conrad black

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



(photo courtesy of reuters)

the vaccuuming

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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.