoughts.

1. life jackets are important. especially in hypothermic type temperatures.
2. rain makes ppl wear funny things - like garbage bags as pretend ponchos. but my favourite outfit i saw during the downpours was the asian IT type guy was wheeling a little shopping cart thingy with a case of lakeport honey brown (or some such brand) in his too-short, tapered, pleated khakis and plaid shirt holding the lavendar umbrella with bows and flowers on it. wonderful!
3. the true love cafe has redone its signs! apparently you can stay in the true love castle - i wonder if they rent it by the hour?
4. do fireworks sound like gunfire? what does gunfire sound like? am i just being paranoid?
5. when you make an appointment, keep it. i'm not clingy - it's just that if i make a commitment to meet up with someone at some time, i respect that commitment and turn down other possible activities/rendezvoussss - so i'm annoyed when the appointment gets cancelled at the last minute.
6. will greg be the minister of finance again? when will dalton let us know? is it wrong to refer to elected officials by their first names?
7. am i being a baby if i refuse to try to make contact with someone if they have ignore my last attempt to make contact with them? should i swallow my pride and maybe open the window so i can escape my life as a recluse?
8. is it wrong to find compliments - no matter the source - even in the form of cat calls from construction workers or in the form of the homeless man on the bench in the park displaying his wealth by throwing a handful of change on the path in front of you and saying he'd like the pretty girl to spend some time with him - oddly flattering? is it wrong to be blushing and rolling your eyes/shuddering at the same time?
9. i thought may was supposed to be nice? why can't i wear my sandals yet?!? why why why?!?
10. is the mouse poo i found on my desk old or new? have the mice come back?
11. why do the IT guys lie? we got new computers at work and they make whiny/squealing noises (at first i thought there was a mouse torture chamber in my wall ... this goes back to my mouse paranoia). every 15 - 20 minutes it sounds like a mouse in horrible pain. apparently it's normal for computers to do this? well, it's normal for these computers to do this b/c they're small and there's not enough insulation to muffle that squealing noise? highly dubious!
12. (this is the last one, i swear) what's up with the da vinci code controversy? i can see why opus dei is mad b/c they are painted in a rather un-nice light ... however, i think it's great for the catholic church - faith is only strengthened when it's challenged, isn't it? it's kind of like how god tested moses in the desert ... right?

a case of mistaken identity

2006-04-27T23:51:00.000-04:00

oh gmail ... oh gmail

so i have found it quite interesting that i tend to get a lot of mail for other ppl in my gmail account. for mike or for mildred or matt or martha ... (my gmail account is m.lastname@gmail.com) ... among these, was a flyer for some junkmail ... so i tried to unsubscribe. i put in my email address and it told me that it didn't even have me on record (it's apparently impossible to remove someone from a list when they're not on the list to begin with). this lead me to be a bit more of a detective.

i looked at the address that the email had been sent to - it was just mlastname@gmail.com ... no dot. i found this puzzling - the dot is the defining feature of my gmail address! it's cute, it's perky and it separates my first initial from my last! this lead me to go and look at other emails that i had received for other ppl ... again, the email address entered was just mlastname@gmail.com. (weird) there was a little link to "learn more" ... so being the curiouscat that i am, i double clicked. oh how i learned!

APPARENTLY, gmail does not recognize dots. it recognizes yourname@gmail.com the same as your.name@gmail.com the same as y.o.u.r.n.a.m.e@gmail.com . since when is a dot not a character? and does this mean that ALL my gmail has been going into someone else's inbox too? if there are two almost identical email sign-ins (aside from the dot) does the email get sent to all the accounts? or is it a random lottery to figure out who gets it each time? my two concerns are now that either i don't receive all emails that are sent to me ... or more distressing - all of the emails addressed to me are also being sent to mike (with the same email address as me). it makes me wonder ... i don't get *all* that many emails for mike (it is just usually mike that i get emails for) ... so either he's not a very popular guy, he doesn't use his gmail very much or i just randomly get sent some of his gmails.

i'm ever so confused.

do i change my email address? i was almost finally switched over from my hotmail to my gmail ... i almost had everyone trained! this is a definite oversight on google's part ... not necessarily the fact that the dot does not count as a character, but more in the fact that they did not really make it known/apparent that the dot did not count as a character when i signed up for this service 2 years ago!

