Under the Sky Blue Sea

Decade in Review

2010-01-03T16:26:00.005-05:00

In addition to the traditional 'Year in Review' post, I've seen some people doing 'Decade in Review' lists, just short point forms of memories that you have of that year, big or small. Here's my spin on things:

2000 – high school ends, head out to 1^st year of university at Brock U. Am absolutely miserable, lonely & homesick (but am glad to have had experience of living away from home). Apply for transfer to U of T (best decision ever)

2001 – Am accepted to U of T, Victoria, move into Annesley Hall – realized how much fun university could be, what it was supposed to be like! I got so lucky, got to meet so many fabulous ladies.

2002 – Summer of the incredible collapsing lung, and the Grand Tour of Hospitals. Yuck. Followed by heartbreak – evidently, not a good year for my chest!

2003 – University. Can't think of anything else at the moment...

2004 - Move into Spadina House - good times (mostly - and we were there for each other in the bad). Thomas is cute.

2005 – Graduate university, travel to NYC for the first time (I heart NY!). Begin graduate program in Library Science because I don't know what else to do, realize quickly that it is really not my thing, and withdraw 2 months in. Glad that I gave it a shot, and met some great friends in the process though.

2006 – Job search, job search. Finally am successful at the end of March, and begin working at Eng. in April. Live downtown for the summer in a sweet condo by the SkyDome, enjoy a summer fling. Fun times!

2007 – Family cruise in February. Live w/ Leslie & Molly for the summer before Leslie's wedding in the West End. Meet Ian in the Fall.

2008 – Travel abroad for the first time, sister's wedding in the fall. New job, which turns out to be not so fun, but stick with it until something better comes along. Move in with Ian.

2009 - (see below for more details) Took some small trips, begin planning for next big one (cruise? Italy? pending...). Gramma passes away. Do pilates on a semi-regular basis, join gym, am more active overall. New job, which is happier making. Considering getting a dog .... :)

Staying Connected 2009 - Year in Review

2010-01-03T16:20:00.003-05:00

Here we are, at the end of another year already. And a decade since the ‘Millenium’ New Year’s Eve, which at the time was a REALLY BIG deal. Where were you on December 31, 1999? I was at a fancy ‘masquerade ball’ at the Oakville Yacht Club, with the person I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. This years was spent at home, doing nothing in particular, with the person that I know I’ll spend the rest of my life with. (No, no rings yet. No rush…)

I’ve had a good year overall, with things definitely taking a turn for the better in the later part of the year. While I was frustrated with my job situation for the majority of the year, in late October I interviewed for a position within the University, and by the end of November I was starting my new job! I was only there for a month before the Christmas break, and I’m not sure what to expect when I return on Monday, but overall I am much happier, and enjoying the new department and purpose behind my job so much more (although I do miss my former colleagues, but at least they are still close by, so it has been easy to stay in touch).

I didn’t do any major trips this year, although Ian & I did manage a few small ones – nearly a week in NYC in May/June (Ian’s first trip to the Big Apple!), and a long weekend in Thunder Bay in July.

My Gramma passed away in June, after slowly being worn down by age and various minor illnesses that never really went away. She was 92, and had a good, long life – 7 children, 12 grandchilden, 5 great-grandchildren. While it was hard watching her slowly get worse, in the end she passed peacefully, and the days of the wake and funereal provided a chance for the entire family and many friends to gather together to remember her. As we had previously always had a family gathering on the Labour Day weekend to celebrate her birthday, my cousins in the St. Catharine’s area kept up the tradition, and the whole family traveled out to their homes, instead of them having to trek out to the GTA in mid-August.

In terms of getting more active, I have made progress in that – started to run a bit in the summer, did get a new bike, joined the gym, and have fallen in love with the Pilates Reformer (*waves to Saf*).

I ended the year off by becoming a MAC user - woo! Still learning the tricks of the trade (and pondering what to name my beauty - the iPhone tends to be referred to as 'the precious', a la 'Lord of the Rings', the Mini is still nameless), but enjoying them immensely.

I also started a photoblog this year - so far I have been slow in getting it going, and am still tweaking, but take a peek and let me know what you think.

Here's to 2010 being another good year - and that we manage to squeeze in a reunion or two before this time next year!

Love, C

Staying Connected 2008

2009-01-03T16:47:00.003-05:00

The tradition continues! Like Saf, I'm not sure where this year has gone by - it flew. Its been a good year for the most part, one in which I did many new things.

I travelled abroad for the first time - England, Scotland, Ireland - which was fabulous. I have now been bitten by the travel bug, and want to continue to go and explore the world. I'd love to go back to see more of Ireland & Scotland (and perhaps Stonehenge in England, hmm...), as well as Italy, the south of France, Germany, and whatever else comes along. Pictures of the 2008 trip can be found here, if interested.

I moved in November, which in and of itself isn't a new activity - but the location and roommate were new territory. I moved to Mississauga, and into Ian's townhouse, which was an exciting leap. :) Things are continuing to go wonderfully in that regard, I'm very happy in my new home (please come visit! We have a Wii! haha). Another bonus is that it has cut my commute time in half (an hour door to door, down from 2+ each way) - not quite downtown living, but not too far away from it either.

I have been somewhat dissatisfied with my job situation this past year - early in the year, I found that I was getting bored and restless with my current job, that I had gone about as far as I could go in it. I was watching job boards, and applied for a few positions but not really expecting much to come of it. Well, something did, and I was offered a new job! I was excited to learn something new, and was able to arrange things so that the new job started after I returned from my UK trip, which was a nice break between the two. Unfortunately, as it turns out, although I am learning new things, I've found that I'm not really all that interested in what it is my current department does. Their goals & main focus are not something that I want to be involved in long term, I would like to re-join the academic side of the university again. So, I'm not loving my job, but am keeping an ear to the ground and trying to make the most of the experience. People keep asking me what my 'dream job' is/would be, and I don't have a clue yet ... still working on that. But getting a sense of what it is not! C'est la vie.

I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions, but I would like to make it a goal to become more fit this year. I tend to be lazy, and need a bit of a push to get started, but I'd like to create some better habits. I have been thinking about starting to run (with coaching, lol), and possibly cycling (I have been told I will be getting a new bike this year, that the one I got when I was 13 or so just doesn't cut it anymore). I got the Wii Fit for Christmas, which I am enjoying using - I know its not the most comprehensive workout, but its fun - and some of the games can defintely get your heart rate up!

Overall, 2008 was a pretty good year - was able to wrap up some loose ends, see a sister get married (after being together for 8 years!), had lots of friends become parents, and travel the world a bit. I hope that 2009 continues with more of the same, and that you all remain healthy, happy, and in touch! And we'll see how the search for the elusive 'dream job' goes ....

Love,
C

PS - Tulip, I had a dream about you the other night! You came to visit me at a wedding (not my own, I was a guest, as were you - although neither of us really seemed to know the couple all that well, lol). And then the next day I saw your post - it was a bit freaky. Doing special ed work sounds awesome, I know its hard work though. Do you know if 2009 will bring you back to the frigid north for a visit? I am jealous of your beachy lifestyle.... :) (Yes, this probably could have been a comment on your blog, but I'm in the zone here. I haven't written here since April!)

Fun with Yarn

2008-04-02T10:31:00.002-04:00

For Spart - a homemade Wonder Woman sweater

Found via MightyGirl (hmm... appropriate!)

Good Cause

2008-03-31T22:41:00.002-04:00

Hair Harvest

My friend Drew is challenging people to raise $2,000 for the Cancer Society in the month of April. He's been growing his hair for awhile now, and plans to donate it to be made into a wig, but if the goal is reached, he'll shave his head entirely! Which will look rather silly, but hey .... all for a good cause. Check it out.

Books, books, lovely books ...

2008-03-26T21:07:00.004-04:00

From sappho

*bold those you've read
*add your own
*italicise those you started but never finished
*double star ones you want to read (added by me)
*post to your blog, if desired

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman**
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien**

26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl** (can’t remember)
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (LOVE!)
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding (HATE!)
71. Perfume, Patrick Susskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith**
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel (love the whole series)
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot**
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
103. The Beach, Alex Garland
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker
105. Point Blanc, Anthony Horowitz
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
107. Stormbreaker, Anthony Horowitz
108. The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
110. The Illustrated Mum, Jacqueline Wilson
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
113. The Cruel Sea, Nicholas Monsarrat
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
116. The Dare Game, Jacqueline Wilson
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
121. Lola Rose, Jacqueline Wilson
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
125. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
127. Angus, Thongs And Full-Frontal Snogging, Louise Rennison
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt**
130. The Master And Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
133. East Of Eden, John Steinbeck
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett
138. The Thirty-Nine Steps, John Buchan
139. Girls In Tears, Jacqueline Wilson
140. Sleepovers, Jacqueline Wilson
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. IT, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan**
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey**
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch a.k.a. Outlander, Diana Gabaldon (LOVELOVELOVE)
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
164. The Shipping News, Annie Proulx
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
167. Girls Out Late, Jacqueline Wilson
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
170. Charlotte's Web, E. B. White
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco**
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder (LOVE)
176. Dustbin Baby, Jacqueline Wilson
177. Fantastic Mr. Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery**
181. The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
183. The Power Of One, Bryce Courtenay
184. Silas Marner, George Eliot
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
186. The Diary Of A Nobody, George and Weedon Gross-mith
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. Lawrence
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
192. Man And Boy, Tony Parsons
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
194. The War Of The Worlds, H. G. Wells
195. The Horse Whisperer, Nicholas Evans
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
198. The Once And Future King, T. H. White
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle
200. Flowers In The Attic, Virginia Andrews (ugh)
201. The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
202. The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan
203. The Great Hunt, Robert Jordan
204. The Dragon Reborn, Robert Jordan
205. Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan
206. Lord of Chaos, Robert Jordan
207. Winter's Heart, Robert Jordan
208. A Crown of Swords, Robert Jordan
209. Crossroads of Twilight, Robert Jordan
210. A Path of Daggers, Robert Jordan
211. As Nature Made Him, John Colapinto
212. Microserfs, Douglas Coupland**
213. The Married Man, Edmund White
214. Winter's Tale, Mark Helprin
215. The History of Sexuality, Michel Foucault
216. Cry to Heaven, Anne Rice
217. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe, John Boswell
218. Equus, Peter Shaffer
219. The Man Who Ate Everything, Jeffrey Steingarten
220. Letters To A Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
221. Ella Minnow Pea, Mark Dunn (LOVE)
222. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
223. Anthem, Ayn Rand
224. The Bridge To Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
225. Tartuffe, Moliere
226. The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
227. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
228. The Trial, Franz Kafka
229. Oedipus Rex, Sophocles
230. Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles
231. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
232. A Doll's House, Henrik Ibsen
233. Hedda Gabler, Henrik Ibsen
234. Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton
235. A Raisin In The Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
236. ALIVE!, Piers Paul Read
237. Grapefruit, Yoko Ono
238. Trickster Makes This World, Lewis Hyde
240. The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley**
241. Chronicles of Thomas Convenant, Unbeliever, Stephen Donaldson
242. Lord of Light, Roger Zelazny
242. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
243. Summerland, Michael Chabon
244. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
245. Candide, Voltaire
246. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More, Roald Dahl
247. Ringworld, Larry Niven
248. The King Must Die, Mary Renault
249. Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein
250. A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle
251. The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
252. The House Of The Seven Gables, Nathaniel Hawthorne
253. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
254. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
255. The Great Gilly Hopkins, Katherine Paterson
256. Chocolate Fever, Robert Kimmel Smith
257. Xanth: The Quest for Magic, Piers Anthony
258. The Lost Princess of Oz, L. Frank Baum
259. Wonder Boys, Michael Chabon
260. Lost In A Good Book, Jasper Fforde
261. Well Of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
261. Life Of Pi, Yann Martel
263. The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver
264. A Yellow Rraft In Blue Water, Michael Dorris
265. Little House on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder
267. Where The Red Fern Grows, Wilson Rawls
268. Griffin & Sabine, Nick Bantock
269. Witch of Black Bird Pond, Joyce Friedland
270. Mrs. Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien (LOVE)
271. Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
272. The Cay, Theodore Taylor
273. From The Mixed-Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, E.L. Konigsburg
274. The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Jester**
275. The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin
276. The Kitchen God's Wife, Amy Tan
277. The Bone Setter's Daughter, Amy Tan
278. Relic, Duglas Preston & Lincolon Child
279. Wicked, Gregory Maguire
280. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
281. Misty of Chincoteague, Marguerite Henry
282. The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum
283. Haunted, Judith St. George
284. Singularity, William Sleator
285. A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
286. Different Seasons, Stephen King
287. Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk
288. About a Boy, Nick Hornby
289. The Bookman's Wake, John Dunning
290. The Church of Dead Girls, Stephen Dobyns
291. Illusions, Richard Bach
292. Magic's Pawn, Mercedes Lackey
293. Magic's Promise, Mercedes Lackey
294. Magic's Price, Mercedes Lackey
295. The Dancing Wu Li Masters, Gary Zukav
296. Spirits of Flux and Anchor, Jack L. Chalker
297. Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice
298. The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices, Brenda Love
299. Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
300. The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
301. The Cider House Rules, John Irving
302. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
303. Girlfriend in a Coma, Douglas Coupland (LOVE)
304. The Lion's Game, Nelson Demille
305. The Sun, The Moon, and the Stars, Stephen Brust
306. Cyteen, C. J. Cherryh
307. Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco**
308. Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
309. Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
310. Camber of Culdi, Kathryn Kurtz
311. The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
312. War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
313. The Art of War, Sun Tzu
314. The Giver, Lois Lowry
315. The Telling, Ursula Le Guin
316. Xenogenesis, Octavia Butler
317. A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
318. The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold
319. The Aeneid, Publius Vergilius Maro
320. Hanta Yo, Ruth Beebe Hill
321. The Princess Bride, S. Morganstern (or William Goldman)
322. Beowulf, Anonymous
323. The Sparrow, Maria Doria Russell
324. Deerskin, Robin McKinley
325. Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
326. Passage, Connie Willis
327. Otherland, Tad Williams
328. Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay
329. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
330. Beloved, Toni Morrison
331. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, Christopher Moore
332. The mysterious disappearance of Leon, I mean Noel, Ellen Raskin
333. Summer Sisters, Judy Blume
334. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo
335. The Island on Bird Street, Uri Orlev
336. Midnight in the Dollhouse, Marjorie Filley Stover
337. The Miracle Worker, William Gibson
338. The Genesis Code, John Case
339. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevensen
340. Paradise Lost, John Milton
341. Phantom, Susan Kay
342. The Mummy or Ramses the Damned, Anne Rice
343. Anno Dracula, Kim Newman
344: The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, Jim Butcher
345: Tokyo Suckerpunch, Issac Adamson
346: The Winter of Magic's Return, Pamela Service
347: The Oddkins, Dean R. Koontz
348. My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
349. The Last Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
350. At Swim, Two Boys, Jaime O'Neill
351. Othello, by William Shakespeare
352. The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas
353. The Collected Poems of William Butler Yeats
354. Sati, Christopher Pike
355. The Inferno, Dante
356. The Apology, Plato
357. The Small Rain, Madeline L'Engle
358. The Man Who Tasted Shapes, Richard E Cytowick
359. 5 Novels, Daniel Pinkwater (also assorted other books, such as Woogie Norple, and 4 Novels)
360. The Sevenwaters Trilogy, Juliet Marillier
361. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
362. To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
363. Our Town, Thorton Wilder
364. Green Grass Running Water, Thomas King
365. The Interpreter, Suzanne Glass
366. The Moor's Last Sigh, Salman Rushdie
367. The Mother Tongue, Bill Bryson
368. A Passage to India, E.M. Forster
369. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
370. The Phantom of the Opera, Gaston Leroux
371. Pages for You, Sylvia Brownrigg
372. The Changeover, Margaret Mahy
373. Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones
374. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
375. Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo
376. Shosha, Isaac Bashevis Singer
377. Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
378. The Diving-bell and the Butterfly, Jean-Dominique Bauby**
379. The Lunatic at Large, J. Storer Clouston
380. Time for bed, David Baddiel
381. Daddy Long-Legs, Jean Webster
382. The Prodigal Daughter, Jeffrey Archer
383. A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
384. The Beekeeper's Apprentice, Laurie R. King
385. Summon the Keeper, Tanya Huff
386. Don't Care High, Gordon Korman
387. Beauty, Robin McKinley
388. The Wood Wife, Terri Windling
389. Tam Lin, Pamela Dean
390. Briar Rose, Jane Yolen
391. Flying in Place, Susan Palwick
392. The Tightrope Walker, Dorothy Gilman
393. No Different Flesh, Zenna Henderson
394. Lost, Greogry Maquire
395. On Writing, Stephen King

396. Perelandra, C. S. Lewis
397. Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
398. Where the Sidewalk Ends, Shel Silverstein
399. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje
400. Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis
401. Emergence, David Palmer
402. Work, Louisa May Alcott
403. Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
404. The Scarlet Pimpernel, Baroness Emmuska Orczy
405. The Story of the Stone, Cao Xueqin

As you can see, the classics and I don't get along too well.

From me:

The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
Small World, David Lodge
My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
All Families Are Psychotic, Douglas Coupland
Rainbow Six, Tom Clancy
The Red Tent, Anita Diamant
Good Meat, Dani Couture (woo Dani! : )
A Child’s Garden of Verses, Robert Louis Stevenson

Offhand, at least ... those are a just a few I see sitting around me now.

Staying Connected - 2007

2008-01-03T20:46:00.001-05:00

A few days late, I realize .. but better late than never. Happy New Year!

I'm never very good at these year-end wrap up things (tend to forget lots!), but here goes...

Work
I had a good year in terms of work, and finally got officially hired as 'permanent'- yay! The best part of my job is my coworkers, it feels like I'm going in everyday to hang out with my friends (and maybe do some work stuff in between). I'm very lucky, I know, and thankful for them - we like each other so much, we frequently spend time outside of work together too (even as temporary roommates, in one case!).

Travel
I did get to travel this year quite a bit, if not the European explorations that I was originally envisioning (still on the list... ). Caribbean cruise in February, wedding in San Diego in June, and Nova Scotia in July - I got around, got to see some new sights (and warmer ones too!).

Christmas Stuff
Going back to some of the original topic suggestions posted... yes, we still do stockings, and we generally open them first, and all together. Then we open presents from youngest to oldest (although it used to flip sometimes - didn't much matter to me, I always fall in the middle between parents & siblings), its generally been from the bottom up. My mom mixed up the stockings this year for the first time ever, and reversed the contents of my sister's stockings, which was amusing. Catherine's stocking is handmade by my grandmother, but hers is the only one. They're all different. I think mine was a gift to me the year I was born, red with white trim, and a green pocket in the front with a teddy bear inside (who would stay up and watch for Santa for me). Catherine's has a pocket on the front as well, with a little deer statue inside, because she wanted one like mine, apparently.

Dinner was relatively small for us this year, just 12 people (which seems huge to most people I tell this too ...but we are used to closer to 20). It was good, always nice to enjoy the food and spend time together. We generally have Christmas crackers at dinner, wear the hats and read the silly fortunes and play with the toys.

Other
I discovered Heroes this year ... excellent show. Although good to watch on dvd, annoying to wait week to week (so many storylines, I forget whats going on). I'm sad that I don't have new Grey's to watch, although this season has been kind of meh, but was getting better - but overall, I really don't mind the writers strike, I'm just as happy not to feel like I 'have' to watch anything on TV.

More books! I discovered Douglas Coupland this year, and he is hilarious and awesome (and Canadian, even better).

2007 was a pretty good year overall ... here's hoping this continues in 2008!

Oh my darling...

2007-11-24T22:56:00.001-05:00

Its clementine season! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Best thing about this time of the year, hands down.

November 2007, copyright C. Collins.

Optical Illusion

2007-11-23T23:26:00.001-05:00

Answering the age old question ... how do they clean the windows of the CN Tower?

Very carefully. ;)

September 2007, copyright C. Collins
(click to see more detail)

Communicate - Any Way You Can

2007-11-21T21:30:00.000-05:00

I saw an amusing and amazing thing on the subway this evening. Moral of the story, never assume!

While waiting for the subway, a man came along the platform with the assistance of a white cane. No big deal, people moved aside, and he easily got on the train when it arrived. He stood near the opposite doors, and next to him stood a woman, a friend of his, it seemed.

The woman started signing to him ... and he signed back! It was very cool to watch (not to mention completely unexpected). I know that there are a wide range of degrees of visual impairment, but I tend to link 'white cane' with 'very limited vision'. Not sign language ... but there you go.

I love it!

Its easy, eating green

2007-10-17T16:58:00.000-04:00

I seem to be rather fond of green foods lately, avocados and edamame, in particular. I could eat those everyday, yum yum yum. Other green foods that I like are granny smith apples, cucumbers, broccoli, rhubarb, wasabi, and anything minty (which is often dyed green, lol).

Green foods that I do NOT like are lima beans and brussell sprouts. YUCK.

What other colours taste good? Hmm. Offhand....

Red: tomatoes (fresh picked are the bestest), raspberries (same here), strawberries, macintosh apples

White: potatoes, homemade bread (anyone surprised here? ;)

I'm sure I have others too. But right now, green is where its at. What colours taste yummiest to you lately?

Decadence

2007-10-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

My dinner last night - two rolls of sushi, California and avacado, with a dessert of a yummy mixture of chocolate cake and chocolate pudding. Mmmmmmmm.

Well deserved, after an alternating meandering and brisk walk up Yonge St from Dundas Square to Summerhill subway station. It was a nice night for a walk, and I had the time to spare.

Edit - while browsing Daily Dose of Imagery today, I found an image that showed my route. Although it looks a lot shorter here, it didn't feel as hilly while walking, except for the last bit.

Outdoorsy II

2007-09-21T10:51:00.000-04:00

The next day, I went up to my sister's boyfriend's farm to take some photos up there. They have cows, and horses, barn cats, and a dog - all of which provided good subjects for me. I don't get many chances to be near big animals like that, so it was very cool. Brian's grandparents were also up visiting, and had brought a couple of their ATV's up. Originally Brian was going to take me for a ride around the property on his, but then his grandfather decided to teach me how to drive one instead. So after a few practice spins around the back field, we headed off to explore the rest of the 249 acre property ... so much fun! Vrrrrooooooooooooooom.

Duke, in a rare moment of stillness

Ever heard the phrase "..until the cows come home"?

They come pretty quick when food is offered

Clydesdale - gorgeous creature

Which is your preferred way to travel?

Outdoorsy

2007-09-20T11:40:00.000-04:00

Yes, Saf, you're definitely right - long overdue for a fall update. So here are a few for you, and the rest of my dear readers, backdated even so you have lots to look at! :) I apologize for the lapses, thank you for the pokes to keep going.

Last weekend was very outdoorsy for me, which is not the norm. I went hiking on Saturday, and then to a farm on Sunday, both times taking my new camera along to play and learn more about how it works.

We went to Crawford Lake Conservation area in Halton, along the Niagara Escarpment. It was very pretty, little chilly, but probably good weather overall - not too hot or cold. Got some good shots, had a fun day, but realized that hiking isn't really my thing.

Green

Laura the Explorer

Crawford Lake

First Hint of Autumn

How I'd rather spend my weekends ... lol

For those who prefer pictures to text

2007-08-24T23:21:00.000-04:00

Or at least, text along with their pictures ... I present to you my web comic recommendations.

Questionable Content - I've been reading this for quite awhile now, thanks to Saf. :) Follows a group of 20-somethings as they fumble through work, relationships, and the zany antics of a pet robot. Among other things. Go back to #1, and work your way up to the present...updated M-F.

Bunny - Found in the QC links section, this strip is different everyday, although usually starring Pink Bunny (and sometimes bunnies of other colours too). No plot, just random things, like space invasions, ninjas, or fruit. Doesn't always make sense, but I find it amusing all the same.

Bi-Coastal C

2007-08-22T21:46:00.001-04:00

Through some strange alignment of the planets, I found myself within sight and splashing distance of both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans within a two month span.

Pacific Ocean
La Jolla, California - June 10, 2007

Atlantic Ocean
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia - July 28, 2007

The pirate's head had disappeared

2007-08-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

I spent this past Saturday at Wonderland - which was fun, but not as fun as it used to be. I've come to the sad realization that I may now be too old for Wonderland... I want to do all the rides (except for the size of the lines! Egad.), but my body can't handle it the way it used to. :( Boo. However, the Tomb Raider roller coaster was very cool - you are lying on your stomach and going through it head first! That one didn't bother me at all, surprisingly (unlike my childhood favorite, Minebuster, which throughly rattled my skull and stomach around). Highly recommend it.
I am calling into practice my knowledge of driving a car with a standard transmission ... I learned the basics several years ago, then never really used them. Faced with limited transportation options, am relearning - actually not as hard/scary as I thought. Kind of like riding a bike...the memories are still there, just takes a bit of practice to get all the co-ordination right (using both feet on pedals, plus the right hand to shift gears...have to think to make it all go)
Funny story related to the above - the car that I am practicing on is my sister's boyfriend's, who is here quite often, and has left it parked here while he & my sister are away out East. As I pulled in from work, my neighbor was out front with her kids, and I heard her son, age 5, call out as I parked: "Hi Brian!" (like I said, he's here a lot). It was very cute ... they were kind of surprised when I got out, though! Heehee.
Our staff meeting at work this morning took a strange tangent onto the topic of how to get kids to eat, and appetite stimulants used for rabbits (you dab it on their nose - the rabbit's, not the kid - although it could be entertaining with children as well). Amusing start to the day, in any case.
New books from my favorite author (well, one of many favorites), Diana Gabaldon are in the pipeline! Two short story collections due out before the end of this year, and the next massive novel is in progress - the title of this post is the first line of the new novel, apparently. Can't wait (although likely will be awhile for the novel still).
I visited the Cloud Gardens in downtown Toronto last week - such a cool place, with many levels of bridges, cool sculptures and waterfalls. Its on the south side of Adelaide, in between Bay & Yonge Streets. Had my camera with me, and got some good shots there (many of clouds, coincidentally!)

Waterfall

Through the Wall

Clouds reflected through glass

Cool cloud reflection at Dundas & University

End of an Era

2007-07-21T23:30:00.000-04:00

The Harry Potter Era, that is. The final book has been released into the mainstream, the saga is complete. Except I, unlike many other people that I know, haven't obtained a copy yet. I will, its ordered, I just need to go pick it up - but even then, I won't be diving into it right away. I want to know how the story ends, yes, but I want to hang on to the mystery a bit longer too, savor the suspense. So far so good with avoiding spoilers ... I hope it stays that way. I want to find out for myself!

Leslie & I went down to Bay St ... pardon me, 'Diagon Alley' to see some of the festivities leading up to midnight. It was a mob of people, and while it was interesting to see, I wouldn't have wanted to stick around until midnight. Not a fan of crowds.