oh i'm bitter - bitter and distressed (although, the distress is more a product of oliver being in critical care- but that's a story for another time. i don't want to assume the worst, until that assumption has been confirmed. p.s. just so you don't get overly worried, oliver is my laptop - but again, more on that later).

p.s. after some light tapping, jiggling and other good love, oliver has turned on again! YAY! but ... for how long?

hippity hop

2006-04-16T16:19:00.000-04:00

so exciting!

the easter bunny visited me last night. that's all well and good - he usually does (if i'm with my parents for easter ... which i almost always am. gotta put in the good quality family time, right?) so i got my sugar and spice chocolate bunny (her name is daisy ... it says so on the box - i find it a little disconcerting that my chocolate bunny has a name. it makes it seem a little wrong that i will eventually have to eat her) and my mint smoothies and socks of course (i do love my socks). it almost made up for being woken up at 9 (by my father who has decided that the most effective way to wake up slumbering children early in the morning is with a spray bottle full of water) bearable. i was walking to the kitchen to get some caffeine when i noticed it - a chocolate egg hidden on the edge of the piano. then i looked at the cabinet - another egg! it was a real live easter egg hunt! i haven't had one of those in years!

i hurriedly ran around the house trying to grab all the eggs i could - elbows up of course (i had to make sure i got more than my little cousins - it's my competitive nature). you'll be glad to learn that i won. even better, i conned the youngest (just so i don't seem completely evil - the youngest cousin is 15) out of some of her eggs - i told her i didn't get any (she apparently didn't notice the giant bulge in the pocket of my sweater *snickers*) and she felt bad and gave me some. now that's what easter's all about! the spirit of giving (to me ... that is, hehehe).

hoppy easter!

the mr. men

2006-04-02T10:41:00.000-04:00

the other day, my co-worker and i were talking about pac-man. for some rreason, whenever i think about pac-man, i start thinking about the mr. men. do you remember the mr. men? they were funny shapes (one did look like pac-man, just with legs and arms).

i could never get enough of the mr. men. unfortunately, we only had a select few mr. men books in my school library. and to make matters worse, there was only one little miss book! it was almost a tease to open up the back of the book and see the list of all the other mr. men and little miss books that existed, but that i would never be able to get my hands on.

so for a joke, i typed in "mr. men" in google (one of my best friends - google can find *almost* anything). and up pops http://www.mrmen.com - apparently it's their 35th anniversary! they're 10 years older than me! the site is all fun and interactive stuff. there's also an area where you can meet all of the mr. men and little misses. some of them look like they might be new and were probably created after my childhood, but most look like they've been around for quite some time.

so i began going through the list of little misses and began wondering which one was i. usually you don't get such a large and thorough list to play the "which one am i" game ... like the "which friend am i" or "which sex and the city girl am i" ... so i've narrowed it down to this list:

little miss curious - spends her life saying: how? why? who? what? where? when?
little miss brainy - knows a lot about a lot of things
little miss dotty - is the dottiest person you'll ever meet. definitely.
little miss shy - if anyone at any time says anything at all to little miss shy, she blushes like a beet root
little miss splendid - thinks a lot of herself. in fact she thinks of little else (ok, i just want to be splendid .... i don't know how much this really fits ... )
little miss stubborn - as you can imagine, is extremely stubborn
little miss whoops - is simply one of those people who has accidents all the time.

so how about you, which one(s) are you?

taxi cabiquette

2006-03-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

so last night i called a cab. i wait. i'm on a busy street so there were actually quite a few others ones that past me, but i continue to patiently wait for the cab that i called (i don't want my friends' address or my cell phone number to be blacklisted). finally, a cab from the company i called pulled up. so i got in. then another cab from the same company called up. on the radio i can hear the other cab driver yelling at dispatch saying that "the thief just stole my fare". i can see the driver in the other cab giving my cabbie the evil eye. i felt so guilty. should i get out at this time and go to the proper cab?

it's a question that i often wonder about. there's all this cab etiquette. some are easy - you take the first cab in the queue outside the station/restaurant/club ... whatever the location. but then there are other times i'm left wondering.