We had a good time poking through other bookstores during the evening though, Eliot's and BMV, both of which have much more character (and better pricing) then the big box Indigo. We wandered our way along Bloor, taking silly pictures of things, and finished off with a yummy sushi snack. What more could you ask for from a Friday night?

Misc junk drawer

2007-07-20T00:32:00.000-04:00

aka Random Stuff, from Me to You

Why...
... does the cemetery across the street run its sprinklers every night? Even on rainy nights?
....do I get sleepy and go to bed early when I have the following day off work, but feel compelled to stay up late doing nothing when I do have to get up?
...is edamame so yummy?

People I Enjoy Watching on YouTube (its an obsession)
-Esmee
-HappySlip
-Boh3m3

Time flies (and can be terrifying)

2007-04-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

My cousin had a baby yesterday, early Sunday morning. A boy, her second son, as yet unnamed, but weighing around 8lbs despite being a few weeks early, and doing well overall. Hopefully I'll get a chance to go out and see her this weekend ... don't see her often, but we get along well when we do.

The scary part(s)? Her older son is nearly 2 (will be in August). She is a little over 2 years older than me. Sooo ... at this time, 2 years ago, when she was my age, she was pregnant with him.

I only just realized this fact last night, and it kind of boggled my mind. No way am I anywhere near being ready for that kind of stuff - but she was, and is, and I'm happy that things are working out for her.

Now, if only I could figure out what it was that was going on with my life, or get some idea of a direction ...
Eventually.

I don't even like American Idol...

2007-04-28T00:54:00.000-04:00

...but this is good stuff. (Probably because there are no contestants or judges, lol). I heard about the charity fundraising show the day after, and in particular about this clip with a whole bunch of celebrities dancing to 'Staying Alive'.

Made me smile - they look like they're having so much fun! And its such a varied and random mix of people in there. I recognize some, but not all.

Enjoy! :)

I think Gweneth Paltrow's dancing is particularly adorable. Who were you surprised to see?

April 30 - Boo, its gone. :( Stayin' alive no longer...

*Edit - June 20 - I found it again! Woo!

It Happens

2007-04-20T00:04:00.000-04:00

Thursday very random amusement:

Having a co-worker, who you have just spent the past few hours after work hanging out with and only just recently parted ways, call you to tell you that a bird pooped on their head on the way home. Because they thought that you would want to know, and find it amusing (very right, at least on the second count).

Spontaneous (though quiet) outbreaks of laughter from absurd phonecalls received while browsing in Indigo = awesome.

Men & Marriage

2007-04-17T21:21:00.000-04:00

Random cute thing today:

I asked my boss today when his wedding anniversary was, and he pulled off his wedding ring to check. It was engraved on the inside of the band (or so I'm assuming, I didn't see ... maybe it was just a to do list, and checking it coincided with my question).

He still had to think to count the years though (4).

PS - Congratulations to everyone I know who is getting married this year (or soon)! Seems to be in the air or something ...

Brought to You By the Letter "M"

2007-04-07T22:39:00.000-04:00

A friend of my sister's had been planning her birthday party for awhile - actually a joint birthday party for herself and another girl. They chose a day that fell in the middle of their birthdays (today), and decided for a theme, they would choose the letter "M", which falls in the middle of the alpahbet between their initals (H & S). And as part of the theme, everyone would have to come in a costume that began with the letter M.

My sister decided to go as the character Madeline, from the children's book, and was able to pull together a very accurate costume over a couple of weeks. She had the dress (well, a shirt that worked as a dress), the jacket, the little red scarf, the hat, and black shoes ... it looked really good, and she had a little picture from the book that she brought to show people.

I was invited at the last minute, over dinner tonight - and since I wasn't doing anything else, I decided why not. I knew the one birthday girl, and few of my sisters other friends. But what to wear for a costume? What to pull together in a half hour or so? After tossing around a few ideas (muse, maid, mouse), I mentioned that I'm always looking for a reason to wear my funky dolphin pants - so the idea of going as a 'marine biologist' was born, as the pants have dolphins painted on the legs.

So the pants, a black top, black heels (eek!), a seashell necklace, pink flower for my hair, and the finishing touch - a stethoscope to wear around my neck (you know - in case there was a sick dolphin, or something). Worked out pretty good for a thrown together costume, I thought.

Other people came as - a mechanic, Martha Stewart, a millionaire's wife, a magician & magician's assistant, Mardi Gras attender, Mary-Kate Olsen, a miner, Maple Leaf's fans, a mafia don, a Mexican, Eminem, a muscleman/bodybuilder... very creative, most of them! Snacks served included meatballs, M&Ms, mini pizzas, a marshmallow mountain covered in M&Ms and Mini-Eggs, and margaritas.

I didn't really know many people there, as they were mostly people who had gone to high school with my sister, but was able to strike up conversations with a couple of people. Half watched the hockey game which was on (I never watch normally), then drove my sister and a few others over to the bar where the party migrated to and came home. I had a good time, something different to do on a Saturday night ... and the dolphin pants got to come out to play!

Musical Musings

2007-03-22T23:06:00.000-04:00

I often have (what seem like good) ideas for writing here, but then get distracted and don't actually get to the writing part for awhile, and then when I finally do, I'm not sure if I ever articulate it right, after its been rolling around in my head for too long. Grr.

Anyway.

I saw a meme recently that involved posting about songs that are haunting you at the moment. I don't know if 'haunting' is the right word (although, for a few it is), but here are a few songs that have been on repeat for me lately. I've been feeling stuck in a rut and frustrated with some things, and these songs are currently a combination of motivation and butt-kicking for me. I've found audio clips on youtube for them (don't bother watching the videos - they are crappy!) for your listening pleasure.

Make This Go On Forever, Snow Patrol
This was recently featured in Grey's Anatomy, at the end of the first of the three 'ferry' episodes. I loved in that context, but I also love it as a stand alone.

Beautiful Things, Andain
I've said it before - thank you, Saf, for posting about this one. I very much identify with a lot of the lyrics.

Jump, Madonna
Okay I lied - watch the video. And this one, cool parkour tricks are used for both of them. Now, to follow her advice....easier said than done. Ruts can get comfortable, even when they're not where you want to be.

I'm Back!

2007-03-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Did you miss me? Probably not, as you likely didn't realize I was gone, due to my unregulated posting schedule.

Anyways.

I went on a Caribbean cruise over 'Reading Week' (although I don't really have one anymore... just took the week off anyways), which was fabulous. Big boat, blue ocean, blue skies, lots of sunshine and warmth...what else is there to say? The wait staff who we got to know, the food and drinks, the relaxation and not having to do anything you didn't feel like. Thats what a February should feel like, dammit - and at least 80 degrees.

But no, as Canadians, we deal with -30 and lower temps for the fun of it. Brrrrr. Oh well, makes you appreciate what you have, I suppose.

Other Caribbean adventures included ziplining through the rainforest canopy in Jamaica, snorkeling in Grand Cayman and Mexico (biiig fish in Grand Cayman - as big as me, very nearly!), 'mustering', and sampling yummy fruity cocktails. Multiple times.

In other news, I finally did get around to creating that photoblog I mentioned awhile back - so here is the link for your viewing pleasure, should you be interested.

In closing, here is me, on a beach in the Bahamas with our lovely ship the 'Star Princess' in the background.

Green yet? ;)
(myself, I was a wee bit red when I returned...oops)

Today, I

2007-02-09T00:12:00.000-05:00

laughed so hard I cried (and spontaneously too - no giddy build up, was taken completely by surprise). It was awesome.
saw a spectacular sunset on the train ride home. It feels like its been ages since I've seen one, they don't seem to exist in the winter. Is it summer yet?
bought MiniEggs. Mmmmm.

Friends, laughter, sunset, chocolate. Good day.

Housekeeping

2007-01-31T22:41:00.000-05:00

I've been playing around with the layout of the sidebar a bit (ooh, how exciting), added a few new links and shuffled the sections around. I like the alliteration of 'Verbal' and 'Visual', but couldn't think of a good V-word to title the section for those blogs that I read often which are quite popular/well known and read. Verbose will do as a descriptor for now, but suggestions are welcomed.

A new addition of note is the blog of Nebulaura, who has just entered the realm of blogging. Making a fine start so far...(says her current audience of one). :) If nothing else, she has a cat who looks eerily like Thomas the Tank, except with black marks rather than grey. And not quite so large.

I often post photos here, but I've been thinking that I would like to create a blog that is just for my photos. Stay tuned for further developments.

December Sky

2007-01-29T23:47:00.000-05:00

An early December sunset, 2006.

A Semiotic Moment - Language

2007-01-27T01:25:00.000-05:00

Found in the form of a quotation from the Terry Prachett novel "The Colour of Magic":

That is to say: while it was true that they had just appeared in this particular set of dimensions, it was also true that they had been living in them all along.
It is at this point that normal language gives up, and goes and has a drink.

The bolded line (emphasis mine) is I think my favorite line in the entire book. The idea of language throwing up its hands in frustration (if language were to have hands, or a desire to drink - to be personified) at the impossibility of trying to describe the parallel dimensions of the universe (science fiction and otherwise). Such a great image.

And here is another! While looking to see what wikipedia had to offer by way of explaination for semiotics, look who has their own entry (this is mostly for you Saf, I'm guessing most other people who read this blog won't know) - Marcel Danesi. Thats awesome.

Stop.

2007-01-12T22:57:00.000-05:00

Smell the roses.

Breathe in.

And out.

Repeat...

Up/Down

2007-01-12T22:46:00.000-05:00

Up - employment

Down - hour plus commute daily

Up - time to unwind/decompress on the way home (often in the form of sleep)

Sleep is good. As are cats. So here is a combination picture, starring Thomas.

I am so glad it is the weekend.

2007-01-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

Graffiti in Soho, May 2005

Oh New York. I love you too.

I would like for this to be a year of travel for me - already have some small excursions planned, to the Western Caribbean and San Diego, but I am in search of something more. Something with history. Europe... such a broad, general, hazy idea. More thought and planning is definitely needed (as how to work it around employment - or how to work employment around travel).

I want to see more of the world.

New Year...Sweet!

2007-01-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

And what better way to start off a new year than with chocolate for breakfast? Can't go too wrong. My sister received a 1kg (yes, kilogram) Dairy Milk chocolate bar for Christmas, from a flight attendant friend who brought it back from England. Yikes ... and yum. :)

2006 - Staying Connected

2006-12-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

As per Sappho's challenge:

Holiday Traditions/2006 Recap

Likes
Spending time with family and friends, the food (particularly desserts and candy), helping to decorate Christmas baking, How the Grinch Stole Christmas (original), time off from work/school, Trans-Siberian Orchestra carols, jazzy renditions of carols

Traditions
We always have dinner Christmas day with my Dad’s side of the family (usually at least 20 or more people, only 18 this year). My Gramma (paternal – only living grandparent) comes up and spends Christmas Eve with us, and we go to her church downtown for an evening mass. The only time of year I go to church, really (keeps peace).

My mom makes cinnamon buns for breakfast, which often accompany gift opening as well. Gift opening has moved to the early afternoon now, as my middle sister and her boyfriend go up to his house (an hour away) after church on Christmas Eve, and spend Christmas morning with his family before coming back down to have dinner with us.

Food

Turkey, mashed potatoes, turnip, stuffing (icky - I don't eat it), buns, cranberry sauce, carrots/mushrooms/ green beans/onions (all stir fried together, yummy).
Sugar cookies (with icing and crushed candy canes on top), millionaire bars, chocolate clusters, cherry chocolates.

Another tradition – only my dad & youngest sister like the cherry chocolates, so several years ago my mom said that they would have to make them if they wanted them, so they did, and still do now every year.

Holiday Story
I love my Christmas stocking. Its red, with a white border at the top, and on the front has a green gift that opens and has a little teddy bear attached inside. The teddy bear would stay awake for me and watch for Santa on Christmas Eve.

One year, when someone was opening a gift certificate, my youngest cousin (maybe 8 or so at the time) asked was it was. Someone jokingly said ‘A puppy!’, and the name kind of stuck (there were a lot of puppies that year, lol). So now g/c’s are still often referred to as ‘puppies’.

Looking Back
Rather lost and without direction at the beginning of the year, having decided not to pursue further schooling, and not sure what to do workwise (or even how/where to find work). Still am somewhat, as I don’t really know what my ideal job would be … but have gained a bit more experience, and am working on it. And working, yay! And commuting, boo.

Did lots of brave new things this year, many relationship related (ended one, asked a boy out (he said no – oh well! At least I did it!), went on lots of first dates). I've learned how to knit, and now just need a project to work on (with someone who I can call on to help me when I get stuck with one, lol). I've become more assertive, and have made great progress in letting old hurts go, moving forward.

Favorite moments – living downtown in luxury condo suite for the summer. Oh yes. Trip to Vancouver (too short! Would love to go back…). My gramma's 90th birthday party. Cathy & Ron’s wedding.

Looking Forward
I hope to find a job that I love and is enjoyable and challenging. I have no idea what form it will come in, so I’m keeping an open mind… I also hope that said job will enable me to move back to the city, and regain some independence.

I would love to travel, and hope that I can make it happen (although with a job … not sure. So maybe hold off on the job for awhile? Not quite sure how to reconcile the two wants – job, independence, more security vs travel, new life/learning experiences, perhaps uncertainty).

I would like to take more photographs, I haven’t really for the last few months, and I miss it. Same thing for the trampoline - I'd like to take classes again. I do want to continue learning, just not in a formal academic setting at the moment.

Karmic thoughts

2006-12-21T20:15:00.000-05:00

Things I believe:
What goes around comes around.

Bravery should be rewarded (but often isn't).