for example, i hail a cab. one starts pulling over and another one cuts him off and pulls in front. so, there are then two cabs at the side of the road for me. which one do i choose? the crazy one that sped in front. or the more patient one? if i don't go with the crazy one will he do something crazy? but if i do go with the crazy aggressive one, will he do something crazy?

i really do wonder about the blind faith we put in cabbies sometimes. b/c really, you never know what you're going to get.

playlist

2006-03-09T19:50:00.000-05:00

here we go folks - feel free to point and laugh. i am now going to reveal the three most embarassing songs on ichapod (he's my ipod ... yes i named him) ... so drumroll please ...

3. run with us - i think that's the name of this song. it's the theme song from that old show the raccoons - i mostly liked the show because i shared a name with one of the raccoons - and no, it wasn't bert or ralph.

2. the last unicorn - this is the theme from the movie of the same name. oh how i loved that movie. but that was in my childish childhood days when i thought unicorns were real and i would grow up to be a princess... i dont' believe in them anymore, i swear ... santa claus on the other hand ...

1. how am i supposed to live without you - yes, that's right. it's the song that zack and kelly broke up to. yes, *the* zack and kelly. and this isn't a nice recorded version of the song - it's ripped straight from the show. while jessie and slater "sing" ... zack and kelly dance in the school yard and she tells him that she likes jeff. it's heart breaking really. *wipes a tear from her eye*

strange how all of my most embarassing songs are from tv/film ... oh, the memories!

activia

2006-03-03T21:24:00.000-05:00

i think i watch too much tv. why? b/c i'm once again going to write about commercials.

has anyone seen this new activia commercial? they keep talking about the 14-day activia challenge. saying you should try activia and enjoy it for 14 days.

it doesn't really specify what the challenge is - so i can only assume that the challenge is the eating and actually enjoying activia for 14 days.

well, i'll tell you this much, i'm definitely sold!

.... or maybe not ...

ring ring... hello?

2006-02-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

i think i may be starved for phone attention. this is really a funny predicament b/c i don't really even like talking on the phone. in fact, i rarely even phone people - just to check on meeting times and things like that. heck, my parents don't even phone me anymore now that they've discovered the beauty of instant messaging.

so there seems to be somewhat of a contradiction in there. i guess i only want the attention in as much as i feel special that someone calls and asks to speak to me. it means i'm like the chosen one! unfortunately, the only time i seem to be the chosen one on the phone that my room mate and i share is when someone's trying to solicit a donation from me or sell me something.

so this gets me to my original story. picture this - it's sunday night. 11:30. i'm sitting around minding my own business in my living room. suddenly i hear a loud, peppy sound - much to my surprise, it's my cell phone (surprise b/c i was hearing my phone ring - both b/c someone was calling and b/c the ringer was actually turned on).

alas, the sound is coming from far away. my phone is in the bedroom! i make the mad dash. i frantically search through my bag and the silver box that is my cell phone fell out onto my bed. i flipped it open. i didn't recognize the number. i put the phone to my ear just in time to hear "i don't think she's going to answer - click"

i now feel deprived. who is this mystery person trying to call me? why haven't they called back? was it ed mcmahon? did i miss my chance at a million dollars?

sure, it was probably a wrong number.

but ... what if?

puzzlements

2006-02-26T18:12:00.000-05:00

do you ever notice that if you are in internet explorer, and you try to type in an address and go to a page, for example, www.cbc.ca, it tells you it can't find the page and then asks if you would like to go to the similarly named site www.cbc.ca

it seems silly, really it does!

but just an observation

oops

2005-12-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

so ... apparently melpie is a child. she sulks in the corner believing the world is against her, when really it is not.

see, melpie keeps a blog. she tries to update it on a somewhat regular basis (if you can call monthly a regular basis). every once in a while someone comments on what she has written and melpie is thrilled. in november, she was so inspired, that she wrote not one, but TWO entries (aren't you impressed?).

melpie doesn't like to admit it, but her favourite part of the blog is that she gets to see ppl's comments. these comments inspire her to write - b/c if no one is going to read your blog, then you might as well just keep a personal diary, right? ok, that's the less selfish sounding reason for liking the comments - really, it just helps to flatter her ego that she has written something that someone feels is worth commenting about. she was becoming quite perturbed b/c many of the comments were simply spammers. spammers who claimed to have great interest in what she wrote and then would direct her to a website to buy hunting rifles and other equipment! THE NERVE!

she used her trusty blogspot options in order to set spam filters. she wrote another entry and waited for the real comments to roll in.

but then there was silence. nothing! weeks went by - not even an acknowledgement that she had written. sure, not everyone comments - but she usually will get one after a month or so, even if it's just to say "why haven't you updated in a while?" she began to sulk, to contemplate whether or not she would ever again publish in the blogosphere. *tear*

well, last week, melpie was chatting with rayne on msn. he inquired why she hadn't made a new post for a while. she pouted and said it was because no one had commented. he promptly set out to remedy this problem.

alas - the comments wouldn't show up. melpie began to doubt whether he had even try to publish any. she waited and refreshed and waited and refreshed. still, the comment counter remained at zero. this resulted in more pouting (hopefully her face won't freeze into a perma-pout after all this sulking).

today, melpie yet again discussed the lack of comments with rayne. perhaps she had to approve comments, he suggested. she thought this would be an odd thing - but she might as well check it out. she logged into her blog ...

EUREKA!

there were 6 comments to be approved!

all is well in the world again. blogging can begin again!

YOU LOVE ME! YOU REALLY LOVE ME!

apple beverages

2005-11-13T22:52:00.000-05:00

it's fall! and when it's fall, i feel like having apple cider.

i have a fond childhood memory of apples. one crisp fall day on my neighbour's farm, we took a LOT of apples and put them into a giant barrel with a motor and squisher in it (i think the proper name is an apple press). the machine was loud and we got to feed the not so nice apples to the horses. it was wonderful! and the best part, we had fresh, home made apple juice ... and a little while later, we had fresh, home made apple cider.

i love apple cider. i remember it stewing in a pot in my mom's kitchen .... with all sorts of spice ... of stirring it with a cinnamon stick ... of inhaling the wonderful sweet and spicy aromas. it was like a warm hug. a warm hug enjoyed while gazing out onto a crystalline vista - of snow and white christmas lights. *sighs happily*

so there ... that's my attachment to hot apple cider ... and this is why i'm so utterly disappointed in the "apple cider" offerings in the coffee shops around here.

you cannot make proper apple cider with hot water and powder.

putting a cinnamon stick in apple flavoured hot water does not make apple cider.

hot apple juice is not apple cider.

i wish they would stop selling "apple cider".

we live in a country that has a very definite winter season, one that is cold and snowy. for these reasons, we need to embrace those drinks that warm you from the inside out. the hot chocolates, the coffees, the hot apple ciders.

is it that difficult to heat up apple cider versus apple juice? is it really? *sigh*

yet, i know i'll continue to purchase it, and continued to be disappointed. they say a sucker's born every day. and this one was born on a snowy day about 25 years ago.

hello again

2005-11-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

so it's been a bit since the last time i wrote. i've been half away across the world and back since then! well, not quite half way ... but across the atlantic at least. there have been times when i had ideas to write down ... book "reviews" that i was supposed to do .. but, apparently i've just been lazy. but don't worry, i've been doing a lot of opining, internally that is.

i do have an anecdote to share though.

let it be said - melpie is not smart.

she wears contacts. these are silicon contacts or some such nonsense and require this peroxide based cleaning solution. it's an easy enough system... you put the contacts in this little container that has a metal piece at the bottom. once the solution is in the bottle and is touching the special metal piece, it starts its bubbly magic and cleans the contacts. it requires 6 hours to neutralize - i.e. if the solution is not touching the metal magic piece for 6 hours, it will remain as peroxide.

i'm sure you can see where this is going.

so one morning, i get my contacts out so i can see. alas, the bottle has tipped over in the night. i think nothing of it - except for having concern that perhaps my contacts would have dried out during the night. they seemed to be fine though.

i get out the right contact and insert it into my eye.