Pushiness should not be rewarded (but often is).

Things I need to work on:
Letting go of things that don't matter in the long run. Like grudges (especially ones against pushy people who got their way by being pushy and annoying).

Because you know - one day, their uppence will come.

(Thank you, Family Guy)

Solstice

2006-12-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

We are on the eve of the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in terms of daylight. Which has been evident this past week, as I wait for the GO train at 7:20am and its still dark out ... not nice. Although the sunrises have been pretty as we near the city.

So the days and daylight hours can only increase from here, right? I want to see the dawning of the Age of Aquarius and letting the sunshine in ...

I don't do very good at waking up at the best of times, and find natural light to be helpful in starting the day off. My bedside lamp doesn't quite cut it, though it helps, and a small jar containing a little bit of a Croatian beach reminds me that there are warmer places to be.

Someday I shall be there too ...

New Favorite Simpsons line

2006-12-18T22:36:00.000-05:00

Not from a new episode, but rather an old, rediscovered one from Season 5. Homer gets sick from the Kwik-E-Mart food and exposes Apu, causing Apu to be fired. Apu then decides he must repay his karmic debt to Homer, so begins doing odd jobs and helping out around the Simpson's house. One instance of this is when he cooks dinner for the family...

Marge: Lisa, are you okay? Is it too spicy?

Lisa (in a strained whisper): I can see through time ...!

Excellent. :) I wish I could find a video clip of it, no luck as of yet though.

My New Favorite Song

2006-12-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

I came across this on YouTube Friday night, and have been watching it several times a day ever since ... : )

Nelly Furtado & Charlotte Church (former teenage opera/classical singer) doing a duet/cover of Gnarls Barkely's 'Crazy'.

Friday night random

2006-12-08T23:57:00.000-05:00

Yummy, Japanese food in my tummy .... edamame, California rolls, beef teryaki. Yum yum yum. Good start to the weekend (especially with Chinese for dinner last night, in honour of Mom's bd). Best part about ordering in Chinese is the leftovers, I say ...

I got to meet a gecko tonight, a charming young creature who goes by the name of 'Mr. Gecko', although his true gender identity remains a mystery. He looked something like this fellow here. He fit in the palm of my hand, and was quite content to go exploring around and up and down my arm. I drew the line at letting him crawl up the sleeve of my winter coat though, much as he wanted to. His back was dry and bumpy, and his tummy smooth and soft (the better to slither with, my dear) - he kind of looked and moved like a snake with legs. Which doesn't really make sense, I know, but thats how it seemed to me. It was a very odd sensation, feeling his little feet step and smooth stomach slide across my hands. Cool, though.

Picture of a leopard gecko from animal-world.com.

Views of the moon

2006-12-06T00:15:00.000-05:00

5pm, Monday - Full, but slightly covered over with clouds so that it looked like a smudge of light in the sky. Imagine a lake on a clear summer night, with the moon reflected in it - thats what the sky looked like.

7am, Tuesday - Full, and clear in a dark blue sky to the west, while the sun slowly creeps up behind me in the eastern sky. If not for that, I would think I was looking at a middle of the night sky.

6pm, Tuesday - Full, starting to wane, and rising. By some trick of the light there is a flare to the light it throws, so it looks star like. Imagine the north star in the nativity story, that lit up the night.

Imagine what the moon may look like tonight ....

Barrie Weekend

2006-12-05T23:32:00.000-05:00

I hate looking at the blank text box, and not knowing what to say or where to start. Even when I have been noticing interesting things to write about, I have trouble actually sitting down and writing them, so they just rattle around in my head instead. Blah! I'm trying.

This past weekend was a lot of fun, got to spent quality time with my roomates (so what if we haven't actually lived together for several years). Up to Barrie to see Spart's Christmas-fied apartment, and give much love to the cute, Thomas. The once quiet kitty has become very vocal, and seeking of attention, seeing as he doesn't have company as often.

We trekked down to Toronto, braving weather and the dreaded 401-DVP merger to see the annual UofT Gospel Choir concert, fabulous as always. They sounded great, had a couple of powerful guest performers, and even did an encore of the 'Carribbean Medley' (which I just learned the name of, and has one of my favorite UTGC songs in it), which I wasn't expecting, seeing as its not really Christmas-y. And audience watching was fun too - there were some cute elderly people around us who got up (barely) to worship, and a young guy in front of us who looked like he might start speaking in tongues at any minute. Then a quick Greek dinner after (we were on the Danforth, after all!).

We made use of the Mac, the iPod for the trip down and back, primarily for singing along at the top of our lungs (well, maybe K's lungs ... mine don't go quite to the top, lol). Particularly to show tunes, but oldies, newer stuff, and Christmas as well. I almost wished we could drive longer, just so that we could keep singing together.

Back home, where I slept on the red bed (red couch with a pull out bed, with red sheets, pillows, and blanket). Accompanied for some of the night by the cute, who snored. But he's cute, so forgiven. He was willing to cuddle for a bit in the morning, and then wanted to play in the sheets when I stripped the bed later on, so I wrapped him up and poked the sheets around to make him attack. Cat in a blanket!

Then a visit to the Sweet 16 party for the youngest of the clan, complete with sibling serenades, lots of boxer shorts, and a phone call from a very special little lady. Then home again, through the snow (boo, I say. Boo to winter and snow!). But thank you to Spart & Thomas for the hospitality, I'll be back soon!

(The Long Lost) Wedding Recap

2006-11-20T22:46:00.000-05:00

So, a week later ... the wedding weekend recap. (Okay, two weeks later...I started writing this a week ago. I'm slow.)

... so slow, I'm posting this more than 3 weeks after the fact ... shh.

Friday night - Rehearsal
Where we figured out where we were supposed to stand and where to go. Proper procdural stuff, etc. Then drove out to Schomberg for dinner at Ron's house with the families. On the drive out there, Cathy's cousin Dave, my wedding party counterpart wondered where we were taking him - his guess was out into cannibal country (and being the weekend before Halloween, who knows? Maybe we were). He also was finally corrected that my name was not Caitlyn .. apparently he had been calling me that all during the rehearsal (I didn't catch it at the time myself). So I decided that he could have a new name as well - Donald (to rhyme with the groom's name).

Afterwards we headed back home, where Emily & I spent the night at Cathy's. Best line of the night came when talking about movies, specifically Dirty Dancing. Cathy was saying how she remembered the scandal when it came out, of whose parents would let them watch it or not, and how she was in grade 3 at the time (1987). Emily (born in 1990): "You were alive when Dirty Dancing came out?!"

Saturday - The Event
Saturday was pretty relaxed leading up to the event - we took over a nearby hair salon for the morning, getting pretty (about 15 or so of us!), then headed back to Cathy's to eat lunch and get dressed. A friend of Cathy's sister who is trying to create a photography portfolio documented the preparations. Then off to the church, and to do group photos (just across the street from the church, handily enough). The guys were supposed to be gone from the photo site by the time we got there, but when Cathy's dad pulled up in front of the house they were still there, so Cathy tried to hide as we sped around the block.

Pictures, smiling even though it was cold and rainy and 3 of the 4 of us were wearing strapless dresses (the bride had long sleeves, lol). Across the street only slightly late to get the ceremony started - nobody tripped going up or down the aisle, and we all managed to be in the right places at the right times, and Cathy & Ron got married! (No such luck for Caitlyn & Donald though). And there were bagpipes.

Visiting with people at the back of the church, taking pictures outside (cold!), then across the street to the photo site to take more pictures (COLD!). Then up the street to the reception to warm up a bit. (Everything was local for this wedding, which was very convenient). Socializing, pictures, more bagpipes (to announce the wedding party), dinner (very yummy - and being the head table, you get to go first for the buffet), people throwing a big dice to make the bride & groom kiss. Dancing, ice cream cake, bubble machines, speeches (short & sweet, some funny, some touching), more dancing. Pulling pins out of my head at every opportunity, as there were lots poking and kind of painful. I danced with 'Donald' a couple of times, my dad, the girls, and the groom. I wore heels all day, and didn't even feel it. Nobody fell, no major accidents (well, there was a small fire ... a candle on the table with the guest book torched a pumpkin I heard, but only after the fact) ... busy day, but very fun overall.

Here's hoping that the rest of their married life is as fun!

Pretty Pictures

2006-11-11T12:03:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to write a post about the wedding, really I am. For about a week now I've been trying. I can't tell if I should be general, or too specific, or what.

But for now, to reward your patience, I'll give you some visuals and aim to get the descriptive stuff up soon.

Line of Bridesmaids - Mackenzie & Emily, me, Sarah

Cathy & her parents

Wedding Party (mostly) - Dave, John (best man), Sarah (maid of honour), me

Cathy & Ron - Just Married!

After dinner

Daina & I

First Dance

Wedding Party Dance

Dancing with my Dad

Emily & Mackenzie dancing, with pajamas

Teaser

2006-10-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

Shoes & Flowers

Hair

More to come ...

At the end of the night

2006-10-29T01:01:00.000-05:00

At the end of the night ... even though you're exhausted, your feet hurt, your head aches from all the bobby pins poking into it, and you just want to fall into bed ...

At the same time, its sad to take off the party dress and take apart the hairstyle. It means the fairy tale day is over, and its back to reality ... so you dawdle a bit. Or at least I do.

Then, since you (me), are still in that weird tired/yet awake state, even after pulling 60 pins out of your head and washing your face twice to get off all the make up...you decide its a good idea to turn on your computer and write a blog entry. Even though you really, really should be going to sleep, as tomorrow is going to be busy too. Thank god for daylight saving's time, and that 'extra' hour.

More details & pictures to come, but a tidbit I thought you'd enjoy: the groom and his mother danced to 'Rainbow Connection', as sung by Kermit the Frog.

Not dead, just sleeping

2006-10-23T19:51:00.000-04:00

Hiii .... still here, on occasion. Hi Saf. :) I've very much been enjoying your near-daily posts, keep up the good work!

Nothing really new and/or interesting to report (although I do have a list of things that I wanted to write about, but haven't gotten around to yet)...my life is mostly sleep, commute, work, commute sleep. Which isn't bad, just tiring, which leads to the desire to ... sleep! And not write much. Apologies.

The morning commute didn't use to be so bad, although it was quite alien to me to be up and leaving the house at the same time as the sunrise. At least it was pretty, and there was a gorgeous pink light that preceded the full sunrise. Now when I get up and leave the house, it still looks like nighttime - which really doesn't help with the feeling that its way too early to be up and I should still be in bed. I sometimes can still see the sunsets on the train ride home, and fascinating patterns in the clouds, but soon that too will pass, and I'll be travelling both ways in the dark. I often wish that I could be a bear in the winter months, just curl up in a nice warm cave and hibernate all season. Maybe wake up now & then to take in the beauty of the crisp, clean, newly fallen snow... then doze off again until April.

The past 3 weekends in a row I have made loaves of lemon poppyseed bread - very yummy. The taste of fresh homemade bread, with a hint of lemon and crunch of the seeds. A new family favorite, although I got the first loaf almost all to myself.

Unfortunately, this weekend is going to break that stretch ... as I am participating in a wedding, and thus, am guessing that I will have little time for much else. Should be a fun time though, I'm looking forward to it! Hoping it doesn't snow though, as that may make for some chilliness (strapless dress & all). Precautions have been taken to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions, and I *think* that I can handle the shoes. Fingers crossed that I don't trip (although they're fairly solid heels, should be fine). Pictures, stories etc to follow soon.

That's all I got for now ...

A pox on that cursed state

2006-10-06T20:13:00.000-04:00

Spart & Tulip, this is your fault. Entirely.

Sure, it started out innocently enough. A craving for sushi. Mmmm, sushi. California rolls, in particular ... my favorite. What better way to start off the weekend? Remembering those yummy ones I had a few weeks ago with you two, the Rainbow California rolls with salmon & tuna on top. So my train of thought innocently progressed, synapses sparking and such, until disaster struck. The combination of thinking about sushi + California + roommates resulted in the horror (horror I tell you!) of getting the theme song from The OC in my head

AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GET IT OUT!

Blast.

I'll get you for this.

Here I cooooooooooooooooome...........

2006-10-01T22:03:00.000-04:00

"This is kind of like Halloween for adults."

A comment I overheard while exploring Nuit Blanche last night, and I have to say I kind of agree. An all night playground to explore, with the whimisical and unexpected everywhere you looked. I only stayed up in the U of T/Yorkville area and saw what they had to offer, but it was definitely a unique experience, and I'm glad I went. I think my favorites were the Wish Tree and the Fog Sculpture (pictured), both located in Philosophers Walk ....

2006-09-24T21:58:00.000-04:00

Back to work...I'm happy to be employed (albeit temporarily), although not so happy about the 2 hour each way commute. Blah. Hopefully permanent employment will be secured soon, and then the search for accomodations closer to the action can occur. Until then, I'll make the best of it (although I'll admit to still be in the adjustment phase. I never claimed to be a morning person).

I've added a new little thingy, way down on the side, of random books in my collection. I've had a LibraryThing account for quite some time, but I keep forgetting about it (kind of like this blog at times, lol). Its basically just a little tool you can use to catalogue what books you have in your collection, and if you're so inclined, you can look around to see what other people have in theirs as well. Kind of a neat site.

A random list of some happy things:
- owning Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy
- Season 3 of Grey's Anatomy starting last week (and getting to see 2 new episodes due to CTV's mistake, yay!)
- Cathy & Ron's wedding in a month, which I will be a part of
- being employed
- getting to visit with K & T this weekend (much sushi was eaten)
- my little pile of knitted rectangles that I don't know what to do with
- nearly clementine season!
- homemade bread, baked today

What the hell ...