PAIN. OH SO MUCH PAIN.

yes, that's right, the solution had NOT neutralized. i put a contact covered in a peroxide solution IN MY EYE.

so the next step is to try to get the contact out of my eye. at this time, my eye is not trusting me. it knows what happened last time it let my finger touch it. it squeezes shut, keeping in all the peroxidey goodness.

the final result? one red eye.

boy, did i learn my lesson.

p.s. nba season has begun - and indy better be 2-0 in the next minute or so. or else melpie will not be a happy camper.

mesmerized

2005-08-28T18:22:00.000-04:00

have you ever just stared at something? something that wasn't really anything at all, for hours? it's easy enough with a fire. but here i am sitting watching the blinds. they're vertical blinds and are swaying in the conditioned air as it escapes from the vent (isn't it wonderful that the technology exists that we can condition unruly and unmanageable air. thank goodness). the blinds are playing a sort of domino effect. one sways into the next and they momentarily become two, and then the pendulum effect carries on and the two separate and the second then continues the cycle. i can't stop watching.

so i heard this wonderful joke this weekend.

q. how do you make a tissue dance?

a. you put a little boogie in it.

*giggles uncontrollably*

that is a funny joke, don't you agree?

when it was told to one of the constant houseguests at my boyfriend's, i was informed that this joke was rather disgusting and repugnant.

some ppl just need to learn how to laugh.

lives of the saints

2005-08-20T14:59:00.000-04:00

by nino ricci

interestingly enough, this book was made into a tv mini-series this year. i never did get around to watching it, especially since the book was sitting on my shelf still waiting to be read. i usually prefer reading the book to the film/television version and find it's usually best to read before watching.

so anyway, this was a pretty quick read. and very interesting as well. it was set in the italian mountainy type area in the 1960s. the village was basically inhabited by peasants and didn't have electricity or anything like that. it's strange - i would have imagined that electricity and cars were the norm by 1960 - but that's a rather north american assumption, isn't it?

the story is narrated by a 6 - 7 year old boy (it occurs over a year) whose mother is ... well, a little loose. his father lives in canada and she's gotten a little bored in his absence, i suppose you can say. since it's such a small and pious town, she becomes subject to quite the ... ridicule and meanness, as does little vitto. he sometimes seems to understand, but oftentimes does not.

however, through the eyes of the child, you can figure out what's going on. while he might not understand, he still reports what he's seeing, hearing and experiencing. his mother counts on him for a lot, even if it's something over his head. like, when his mother is in labour and he's trying to find a doctor. he keeps telling ppl that his mother has pains. it's on a ship during a storm - so the nurses and doctor keep telling the little boy that everyone has pains at the moment and his mother is nothing special. it takes quite a while for him to explain what is happening. he doesn't really understand that his mother is even pregnant. he knows that she has a warm swelling in her belly, but that's it.

sometimes while we think that children may be too young to understand, it can be important to explain to them what's happening. you don't have to explain everything, but the basics are probably important to know. children are a lot more sensitive and observant than we think. if things aren't explained properly, they will believe things that are possibly quite untrue and which may cause them to be fearful of events they should not be scared of. but maybe that's just my feeling. who knows what i'll think when i'm a parent.

harry potter - and the half-blood prince

2005-08-18T23:18:00.000-04:00

by j.k. rowling

wow ... she actually moved me. she made me want to cry. luckily, i was, riding the rocket, so to speak and this made me hold the tears back. i couldn't believe how fast it flew by, especially relative to number 5. it took me a bit longer than it should have to get to it since i had made this silly decision to re-read the five books leading up to hbp. i thought that this should take me just a couple of months. if i get into a good groove, i can finish one of those books in a day or three. but, the the weeks leading up to july 16 flew by and when it arrived i had only just cracked open prisoner of azkaban. i think that reading the books one after another was a good idea. it refreshed my memory and actually made me have a new appreciation for books 2 and 5, which i was rather disappointed with before. to go with my whole book review theme which i've been trying to keep up with here, i *should* have written an entry for each book. but i have decided to just write something up for first-reads only. that's my story, and i'm sticking to it!

so to get to the meat of it all ... my questions (warning, spoilers ahead... but if you haven't read it by now .. you better have a darned good reason):

1. does the sorting hat really only sort purebloods into slytherin? and was snape a slytherin as a student? i believe he was, but i can't remember for sure. anyway, if the sorting hat only sorts purebloods into slytherin, how did snape get put there? i understand why riddle was put there (slytherin's heir .. he's gotta be in slytherin) and harry had some of voldemort's slytherin-esque powers transferred to him, so that's why the hat wanted to put him there ... but if snape is *really* a half-blood, then why did he get in there? is there something about his heritage that we don't yet know?