2006-09-22T22:21:00.000-04:00

1. FIRST NAME? Carolyn
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope.
3. SAVOURY OR SWEET? Sweet, then savoury
4. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Sometime in July, I think
5. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I do .. the legibility starts to go downhill after awhile though
6. WHAT IS YOU FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? ewwww.... pass
7. KIDS? Not yet, thanks
8. WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes, I'm cool like that.
9. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? This here be it.
10. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Never ever.
11. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
12. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Possibly .. I think I'd rather skydive though
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Vector
14. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope
15. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I think I am, but I also know when to outsource
16. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Cookie dough
17. SHOE SIZE? 7 or 8
18. RED OR PINK? Red.
19. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I need to be more assertive sometimes
20. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I dunno... who misses me?
21. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Well, this isn't really 'sending' it anywhere, so to speak
22. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? khaki pants, army green tshirt
23. LAST THING YOU ATE? homemade bread... mmm.
24. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? soundtrack to 'The Last Kiss'
25. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOUR WOULD YOU BE? Red ... or blue.
26. FAVORITE SMELL? Cookies baking
27. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Kailey
28. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes, smile, hands (how stereotypical of me)
29. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I do
30. FAVORITE DRINK? Coca Cola Classic ... and lemonade (no, not together)
31. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? Gymnastics
32. HAIR COLOR? brown
33. EYE COLOR? hazel/green
34. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope

35. FAVORITE FOOD? I like a lot of food and the favourite might change with my mood.
36. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy ending
37. Boxers or briefs? N/A
38. WHAT COLOR SOCKS ARE YOU WEARING? barefoot, baby ... although my toes did turn blue earlier this evening. Thats probably not a good sign.
40. HUGS OR KISSES? both
42. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A
43. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? N/A

44. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING? Just finished 'Way of the Peaceful Warrior' ... looking for something new.
45. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I'd tell if you if I had a mouse pad.
46. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? new Grey's Anatomy(s)

47. FAVORITE SOUNDS? laughing with friends is good ... as are thunderstorms
48. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Hmm...Beatles
49. THE FURTHEST YOU BEEN FROM HOME? Mexico... unless Vancouver is farther away. I'm bad with geography.
50. WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR? Blue.

Oh yes..

2006-08-21T18:10:00.000-04:00

I also wanted to make note of the fact that this is the first September in 21 years that I will *not* be starting back to school (I'm pretty sure I started JK when I was 4) ... and that is good, although a little weird. I'm happy to be moving on though.

Found this very cool video post via Dooce: Oh Boy [aka 'Hallelujah']. I love this song, although there is no way I would be singing it a capella in public. Or on the internet. But yay people who do!

2006-08-20T21:20:00.000-04:00

Hello, August. Well, nearly goodbye August at this point, seeing as though its half over. September remains a question mark, I have no plans yet made or settled, no job or apartment as of yet - but thats okay. I'll figure it out sooner or later, and it will be good.

I am sad to be moving out of my 'palace in the sky' apartment in just under two weeks.. the fairy tale is ending, as I always knew it would. I've enjoyed it, but the rightful renters are returning shortly, so its time to move on (not that I could afford a place like this myself anyways...definitely a fairy tale). Much as I love downtown, I'd like to be certain that I have a job secured before I commit to an apartment, so thats what I'm doing. Hopefully I'll be back soon, to stay for a longer period. It is a nice luxury to have the option available to boomerang back to the family home as needed, but I keep hoping that every time I leave it will be the last.

Onwards to the pictures ... taken on Toronto Island this past Thursday, August 17.

A view of the city, looking back from the pier on the south side of the island

Lighthouse through branches

Lighthouse framed by trees

Skyline view from a channel on Hanlan's Point. You can see the top of Metro Hall peeking over the roof of the SkyDome.

Night Sky

2006-07-30T23:10:00.000-04:00

There is an orange sliver of moon hanging low in the western sky tonight, above the glow of the Gardiner Expressway and the neon billboards. Its been fading in and out of sight as the clouds move across the sky. Its really cool and beautiful looking, and very unusual.

I wish that I could capture it on film, but I don't think it would be possible for my camera to be able to do it justice. I'll make do with recording the image in my mind's eye.

In other astronomic news, I believe that there is going to be a full moon on my birthday this year. This makes me happy.

Uh Oh ...

2006-07-21T19:01:00.000-04:00

The BlogUpdatePolice are after me! Despite the warning/disclaimer seen to your right ... oh well. I tend to prefer reading other people's words/thoughts than writing down my own (I'm nosy that way), but every now and then I don't mind writing (or the kick in the pants to do so ;).

But no, not much is happening these days. Go to work, try to keep busy/stay awake, come home and relax in my lovely (sadly temporary) palace in the sky, see some friends here and there.

Went to Kingston last weekend to visit Hana, and to watch Monty Python's Holy Grail (really, that was the main purpose of the trip - in preparation for seeing 'Spamalot' in a couple of weeks). Every time I've been to Kingston in the past (3 other times), its been fall/winter, and usually very cold. This weekend was a departure, in that it was really hot & sunny! Which makes me happy, I'm not going to complain. We explored the downtown area, poked our heads in the Cathedral, visited Hana's lab, walked the waterfront, caught a few acts at a Busker's festival that was going on (The YoYo Show & The Quebec Russian Bar Trio), saw Pirates of the Caribbean. I think I need a lazy weekend to relax from all of that! So likely my companions for the weekend will be of the dvd variety, Season 1 of Lost (2 more discs to go), Bride & Prejudice, and who knows what else.

My roomate has gone home again for the weekend, I'm assuming, as she does most weekends, so I've got the place to myself. Its kind of like my first year in residence at UofT all over again, only a much bigger space. And I'm better friends with this roomate, I think, we get along really well (a lucky thing, considering we were complete strangers).

Does anyone want to do anything this weekend? I've got no plans, I'm open ... well, I'm meeting my youngest sister at the bus terminal Sunday night, as she comes in from a weekend in Ottawa, to hang out for a bit, dinner etc, then help her find the Go bus home (I'm sure she could figure it out on her own with no problem, but I'm here, and not doing anything, and we don't see each other much anyways).

I'm going to be really sad to leave this apartment ... its all going to be downhill after this, I've been very spoiled this summer! I guess its time to start looking for a place for the fall (not to mention a new job, I'm going to need that too). Anyone looking for a roomate? Or know of a nice, not too expensive bachelor/1-bedroom opening up soon? Same goes on the job front, keep your ears open, pretty please!

Burning Up...Argh!

2006-07-08T21:53:00.000-04:00

Rude, inconsiderate people! Smokers, specifically, who drop their still burning butts anywhere that seems convenient for them, disregarding everyone around me. Its always disgusting to see piles of them littering the streets, but today I am particularly pissed off at the individual who dropped theirs just outside of the SkyDome, where I was walking along with the crowd of people, carrying groceries home. Minding my own business, enjoying the heat of the summer day, and wearing my sandals, as per usual. Sometimes small rocks or twigs get caught in the sandal under my foot, so I didn't think much of it when I first felt something under my left foot. But it felt soft, which was odd, then immediately after I registered a burning feeling on my sole. There was A LIT CIGARETTE IN MY SHOE, that someone had just dropped. My first thought being to get it away from me, I kicked my sandal off (luckily there was a fair bit of space in front of me), probably about 10 feet or so, then walked up to put it back on, minus the burning part. I couldn't believe it. I was very pissed off, and still am (although I do see that there's a bit of humor in the situation ... it takes talent to be able to get a lit cigarette to land in your shoe while walking). No major harm done physically, no lasting blisters or anything. But ARGH!

So this marks the 2nd occasion that I've stepped on a lit butt - the first being while walking around barefoot in the Splashworks water park at Wonderland. Another great place for smokers to be littering, with thousands of barefoot people wandering about.

I don't like smoking at all in any way shape or form - but if you must, then at the very least, be aware of yourself and your tobacco, both while you are using it and when you are looking to discard it!

In case of emergency

2006-07-05T20:38:00.000-04:00

I spent the Monday of the long weekend at the Toronto Islands with friends, a perfect day for it. On the ferry ride over, I noticed a very adorable little girl wearing water wings and holding on tight to her dad. I don't know if they thought that the wings might help if she was to fall overboard or the boat sank, or if she just really wanted to wear them ... but they came off as soon as the boat docked. It made me smile, though.

I hadn't been to the island for several years, but it still has a 'feels like home' feeling for me, as growing up we had the 'traditional' trip every summer. From the summer I was two, until around age 16 or so, myself, my friend Jennifer, our moms and siblings would pack a picnic and spend the day down there. I should try to find time this summer to go back and spend more time there, its a great park.

Colours and Flight

2006-06-24T18:56:00.000-04:00

There was an awesome sunset on Thursday night, shades of orange and red, with strong rays shooting skyward as the sun sank. I love my view, and the fact that I have two glass walls of south and western exposure. Gorgeous.

I also came across a quote today that I really like:

"Sometimes you have to take the plunge, and build your wings on the way down."

-Kobi Yamara

Summer of Shoes

2006-06-18T23:24:00.000-04:00

I'm somewhat abnormal from a lot of girls, in that I hate the activity of shoe shopping. I do not enjoy it at all, but it is an occasional necessity. I go for comfort primarily, and once I find it, I will wear the shoes until they fall apart (be it two, five, or ten plus years - seriously). And then often enough, once they've bitten the dust, I'll get the exact same kind (if possible) to replace them.

Usually, the falling apart of my foot wear happens on a rotating basis, but this year, everything seems to be giving way at once. My casual dress/work shoes, sandals, running shoes ... all gone, or soon to be going. :( (Don't even get me started on dress shoes ... I don't really have any, and need those as well! Argh.) Since I've been having some foot problems this year as well, and will most likely be getting orthotics sometime soon, finding shoes that will accommodate them as well as being supportive to start with is also a consideration.

So, this is a partly a call for help ... anyone out there who actually likes shoe shopping, and is willing to give me a hand in finding stuff - let me know! Because I don't know where to start ...

To end, on a completely off topic note, a riddle: What word in the English language begins and ends with the letter 'E', and only has one letter in it?

Stay tuned - More to come

2006-06-11T17:30:00.000-04:00

So, I fully intended to write here this weekend, I did. But when I tried on Saturday blogger gave me an error message about cookies, which made me hungry instead ... easily distracted here, I guess. And today, I got nothing ... I'll try to come up with something more soon.

Recap of the last month or so though:

I moved! Yay Toronto, yay place of my own! (for the meantime, anyways)
As a result of this, I now have a lakefront view as I sit here typing this. Sweet!
New job! Well, old new job, went back to same place I was at last summer. Not too exciting, but not too bad either - nice people, pays well, and best of all, no more commute! (see above)
Both of the above are located on the 9th floor (of different buildings). Also, both are only until the end of August, so I'm keeping an eye out for new opportunities - let me know if you hear of anything interesting, job or apartment wise!
I can breathe again, my sinuses have recovered from the hay fever that plagued them through most of April and May
I saw Lord of the Rings, the play ... awesome show, particularly the staging/effects. Spectacular.
I've become addicted to this deceptively simple game: Splash Back. Try it, you'll like it!

Thats all for now ... more words, pictures, etc coming soon!

What a difference a few years makes...

2006-05-20T17:56:00.000-04:00

I went to go see 'DaVinci Code' last night with my younger sister Erin and her friend Allie. While waiting in the line to get in (now I remember why I don't generally go to the movies on opening night, unless its for something really good - which this wasn't), Erin mentioned how the ticket guy reminded her of Fred Savage, which led to talking about sibling actors from the 80's. To which Allie contributes 'You know what I just found out? You know Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains, and Candace Cameron from Full House? They're related!', I was about to express my disbelief, when Erin piped up that she had only just recently found that out too. So I'm looking at them both thinking what planet are you from? How can you not know that? Everybody knows that ... and I said as much to both of them. Seriously? Ah well ... amusing, if nothing else. I reminded them of the Full House episode where their 'cousin' (played by Kirk Cameron) comes to visit, and DJ is all excited, then gets jealous when he wants to spend more time with his uncles than playing with her.

So yes, I was unimpressed by the movie version of DaVinci Code. I didn't have high expectations to begin with, but I found the way that it was portrayed and played out to be annoying. The book goes into so much detail, which is impossible to do in film, so if you hadn't read the book, you'd likely be pretty lost. Tom Hanks looks horrible, but Audrey Tautou is gorgeous - she makes a good Sophie. I was distracted by Alfred Molina playing a bishop (since when did Doc Ock become a priest?) and Ian McKellan (Gandalf? What are you doing here?)... I found it hard to see them outside of roles I previously associated them with.

While in Zellers this afternoon, I noticed something kind of disturbing, yet funny in their choice of stock layout and organization. When on the overlapping/edge aisle shared by the health and beauty section and the housewares sections, I found myself looking at maxi pads, tampons, pantiliners etc. on one side ... and in the facing aisle, shelf upon shelf of Bounty, the quilted quicker picker upper. You draw your own conclusions ....

One Song Glory

2006-05-13T22:49:00.000-04:00

Fun day in the city ... especially as it involved the musical 'Rent'. Caught the afternoon show with Daina & Hana, and it was excellent. Although I was originally horrified by the small picture of the actor playing Roger in the program, the boy could sing, which really is the most important part. And he looked much better onstage, as well. One of the better productions of the show I've seen. It was my 4th time seeing it onstage, about the same for Daina, and the very first time for Hana. I take full credit for getting her hooked on the show in the fall, and was happy to be there for her first time seeing it onstage too. Even though it was a repeat viewing for both Daina and I, it was the first time that we were seeing it together (and we've been Rentheads together since the show opened 10 years ago) .

After the show, we walked up to the Pickle Barrel for dinner, and were joined by Nat. I hadn't been there for awhile, they've completed renovated/redecorated - it looks very funky and cool! We got there around 5, before it got too busy, so there wasn't much waiting involved. And the food! Sooooooo good (although, take it from Daina - you don't really want the Asian nachos, they weren't as good as they sounded. But our very friendly waiter replaced them for her with no problems). Myself, I had a delicious salad - and what is so special about a salad, you might ask? Well, it was a ceasar salad, to begin with, and then on top of it were stirfried mushrooms, onions, green and red peppers, and STEAK. Medium rare, still a little pink in the middle ... MMMMMMmmmmmmMMMM. And cherry tomatoes around the edge of the plate, and green onions shredded and curled on top. Oh yes, and these little mini crispy french fry things on top too. Best salad ever. Followed by dessert ... Daina & I shared a Skor sundae, which was mammoth. Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, caramel sauce, and smashed up pieces of Skor bars. Even between the two of us, we couldn't entirely finish it, but oh, so good.

Time spent with great friends, seeing a fabulous show, and having dinner in a funky restaurant with an amazing menu... what more could you want?

Although a sad note, once I got home .... when I saw Rent in NYC last year, I treated myself to a souvenier pin. Which has sat on my bulletin board all year, not doing much. So I figured that today would be an ideal opportunity to wear it, so I did. I kept checking all day to see that it was still there, but when I got home and upstairs, I noticed that it was missing. :( Could be anywhere, I'm not holding my breath... oh well. So it goes.

Pictures to follow, once Hana sends them along ....in the meantime, scroll down to the April 24th entry, I've added more Rent pictures there. :)

Frustrated

2006-05-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

Some of the lyrics to the newest Dixie Chicks song, "I'm Not Ready to Make Nice" have been floating around my head the past few days ... its catchy. And apt.

I'm not ready to make nice,
I'm not ready to back down
I'm still mad as hell and I don't have time
To go round and round and round...

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I'm not sure I could
They say time heals everything
I'm still waiting.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words ... aka Its a Small, Small World

2006-05-09T21:54:00.000-04:00

When I was in grade 11, I took a sign language course that was offered at my high school. It was a small class, and you had to have an interview with the teacher in order to be accepted - a lot of people applied for it! (Myself, I had an 'in' with the teacher ... lol. Her mother & my grandmother are good friends, and she went to elementary school with one of my uncles...but anyways). I really enjoyed the class, and got pretty good at it, probably helped quite a bit by the fact that around the same time I became friends with many of the deaf students at the school and had lots of opportunities to practice. In fact, they invited me (and a few other hearing friends) into their social circle, and we all had a lot of fun.

Sadly, I've lost touch with most of them since then, as well as most of my sign abilities ... I know some random signs still, and I know the fingerspelling alphabet, but thats about it. Although often when I see sign, if I watch I can sometimes pick up a word or two and get the gist of the conversation. But its not something that I think about most days, or very often at all.

So imagine my surprise when I got on the subway to head home yesterday afternoon, and right in front of the doors I enter on, is a woman I met through this circle of friends, Linda, who I haven't seen or spoken to in probably 4 or 5 years. We both recognized each other though (although she couldn't quite remember where she knew me from), and although I am very rusty, I was able to understand her signs/questions to me, and more or less communicate my answers to her. She was with a friend, someone I didn't know (both deaf), but by watching them sign I was able to follow their conversation as well. It was so cool ... its such an expressive way to communicate. I love the randomness of Toronto ... of all the subways, of all the doors I could have gotten on at ... lol.

But it gets better - when I got on the subway again this morning heading to work, again, there was Linda sitting right in the car right where I walked on! Very weird, especially as I'd walked through the PATH from Union up to St. Andrew station. So we chatted a bit more, she had recalled how we knew each other (through a mutual friend, who sadly neither of us has talked to for awhile. I really should remedy that!)

It's amazing how expressive your hands can be ... how you can communicate fully with little to no verbal cues. I should try to find my notes, I know I still have them (somewhere), and see what I can recall. I love learning about and new forms ofcommunication, in all ways. Not to mention running into old friends...

Springtime in the City

2006-05-07T22:50:00.000-04:00

Spring is here! So are some allergies on my part, but hopefully those will past soon. I had time to kill on a gorgeous afternoon last week, so I stepped outside my office and was able to capture quite a few amazing shots of the local greenery. I was pretty impressed with my camera's abilities, if I may say so ...

Magnolia

Upon discovering that this was a magnolia bloom (I didn't know until after), I couldn't help peering closely at the above photo to see if I could spy any frogs in the centre ... :) Bonus points if you get this reference.

I have no idea what the white and purple flowers are .. but the macro setting captured them quite well.

Sunset silhouettes

2006-05-04T22:19:00.000-04:00

Riding the GO bus home this evening, I was treated to seeing the city skyline, and everything else, softly backlit by the fading orange glow of the sunset. Very pretty. Particularly cool was when we passed by a parking garage (I think up around Eglinton), and for a brief moment, you could see the bright orange bars of the open spaces starkly contrasted against the blackness of building.

Stay tuned for some updates ... although due to my magical powers of time manipulation, some may appear before this entry was written. Be forewarned .. ;)

Wasabi Chips Report (as it seems to have caused a bit of a cliffhanger among some members of this small audience): Not bad. Not the greatest flavor ever (but then again, my favorite flavor is regular, so maybe thats just me), but they're good. They don't burn your mouth off (or your nasal passages), really just a green tinted chip with a horseradish-y aftertaste. Although if you were to eat a large amount in one sitting, I'm sure you'd definitely start to feel a burn after awhile. I like them, but probably wouldn't buy them again. But glad I tried.

My cousin's MSN name currently reads "May the 4th be with you." Took me a second, but I think its brilliant. Heehee.

Pictures coming soon...

Happy Birthday, Katie! :)

'Cause Everything is Rent ...

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

Today is the 10 year anniversary of Rent playing on Broadway. :) Ten years! Wow. I've collected quite a bit of memorabilia in that time.... heres a peek.

My most recent acquistion, a gift ... a movie poster, signed by all of the cast & the director. Wow!

Ticket stubs from the previous 3 shows I've been to ... all Sunday matinees, for some reason.

Previous ticket stubs, plus tickets for Saturday May 13th ... still a matinee, but not Sunday this time.

The music of Jonathan Larson.

Rent souvenier pin, bought at the Nederlander Theatre, NYC

Rent songbook - not that I can read music worth a damn, but still.
The comprehensive book of Rent - so amazing. Also a gift - thank you, so much.

2006-04-23T22:29:00.001-04:00

Ever since I heard that Lays potato chips came out with two new flavours - Wasabi and Curry - I'd been keeping an eye out for them, as the Wasabi one had me very curious. They are advertised as only being available in Toronto and Vancouver, so I've been popping in and out of convinience and grocery stores all over the city hoping to spot them. I found Curry one place, but no Wasabi. Until today. And where did I find it, you ask? Of all places, Zeller's in Aurora had them. I'll take it! Haven't sampled the goods yet, but will be sure to update when I do.

Aurora also has a newly opened Dollarama, complete with a big new neon sign. I think they still may be having some problems with the new sign though, as when I drove by it the other night, only some of the letters were lit up, causing the sign to read "LLAMA". Hee... :)

Things that aren't related

2006-04-14T23:22:00.000-04:00

I usually try to pick up a Metro newspaper in the morning while waiting for the train or subway, but often don't have time to read it until the end of the day on the trip home. Such was the case yesterday, but when I got to the horoscopes, I had to laugh. Generally, I don't even read the horoscopes, much less put any stock in them, but the Metro ones sometimes have really odd lines/predictions in them, so I sometimes skim them for the amusement factor. On Thursday, my own contained the line 'Point incompetent people in the right direction' ... which is pretty much how I spent my morning, despite having a large easel set up in front of my desk telling people where to go to hand in their portfolios. Some would see it and stop themselves short at the door to the office, which was funny to watch, but some would walk straight up to me and hold it out. The sign was HUGE, I have no idea how they missed it. Tunnel vision, I suppose.... made for a good laugh among my co-workers, though.

At the end of the day, walking to my car in the train station parking lot, I noticed another car that had a rosary dangling from the rearview mirror. And not just your usual size rosary, but a big one with a sizeable ceramic cross on it (I'm surprised it didn't pull the mirror off the glass). It looked rather dangerous to me, especially in the event of an accident - it looked like it would do more harm than good to the occupants of the car! You'd be more likely to be decapitated than saved by it ...

I fully admit to being biased and not liking anything hanging from the rearview of a car I'm driving - I find it distracting to have something swinging around when I'm paying attention to the road. My sister tried to add an air freshener to the car we shared a few summers ago - a big, bright yellow jelly foot, with a sickening vanilla stench (which was intensified by the summer heat, of course). That didn't last long - the scent made me feel dizzy and sick (not a good way for the driver to feel!), and having this yellow thing swinging around was not cool either. I really don't see the need for air fresheners in cars anyways, they usually smell worse than the neutral scent that most cars have. The foot was banished to her boyfriends truck, to live out its days there .... good riddance.

I (finally) saw 'V for Vendetta' tonight ... really good film! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The weather was neat when we came out ... foggy, and then some lightning later on. There hasn't been a thunderstorm in ages, its nice to see/hear a big one once and awhile.

Spring Weekend in London

2006-04-13T23:46:00.000-04:00

Wait ... wait ... wait ..... GO!

2006-04-11T21:34:00.000-04:00

Funny how things work out - you spend so much time sitting around waiting for something to happen, then all of a sudden multiple things occur simultaneously, and the speed of life seems to go from zero to sixty overnight. Yikes! Lots of good things going on, but quite a rapid change from the slow pace that I've become accustomed to these past few months. Instead of sleeping until noon everyday, I'm now up and out of the house with the sunrise, for one. I've always been a night owl (and still am), so this is a very dramatic shift in my sleeping patterns, which I'm still adjusting too. Usually I prefer sunsets, but the sunrises can be quite beautiful too. I can't wait until this coming weekend when I can finally sleep in again, though!

Spent last weekend in London, seeing Library school friends (all dressed up, I might add), as well as visiting with Saf and her family, and taking in some of the springtime beauty of the parks and the river. Sunny weather, warmer temperatures, green grass and Canada geese ... all welcome signs of spring! (No more of this snow nonsense, hear?)

Lastly - some videos for your viewing enjoyment!

This one I came across the other day - Spin DJ as God - neat concept, funny/thought provoking story ... very cool.
And this one is just fun - Brokeback on Ice - A men's skating routine, with a cowboy theme...very cute. In addition, this video led to a conversation which led to my current employment - so theres further positive feelings towards it for me! :) Yay cowboys!

Me Me Me Musical Meme

2006-03-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

I found this meme on Sarah's blog, and thought it looked like fun ... so here we are. :) Not always logical, but amusing none the less.

How to: Put your iTunes/Winamp/WMP on shuffle. Say the following questions aloud, and press play. Use the song title as the answer to the question (no cheating).

1. How does the world see me?
Alone in Kyoto – Air (from Lost in Translation)

2. Will I have a happy life?
Move (You Make Me Feel So Good) - Moby

3.What do my friends think of me?
Must Be Dreaming – Frou Frou

4. Do people secretly lust after me?
It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me – Billy Joel

5. How can I make myself happy?
Have a Little Faith in Me - Jewel

6. What should I do with my life?
May It Be - Enya

7. Will I ever have children?
Sand in My Shoes - Dido

8. What is some good advice for me?
Thriller – Michael Jackson

9. How will I be remembered?
You Belong to Me – Jason Wade (from Shrek)

10. What's my signature dancingsong?
World on Fire – Sarah McLachlan

11. What's my current theme song?
Eve – Chantal Kreviazuk

12. What do others think is my current theme song?
Another Day - Rent

13. What shall they play at my funeral?
Hole in the World - The Eagles

14. What type of wo/men do I like?
Nothin' Bout Love Makes Sense - LeAnn Rimes

15. How's my love life?
Are You Ready to Fly? - Dune

The Coca Cola Review

2006-03-15T22:02:00.000-05:00

Times Square, NYC - May 2005

Photo by me.

As many of you know, I love Coke. Not the powdery, illegal kind, but Coca Cola Classic. Classic would be my favorite kind, although they have developed many permuations and variations over the years ... so I though that a review of sorts might be in order. I was too young to remember 'New Coke', but here are some of my opinions on their more recent innovations ...

Diet Coke: Ick. Bland, watery, not sweet at all. If I'm going to have a diet cola, I'll have a Diet Pepsi, please ...at least there is some flavour.
Coca Cola Zero: Even worse/less flavour than Diet Coke, if you can believe it. I just tried this recently - their 'Zero Calories, Zero Sugar' beverage ... with zero taste. Why bother?
Diet Coke w/ Lemon: Tried this a couple of years ago, on a whim... again, ew. About how I would imagine 'Mr. Clean' might taste. I'm pretty sure they've stopped making it, and a good thing too.
Diet Coke w/ Lime: I was expecting this to turn out about as well as Lemon, but was pleasantly surprised - I actually really like this one! The lime tastes fairly authentic, and adds a nice tang to the blandness of the diet. (Although, it did cross my mind a few sips in that it would taste even better with rum mixed in ...lol)
Regular Coke w/ Lime: Having tried the diet version first, I thought I'd give the regular a whirl as well, to see if it was even better. Turned out not to be the case, surprisingly - the regular sweetness overwhelmed the tangy lime-ness, but I couldn't really taste much of either one. Not bad, but fairly 'blah' overall. May also be good with rum.
Vanilla Coke: Yummy yum yum! Probably my favourite after 'real' coke. Tastes like dessert. Please don't discontinue this one (although I think they have already ..boo.) I'm stocking up in this one.