2. what reason did dumbledore have to trust snape? there *has* to be a reason. and did dumbledore actually ask snape to kill him in the end? through their legilimens powers? i think dumbledore recognized the fact that harry would never be able to fulfill his own destiny while dumbledore was alive. now that dumbledore's gone, harry has no one else to turn to than himself.

3. will hermione and ron actually skip seventh year at hogwarts? will hogwarts open next year? and if it doesn't open next year - does this leave room for an 8th book? the 7 book series has been defined as such due to the fact that there are seven years at hogwarts ... but if they spend a year not at hogwarts ... can they go back? are hogwarts students allowed to take a year off? hmmm ...

4. WILL RON AND HERMIONE GET TOGETHER ALREADY?!?!?

5. so is r.a.b. really regulus black? or is j.k. just trying to trick us? and if it is regulus - how come he was trying to destroy the horcrux? how did he know about the horcruxes in the first place? although, slughorn did know about them and regulus was one of his favourites - maybe he told regulus too. and also - voldemort killed regulus himself, which means regulus must have done something super bad (perhaps destroy a horcrux? or maybe regulus was killed by voldemort's horcrux, which means that he was indeed killed by voldemort) ... and does this mean that regulus was actually good? was he a double agent?

so j.k. do you have any answers?

the power of 2

2005-07-25T21:49:00.000-04:00

it's interesting what a difference a couple of months can make. it's also quite the change - becoming one of a couple. i swear i had something to say here - but i forgot it - and now i've been sitting, staring blank faced at the screen. guess that means it's time to get a couple more hours rest.

the days of our lives

2005-07-17T22:50:00.000-04:00

wow ... it seems like so much has changed since the last time that i wrote. but summer is the time for change and newness, right? oh wait - my bad, spring is the time for those things. but we can pretend, right?

it's time to finally face the fact. i'm growing up. it's been almost two years now that i've had a job. and not one of those summer jobs you have when you're growing up - but a real, live adult job. well, on second thought, the job isn't alive, but still, it's real. i'm making a living and i have a career? *gasp*

and now .. my friends are getting married. actually, as of last weekend, one of my best friends *is* married. and next weekend, another one will be. it was weird - today i was talking to someone and had the chance to refer to married friend number one's significant other and i said "my friend's husband" .. that's right - husband!

it is that time in our lives though. as surreal as it sometimes seems. we're not growing up anymore. we are grown ups.

p.s. warmest congratulations to miko & kris and best wishes to cath & pat. as they say in the fairy tale books, may you live happily ever after.

deeeeeee-troit basketball

2005-06-23T21:45:00.000-04:00

i know i don't like to write about things that i do in my day to day life unless their anecdotal nature serve as a perfect segue into some other type of thought pattern or idea. heck, who am i kidding - my rambling makes every anecdote turn into some sort of presentation of my ideas and/or opinions.

but, apparently i haven't written anything lately and i'm being encouraged to write something now. and what is my subject matter? my wonderful weekend trip - to make a bridget jones reference for those of you who get it - it was a mini-break - and you know what a mini-break means ... (perhaps i shouldn't write this here lest i be required to explain this later).

so this sunday i made a voyage. a voyage to another world. a world we call the united states of america. whatfor you ask? well, if your powers of deduction are a little dull - or you didn't read the title of my entry, for a detroit basketball game. game 5 of the nba finals to be more exact.

after hiking up for a few miles, we finally found our seats in the noise zone. we weren't at the very very top of the nosebleeds, but quite close. still, the view was excellent - on all angles. well, except for the drunk, balding, touchy michigan man beside me who kept insisting on squeezing my knee and then giving my new partner in crime a high five.