Little things

2006-03-04T01:53:00.000-05:00

Little things that have amused/made me happy recently:
-pumping the exact amount of gas that I was aiming for, to the penny
-playing with golden retrievers
-trying on fancy ballgowns
-playing tug of war with a dog who wanted to use his own leash as the rope (which he was attached to at the time, although it was long enough to actually work)
-also being towed by same dog while on an ice rink - he's heavy enough that when he started to run on the outdoor rink, I slid after him (couldn't stop if I tried, lol)
-having a taped copy of this week's Grey's Anatomy to watch, as I missed it in BC
-chewing bubble gum
-seeing old friends
-motorcycle rides
-playing on slides and swings with a 3 year old

Vancouver - The Pictures Post

2006-03-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

Welcome to British Columbia! Our first view upon landing

At the Vancouver Aquarium

Beluga! Such odd looking creatures ... but mesmerizing to watch

Braden & Kailey on the SeaBus crossing to North Vancouver

View of NorthVan from the SeaBus

View of downtown Vancouver skyline from SeaBus

Myself, Braden and Kailey at Lonsdale Quay

Kailey enjoys a Beavertail at Lonsdale Quay Marketplace

Natalie & Tawanda (not Topanga or Towanga, right Kailey?)

Granville Street, Orpheum Theatre

Phil and his Dolly

Day Five - The Journey East

2006-02-27T00:25:00.000-05:00

Our last day in Vancouver dawned with fairly good weather - still kind of cloudy, but no rain, and a bit warmer than our last few days. I finally got to go for a ride with Phil and his bike, Dolly - yay! :) It was quite amazing to be zooming along with the mountains beside us .... well, actually all of the zooming in general was a lot of fun! Apparently we hit the speed of 200 km/hr at one point... good girl, Dolly. I was mildly concerned when we got on the highway that my helmet, which was a little bit loose might flip off somehow, but didn't really think that it was a likely outcome.

Then a final flurry of activity as we said our goodbyes, gathered our things and made our way over to the SkyTrain ... a little later than we'd planned, so it was a bit of a rush to get to the airport. Due to a navigational error (mine) we had to walk a little bit to catch the airport bus, but in the end we made it to the check in counter with a few minutes to spare, and got that taken care of. Because we were late, and the flight we were on was overbooked, and a flight after us being cancelled, there weren't any seats together, although we were able to get ones that were one in front of the other. Sadly, they were in the middle row of seats (the seats were in groups of two, aisle, three, aisle, two, and we were in the middle of the middle group), which was a bit confining, but what can you do. I was sitting between a married couple, who were rather annoyed (mostly the wife) that their seats had been split up, but by the same token, the wife didn't want to switch seats to sit in the middle herself (I would have been happy to!). Both the husband and flight attendent asked me directly if I would, but before I could answer, the wife would cut in that she didn't want the middle seat. Oooooookay.

No free meals served on this flight, but I decided to buy a (overpriced) sandwich anyways, as I'd kind of skipped breakfast and knew I'd regret it if I didn't eat something. The movie choice sucked - 'Legend of Zorro' or some nonsense, so I napped for most of the flight, then did some Sudoku. I was kind of disappointed that I didn't have a window seat, as I'd never flown at night before, and was looking forward to seeing the lights of Toronto, but so it goes. We landed, got baggage etc with no troubles, and back to our everyday lives.

I started out the trip as a tourist, but over the course of the stay fell in love with the city, the mix of urban and natural settings. I can definitely see the allure of moving out there, and may consider doing it myself for a short period of time in the future .. we shall see. Not long after our plane home left the ground, I felt myself longing to be back in Vancouver again, I missed it and we had barely left.

Many thanks again to our hosts, Big Phil, Braden and Chris, for showing us around and taking care of us, and making the trip lots of fun! Also to Natalie, it was great meeting you and hanging out with you - hopefully we can do it again sometime.

Until we meet again ....

Many thanks again to our wonderful hosts, Big Phil and his roomies Braden and Chris, for showing us around and

Day Four - Day of rest

2006-02-26T12:59:00.000-05:00

Today was mostly just a lazy day for hanging out, and whatnot. Phil & Kailey went to church for a little bit in the afternoon, and I just read and watched TV, a bit of the closing Olympic ceremonies.

Kailey & I (well, mostly Kailey) were planning to make a big dinner for the boys & a few others as a thank you for being our hosts, so we went grocery shopping with Braden & Phil, stopping at a food court for lunch (and for Phil & Kailey to try on some different hats). Just as we got back from shopping, Natalie arrived, and Kailey got busy getting things ready in the kitchen. I wasn't much help in the preparations department (no surprise there!), but was happy to do the clean up afterwards. Pot roast, mashed potatoes, grilled veggies, yorkshire pudding, bread, meatballs in spicy Thai sauce... yummy! And chocolate cake for dessert. One of Phil's co-workers, Ben, also joined us for dinner (he looked really familiar to me - I finally realized that he kind of resembled Sean Astin/Sawise Gamgee), and Jason Hay was in town from Seattle for the night (en route to Toronto), so he stopped by for a visit too. I think the boys are still picking away at the roast, 4 days later ... Kailey was worried about feeding 4 full grown boys, so she made sure to get a big one, but then some of them filled up on sausage rolls before dinner (and on all the other dishes). Still, always good to leave your hosts with a full fridge, right?

After dinner, we played some rounds of Asshole - I hadn't played that since OAC. And I'm not even sure that its the same version that I played then, as none of the rules seemed familiar, but oh well. They're easy enough to pick up on in any case, although I never did wind up doing too well.

Early start the next morning, as we needed to be on our way by 9am or so to make our noon flight... Kailey is exhausted, but I was still wired. So I was up and awake until around 1.30/2, doing Sudoku puzzles and trying to relax.

Day Three - No more sunshine

2006-02-25T00:26:00.000-05:00

We got lucky in that we got sunny days for our first couple of days, but now time for the real West Coast weather - kind of grey and rainy. Still, half and half isn't bad, no complaints (although I'm not sure if I could live with the grey and rain full time - it seems it would get depressing after awhile). Anyways.

No one had to work today, so we all set out for North Vancouver, taking the Sea Bus ferry across. We wandered around the marketplace at Lonsdale Quay, where the ferry docks, and met up with Natalie and her (guy) friend Lindsay. We then headed up into the mountains to Lynn Valley Canyon - after a slight delay, in which Natalie's character filled car, Tawanga, wouldn't start, due to being low on gas and parked on an uphill angle. The boys saved the day, though, driving in Lindsay's car to go get us gas so that we could get going. When we reached Lynn Valley, we were greeted with falling snow, and a large sign depicting dangers in the park, and the many different ways that people have died there. Charming. Down to the suspension bridge, where we took pictures and bounced around, then hiking along some of the trails (and off some as well). Phil found a part of trail that had been partly washed away by a landslide, and then delighted in climbing partway up the slide and throwing things further down the valley. He also did a 'danger dance', which Kailey was unable to capture on film (as well as many other dances that he wouldn't let her catch, much to her frustration). We eventually made it down to another bridge crossing over water, and then started the long trek back up the canyon.

Natalie had to get to work then, so she & Lindsay dropped us off back at the Quay, where after wandering around the market again for awhile we eventually figured out that we would head back downtown, then figure out something for dinner. Much to Kailey's delight, she managed to capture the 'waiting for the ferry' dance on video, and even better, it was a team dance, as Phil, Braden & Chris all moved in unison.

It had started to rain, although not too hard, so when we disembarked back in Vancouver, we decided to just walk along Granville Street for awhile, as Phil had a particular restaurant in mind. I took some photos along the way, and we stopped in an arcade so that Phil could play a guitar playing game, and Kailey played Tetris for 25 cents. I played one of those car racing games before we left, then back out into the rain. Phil had had a specific Greek restaurant in mind to go to, but it turned out to be a about 8 blocks away from where we were, and at that point we were all tired and ready for food (poor Braden was sick with a cold, and we did a lot of walking that day), so we decided to go to the Two Parrots instead, which was right there. Our waitress wasn't the most attentive, as another girl had called in sick and she was covering, but oh well. The restaurant had a bit of a jungle theme going, and these really pretty dragonfly shaped lights in the windows (kind of like those strings of chili pepper lights? but white, light Christmas twinkle lights). The meal ended with an epic fry fight, mainly between Kailey & Phil, although we were all caught in the crossfire at some point. Then back out into the rain (lesser at this point), back to the SkyTrain.

Bit of excitement/drama at the station where we transferred lines ... the stations are all open, with an honour system of payment, so you can leave them and reenter if needed. We we taking a break to stop at a drug store near the station on the way home, and the guys insisted on accompanying us, as apparently it wasn't the greatest place to be alone at night. In any case, Kailey, Braden & I were a bit behind Phil & Chris, and didn't hear/see anything, until we got up to the street and saw Chris running away across it, towards a crowd of people. A guy on a bicycle had just been hit by a van, and was lying in the street. Emergency crews showed up pretty quickly, and it seems like the guy was lucky, in that only his leg was broken. Still, kind of scary.

So ends another fun filled, busy day - we left the house at noon, and returned home at 10pm. While I'm adjusted to the time change, I'm still splitting it in my mind ... realizing what time it is back in Ontario throughout the day, and how different it is from where I am. The whole time/space displacement thing is weird, and I still have trouble wrapping my head around it sometimes. On our first day in Vancouver, while taking the bus from the airport into downtown, my mind wandered and rambled around the idea of time as something rather theoretical and arbitrary. Perhaps it was only the jet lag talking (or a glimpse of future jet lag induced delusions to come!).

Day Two

2006-02-24T00:15:00.000-05:00

Phil had to work again today, so Chris was our guide for the day - he took us to the marketplace at New Westminster, then we walked along the Boardwalk, where Kailey fell in love with all of the residences along the Fraser River (and I got some cool photos). We found a playground which had a decommissioned submarine as one of the play structures, as well as a rope climber-thing that I could hang upside down from (the video of this should be entertaining). Kailey filmed many of our outings, in bits and pieces, and I'm kind of scared to see myself on camera so much - I'll likely sound horrible to myself, while perfectly normal to everyone else to watches it. Oh well .... it should be a hilarious tape in any case, and I am looking forward to seeing it and remembering. We also saw tugboats and barges (bringing to mind a memory of a childhood book called 'Timmy & the Whales' which is about a tugboat named Timmy, his killer whale friends, and how they help him move a barge in a storm .. which yes, is also set in BC), and some paddlewheel type boats. I tried to capture the mountains on film, but its tricky, especially from so far away ... ah well.

Vancouver - Day One

2006-02-23T02:21:00.000-05:00

And the adventure begins! After getting up at 5am to head off to the airport, Kailey & I found and boarded our flight with no troubles. The plane was one of the newer ones, that frequently showed on its tv screens updated maps on the flight's progress across the country, as well as speed/altitude/arrival times, etc. Breakfast was served, which I wasn't expecting (never sure these days if you're going to get fed on flights or not), but it turned out to be very yummy. There was a choice of waffles or omelets, so we got one of each then shared them. Also a fruit cup, juice, and a bread like pastry with chocolate inside. Mmmm. One of our flight attendants bore a striking resemblance to Belinda Stronach. The movie shown was 'Walk the Line', which is pretty cool, seeing as its still out in a lot of theaters! I'd always thought that inflight movies were of the subpar/mediocre variety (which was proved correct on the flight home). So with that, the music of Johnny Cash provided much of the soundtrack for the trip, with 'Folsom Prison Blues' being sung frequently. I'm partial to the song 'Jackson', myself.

Anyways. We arrived, and with little trouble picked up our bags, and asked for guidance to find the shuttle buses, and then were on our way. Everyone we asked for help was so friendly and helpful (not always the case in Toronto). Got our first glimpse of the mountain scenery, first from the plane as we taxied to the terminal, and then on the bus ride into downtown. We didn't get lost at all, and found Phil's house out in Burnaby with no trouble ... enjoying the mountain views from the SkyTrain along the way.

Chris met us and let us into the compound, then Braden came home and decided to join us on our trip to the aquarium, as he had never been there before. After a bit of confusion as to where we would find the bus that we needed to take to get there, we arrived in Stanley Park, where we saw lots of starfish and anemones, a 6 ft octopus named Howie, sharks, sea otters, dolphins, belugas, and sea lions (I think they were sea lions...). Natalie came and picked us up in Stanley Park, and we went off to dinner, exposing Kailey to the joys of Japanese food. We parked by English Bay, with a spectacular view of the sunset across the ocean, with the sun going down behind mountains in the distance, and more city lights twinkling from across the bay. Impossible to properly capture on film, but I etched it into my memory. Phil met up with us at the restaurant, and then everyone but me proceeded to order mass amounts of food (all you can eat deals tend to not be worth the money for me, so I just ordered a few things, then sampled a bit of the others stuff). We were sitting in a large corner booth overlooking the bay, although it was a bit alarming at first, as there was a dangling street sign blowing around and hitting wires only a few feet away ... but that was removed soon after we got there. Natalie professed to be bad at remembering names, and in trying to recall mine she came up with 'Anne Marie' ... which was rather random, but also funny. :)

Got home again, then we wound up sitting and chatting with Phil for awhile ... all in all, we didn't get to bed until 11.30pm local time (2.30 am to our bodies ... and up since 5am! Yikes). Luckily, we were sleeping on the softest, squishiest, most wonderful couches ever, so we had a good place to crash.