i don't think i've ever been somewhere with such energy, passion, and well - noise. imagine noisemakers named thundersticks. now, just one pair of these sticks makes quite the ruckus. now imagine 20,000 of them all in synch. phenomenal.

it's amazing to see such a huge group of people brought together with such passion. high-fiving strangers, giving each other hugs. now if only we could get that energy bridled for things other than sports events. think of the possibilities!

but now it's game seven and i must return to watching it.

in closing, i have but one word:

SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!!!

the gulls

2005-06-07T21:45:00.000-04:00

there's nothing like kicking back after a long day at work, battling through the dense smog that just sticks to your skin. but finally, dusk comes and the air begins to cool. the breeze dances through your hair. ah, relaxation. there's nothing like it. it's strange how kicking back on the patio seems so much more productive than passing out in front of the predictible programming that is supposed to serve as entertainment these days.

it's then i notice something strange.

sea gulls.

tons and tons of sea gulls.

they're circling, they're swooping, they're diving.

think the birds, but with white sea birds as opposed to black crows. wait, was it crows in that movie? they were rather mesmerizing though. they were flying willy-nilly. i can't help but look up ... but ... but ...

i can't even type it! the dangers of looking up, they're unspeakable. best described by an onomatopoeia - *plop*

but don't worry, your fearless heroine was not a victim of the bird droppings. they tried their best, but she was too quick - either that, and more probably, or their aim was not so good.

we finally figured out what was causing the birds to swirl. it seemed quite odd that they were around - we aren't particularly close to the water or any huge piles of refuse. it's the bugs. the big huge bugs. the gulls were hunting them. picking them off. eating them up. it's amazing to see how nature works.

*rereads story*

yep ... i do need to practice writing more. too lazy to edit now though.

fuzzy vision

2005-05-26T00:40:00.000-04:00

so you know how on your license it's supposed to say whether or not you need to wear glasses while driving? well, i checked off the little box on my renewal form that said i need corrective eye wear and they didn't put that onto my license. i hope i don't get in trouble for that. but really, that's not the point of this rambling. although, it has something to do with the point ... it is not the point itself.

so, theoretically, if you get stopped by the cops while driving and they look at your license and it says you need glasses, you can get some sort of fine, right? but what if you're wearing contacts? will they make you take out a contact right then and there to prove that you have them in? b/c if you do that then how do you get them back in ... you don't wanna put a dirty contact back in your eye!

does this make sense? or should i cease to write anything when i'm half asleep?

friends forever?

2005-05-15T21:15:00.000-04:00

i was talking to my friend today - about having relationships with a co-worker. the general agreement was that if one was to pursue a relationship with a co-worker, one should go into it with the intention of it being long-term. that's the only time it's really worth the risk. if you don't think it's going to work out with someone that you have to work with, that you have to see every day - why chance it? it will just make for very awkward situations. unless, of course, there's a set of guidelines set out beforehand about the relationship - so that there's not too big of an emotional attachment (although, it's hard to really put guidelines on emotional involvement ahead of time).

i think this most likely applies to pursuing a relationship with friends as well. or in taking a relationship with a friend to another level, whether it be the relationship type level or friends with benefits. if you're good friends with someone , you can't pursue a relationship with them unless you think it'll last. or that's my feeling at least. especially if it's a close friend, with whom you have a special bond. that bond better be worth risking. it's gotta be something you're sure about.

you never know how it will end. will it be like when harry met sally or more like my best friend's wedding?

is it worth it?

the white bone

2005-04-30T17:47:00.000-04:00

by barbara gowdy

it's been quite a while since i've read an animal-based novel - one where the narrator is an animal and it all takes place in that animal's world (eg. one of my all-time favourites, black beauty or watership down) if you didn't figure it out yet, the white bone is much in this strain. the setting: the world of the she (i.e. elephants) in africa.

the elephants have been facing two different problems - they're being hunted for their tusks by "the hindleggers" (i.e. humans) and there's a horrible drought. to survive this all, they are looking for "the safe place". the legendary "white bone" will point them in the direction of the place. so really, they are in search of the white bone.

it was a rather interesting novel ... to say the least. it was educational, much like the discovery channel is. but, some of it was just a little too much. i don't watch the animal stuff on the discovery channel for a reason. i don't find the mating rituals of animals all that ... fascinating. and there was quite a bit of talk of that in the book.

what i did like though, was the creation of a whole belief system. it was the world of the she. they didn't give birth, they simply had calf tunnels dug through them. the bulls were nothing but diggers. the she-ones (i.e. elephants) saw themselves as the superior creature. but every animal had a name for itself - they all thought they were the superior creature. i can't think of any of them right now, but i found it interesting. the way that every creature thinks of itself as the best - humans are no exception.

also, the she-ones thought humans were evolved from the she (which is interesting b/c that put humans on the same intellect level as the she-ones); two elephants were on a trek once and so hungry that they ate the flesh of another animal (that is seen as one of the hugest sins ever by the she-ones) and thus turned into hindleggers.

i find it hard to take novels taking place in the animal world and narrated by an animal as a really adult novel. but that's just my book snobbishness shining through, i suppose. why am i a book snob? i don't think i really have the right. ah well.

sloth

2005-04-30T15:55:00.000-04:00

i always knew that i could be rather lazy, slothful even, but i never realized just how lazy i was - today it dawned on me.

i just took a shower. i'm in my towel-robe. and i just sit here, doing nothing. i'm apparently too lazy to change into clothes. isn't it great that you can freely admit to these things on the seeming anonymity that is a blog?

p.s. aren't saturdays great?

paper

2005-04-24T20:58:00.000-04:00

so why is it that paper comes in packs of about 500 pages (printer paper that is) .. but printers never fit a full pack of paper - so you have like 30 pages left over?

just wondering.

the saga continues

2005-04-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

so i got my phone back, i thought everything would be wonderful. everything would be fixed. alas, it was not.

the same old problems started occurring. then, a new problem arose. according to my call history i received a call on friday april 10 and on sunday april 10. according to my calendar (yes, i checked - just in case), this is impossible.

so back i trudge to the store. return my phone once again. get a loner phone once again (this one is silver and flips ... it's not too bad) ... except ...

well, i tried making a call on the phone tonight - and it appears that it wasn't activated. yep, that's right .. they gave me a phone that i can't actually use. and out there in lala land, if anyone was trying to reach me on my cell phone, they wouldn't be able to. at least i have a phone period, so i can pretend to be cool by pretending to make and receive calls on the unactivated phone.

thank you telus, you really are wunderbar.

the raccoons

2005-04-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

do you remember the show "the raccoons" from back in the day. i'm pretty sure it was a canadian cartoon - it had something to do with promoting environmentalism, if i remember correctly. i was a fan of the show mostly b/c one of the raccoons was called melissa .. it's always fun to have a character on tv to share a name with. (although, they do seem to like to use my last name on law & order, and it's not always a good thing. i don't like when the characters that share my name are the perpetrators of crime). but back to the raccoons. on that show they were so cute and helpful and funny! and sometimes bert was just downright goofy. why did the cartoons lie to me? WHY?

there are quite a few raccoons that seem to like to gallyvant around my neighbourhood. they have decided to take over the neighbourhood as their own, i fear. luckily these raccoons are not quite as big as some of them that i've seen occasionally lying on the shoulders of the country roads. still, they're nasty little critters.

yesterday, i was venturing out of my humble abode and saw one removing a garbage bag from a garbage can and then proceeding to tear through it. it's interesting to watch them actually do that. usually, i just see the evidence that that's what they've done, never have i caught one in the act. then on my way home yesterday evening, one opened my neighbours gate and was cavorting on their porch ... this wouldn't be so alarming except that they're porch is attached to mine!

this is just an introduction for my final story though. i was returning home the other night and i looked up ahead of me and there was a raccoon standing on the sidewalk. he was staring something down. i kinda stamped my foot - he puffed himself up. great, i thought - now i've angered the beast. so, i scampered over to the other side of the street. then, i saw the other one. he was in a tree, almost eye level with me. he was staring down critter number 1.

lessons learned? never get in the middle of a raccoon fight.

p.s. what's up with old navy commercials. do they realize how annoying their ad campaigns are? the latest one, bust a tun (as in tunic) ... dear me! it's just wrong! ever so wrong!