Saf!!

2006-02-22T00:52:00.000-05:00

It's somebody's birthday today ....

Happy, happy, happy birthday to the fabulous Saf!

Have a great day. Try to slow down a bit today, if you can ... take some deep breaths, relax and enjoy it! I hope that this year is a good one for you. :)

Love you, miss you, hope to see you soon!

Busy busy - but having fun!

2006-02-21T22:15:00.000-05:00

Busy busy busy - and it just keeps going. Which is good, though, as I've spent too much time lately just sitting around doing nothing. Although its making me tired, its nice to have a steady stream of things to do and people/places to see (good to be tired for a reason, rather than being tired from doing nothing!).

This past weekend involved - 2 dinner parties downtown with some lovely Annesley ladies, one at a Japanese restaurant on Charles St West called 'Masa', and the other a delicious home cooked dinner and surprise birthday party. Both of which spawned many entertaining moments, such as "Thats not tea, its soup", "Me. ME! What's my name?", and the counterpart to He-Man being She-Woman (temporarily, at least). And He-Man being identifed as only 'it's a guy, he has a sword'. (I realize these anecdotes are only funny to the people who read this blog who were actually there, but hopefully it will make them laugh, at least).

Also included was a trip to Body Worlds 2 as well as some other Science Centre exhibits, most of which I hadn't seen for several years, as well as many new ones. Cool. And some shopping, and going to see the movie 'Eight Below', which I really enjoyed (which is surprising, considering that I generally don't like animal adventure/rescue type stories).

Oh! And the news that one of my best (and oldest) friends is getting married - I'm so happy for her. :) As she's trying to plan it long distance, I'll be doing what I can to help her out, so I guess I get to learn about planning a wedding too. Which may come in handy someday, you never know.

More tales of adventure to come, as Kailey & I pack up and head off to Vancouver this week for an extended long weekend ... are you ready for us, Big Phil? I'm looking forward to seeing the sights and doing some new things - and taking lots and lots of (hopefully) cool photographs.

Poke the blog with a stick to see if it moves...

2006-02-13T23:45:00.000-05:00

I've heard the comparison made that the more interesting your life is, the less you write in your blog, and vice versa .... although I wouldn't say that fits where I'm at right now. Nothing much of interest has been going on with me lately - generally just continuing the search for employment. Watching bits & pieces of the Olympics. And 6 Feet Under dvds (thanks, Kailey).

Another thing to thank Kailey for - thanks to her, I do have something interesting coming up on the horizon, in that we are going to Vancouver for a five days! It'll be nice to have a change of scenery, see some new things. Technically, I've been there once before - but since I was only 2 at the time, I don't think it really counts. Have lots of pictures of it though (ah, the good old days of being an only child ;). Plan to take lots of pictures this time around too.

Went on a bit of an unintentional shopping spree this evening ... went to the mall with my mom so she could do a few errands, and wound up purchasing a bit of a 'work' wardrobe myself in the process. Who knew that button down shirts could look so snazzy? So now I'm all dressed up, but so far no place (interviews or jobs) to go ... I shall persevere, though. Something will come along. :)

Watching a Chinese pair of figure skaters do their long program to music from Phantom today reminded me again of how much I love the song "Music of the Night" (especially if being sung by Colm Wilkinson ...sigh). I would love to be serenaded with that song someday. Then I found an online clip of a deleted scene from the movie version of Rent, for the song "Goodbye Love", which is another great song ... and yesterday I found some online clips of the play Wicked. All of which combined *really* make me want to go see a musical, right about ...now. Particularly Rent onstage (I can't believe that the dvd will be out next week - Feb 21!), although anything really. Actually, I'm going to see "Hair" in March, so that will be fun. I should start looking at "Lord of the Rings" tickets too, although I'm still holding out some hope that my dad will take me to go see it with the tickets he got for Christmas, instead of my mom ... (it could happen, she's suggested it to him! lol). We'll see.

So, in summary, this was an entry about nothing. Kind of like a Seinfeld episode, I guess ... but I never really liked Seinfeld, so maybe thats not the best comparison to make about myself. How about its all about Kailey? I like that idea better. Particularly since I started writing about things that involved her, then we chatted on MSN during the writing (via voice from her, which was very entertaining for me!). So yes, its decided. This is the entry of KAILEY! (of which I'm sure there will be more to come, documenting the BC adventure and whatnot.)

ps - oh yeah. I have guess who to thank for showing me the hilarious link that is Ultimate Showdown ...

Done now. I promise.

Music on my mind

2006-01-25T00:26:00.000-05:00

Songs that are in my head/are favorites at the moment:

From the radio
Run, Rex Goudie - really really like this, although only recently, and I think its been on the radio awhile. Didn't realize until today that it was the latest Canadian Idol runner up ..oh well.
Baby, just run ...

You're Beautiful, James Blunt - another one thats been played for awhile, but I only decided that I liked this week. The first few times I heard it (awhile ago now) I could have sworn it was a female singing - a low voiced female, of which there are several distinctive artists. Still think his voice sounds kind of girly, but whatever works for him.

From a movie
All I Know, Five for Fighting - okay, been liking this one for awhile, ever since I saw Chicken Little in mid December. So pretty, and I love the lyrics. (I think I already wrote about this one ..ah well)

From a CD
The Hard & The Easy, Great Big Sea - I think my 2 favorite songs on it are The Mermaid and The River Driver. The Mermaid because of the story it tells (here fishy fishy ... show me your fin!), and The River Driver because of its acapella nature, and the thumping drum that keeps time and sounds like a heartbeat.

From a deep dark embarrassing place
LOVE, Ashlee Simpson - damn song is kind of catchy and cute. Although the spelling part is a bit silly/nonsensical at time (ello, ello, ello, vee, ee?), it tends to be the part that gets stuck in my head! Ah well. Little fluff never hurt anyone (except perhaps by reputation, lol).

Belated Birthday Picture for Talibah

2006-01-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I forgot about this one! :) Who can blame her for being all excited - the flowers & balloon would make anybody happy.

Happy Birthday again, Tulip!

Hands, Face and Smile

2006-01-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

A series of self portraits, as inspired by Dooce.

Happy Happy Birthday!

2006-01-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Cathy! Now even with you being an hour ahead, this should still count as making it on time ... plus, your birthday card/present arrived with your Christmas one, so it should all work out. :)

I hope that you had a great day!

Snow Scenes from Toronto

2006-01-08T17:48:00.000-05:00

Queens Park

Old Vic

Snow Covered Roof & Flag

Snowy Bench

Lamppost

(the way to Narnia, perhaps...?)

Photos taken Jan 7, 2006

Happy New Year, and ...

2006-01-07T23:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Talibah! :) My first post of 2006 is alllll about you. Well, mostly.

Yummy dinner at Le Commensal, and an evening spent with good friends. And watching 'Little Shop of Horrors'. Good times!

Most of the group pictures are on other people's cameras ..(hint hint ... I want copies!), but here is the birthday girl and her cake (mmmmmm....cake):

More pictures to follow ...

PS - the bow is on the wall beside her, not her head ... although it does look rather festive, doesn't it? :)

City Mouse visits the Country

2005-12-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

While I'm a city girl at heart, I enjoy a more rural setting from time to time .... so this afternoon my sister and I ventured north easterly to visit our other sister and her boyfriend at his house, which also happens to be a farm. They gave us a tour of the barn, hayloft, and sheds - kind of felt like those field trips you took in kindergarten to the farm. Still a lot of fun, too.

First there was Duke, the dog - who is, to quote Catherine, "not too clever". And truly, he isn't, although he's sweet. A German shepherd mix (mix of what, we don't know), who loves the snow, and will leap a foot or so in the air chasing after particles that have been kicked up. Apparently in the summer he doesn't know what to do with himself, with no snow to play with. He gave himself a nasty bump on the head this afternoon, as he came running into a dark shed after us, and ran smack into a trailer hitch with a loud clang (it was right at his head level). Poor (stupid) puppy ... he shook it off though, and seemed to be fine.

The other creatures of the farm are a horse, 4 cows, 5 pigs, many cats, and a baby goat. There are 2 mommy and 2 baby cows ... and the mommies are both pregnant again as well. They don't really do all that much but stand around and eat, but it was neat to be able to get up close to them. The pigs do pretty much the same - eat - but are slightly more active about it, pushing each other around for a place at the trough, or climbing over and around each other. Or blowing bubbles in their water bucket. The goat was the friendliest of the creatures (next to Duke) - he'd stand up on his hind legs with his hooves on the top of his fence to be petted, and to nibble at your jacket (he'd paw at you if you weren't paying attention). I let him chew on my hand as well - his teeth were flat, not sharp, so they couldn't do any damage. My coat seemed to be the one he liked to nibble on the best ... perhaps 'red' is his favorite flavour. Then he'd run around in the pen for a bit in a prancy way, then climb to the top of his 'mountain' (an overturned plastic patio chair). Apparently when the horse is inside, next to the goat, he'll stick his head down into the goat's pen for a kiss. Aww.

Thus ends my tale of a country excursion.

Tis the season ....

2005-12-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

... for watching movies! And there are quite a few good ones out now - some that I've been looking forward to for ages, others that I watched because they were convenient, but was pleasantly surprised by. I don't know when I last watched this many movies in theatres - probably a good thing that I don't do it too often. I suck at writing movie reviews, however, but go check out Sarah's reviews of Rent and Narnia - I agree with her on them. Movies I have seen recently so far and reccoment - Rent, Harry Potter, Narnia, and Chicken Little. Just saw Chicken Little tonight, and I really enjoyed it - it was hilarious. Good music too, with new BNL, karaoke singing by the characters, and a Five for Fighting song that I'd never heard of called 'All I Know'. I really really liked this last song -its beautiful. So I'm posting the lyrics (although I realize that it loses something without hearing it), and I encourage you to check it out (and the movies too - especially Rent! heehee ;).

All I Know (Five for Fighting)
I bruise you
You bruise me
We both bruise so easily
Too easily to let it show
I love you and that's all I know

And all my plans keep fallin' through
All my plans, they depend on you
Depend on you to help them grow
I love you and that's all I know

When the singer's gone
Let the song go on
There's a fine line between
The darkness and the dawn
They say in the darkest night
There's a light beyond

And the ending always comes at last
Endings always come too fast
They come too fast
And they pass too slow
I love you and that's all
It's really all I know
It's all I know

It's all I know

Winter Sunset Sky - Aurora

2005-12-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

On second thought...

2005-12-06T21:01:00.000-05:00

... while UTGC is definitely an event to put you in a seasonal mood, at the same time, nothing like hearing the song 'Walking 'Round in Women's Underwear' (to the tune of 'Winter Wonderland') on MIX99.9 to put you in the spirit. Heehee.

Lacy things.... missing .... :)

Go! Tell it on the mountain!

2005-12-05T14:03:00.000-05:00

... Over the hills! And EVERYWHERE!

Thanks Talibah - thats *still* in my head! Ah well ... good stuff. I took in the University of Toronto's Gospel Choir's Christmas concert this Saturday night, and an excellent show it was. If that doesn't put you in a Christmas-y spirit, nothing will.

In other news, I'm heading off to London this afternoon for the evening, to go and be sociable with the library crowd - its their last week of classes, yay! As of Friday, they will have survived the first term of library school. A very notable achievement, indeed. :) I've heard that they got buried under 45cm of snow on Friday... heres hoping that the weather's not as bad anymore, or at least the 401 isn't. Planning to be back in the land of much less snow by tomorrow evening.

ahem

2005-11-30T23:50:00.000-05:00

Why didn't anyone think to tell me that there is a 10-story high movie poster for Rent on the corner of Bloor & St. George?!? Hmm? These are the kind of things I would like to know about!

*sniff* ... its so beautiful. I literally gasped out loud when I saw it (in the dark, mind you). I need to go back and stake out that corner with my camera.

Actual Reality - ACT UP - Fight AIDS

2005-11-23T03:11:00.000-05:00

The long awaited film 'Rent' opens today (yay!)

In honour of this, I urge you to check out this site and their Fight AIDS @ Home campaign, and consider 'donating' your computer's idle time to help researchers find a cure for AIDS.

Thanks.

There's only us, there's only this
Forget regret or life is yours to miss
No other road, no other way
No day but today.

*Note - I've been having some issues with my computer running slowly lately, and I'm not sure if that affected the running of this program ... but nonetheless, for the moment I've uninstalled it from my machine. I think its a great sounding project though, and hope to be able to reinstall soon. Your mileage may vary. ~C

Doubling Back - or - The Brock Connection

2005-11-22T23:45:00.000-05:00

It always amazes me what a small world it is, and how things circle around on you. People and places from the past that you'd thought forgotten, which resurface in the oddest places.

For my first year of university, I went to Brock. And hated it. I was homesick, lonely, and wasn't all that thrilled with the school/city/program, etc. I didn't really get to know anyone there, except for my 3 housemates, Carla (fellow first year), Misty & Alicia (2nd years, who'd lived together the previous year). And I admit, I wasn't around all that much, as I spent a lot of my weekends in either Aurora or Toronto. But still, we had a good year together - birthday parties, late night conversations, etc. We didn't really keep in touch after I left Brock - got a bit of mail from Misty, emailed/ICQ-d with Carla a bit, but much as I intended to, I let things slide, and didn't keep up the efforts (which I regret).

I moved on to U of T, which was absolutely the best decision, made so many great friends and memories there, and slowly the year at Brock faded from my conciousness - I have some pictures, and memories, but not something I thought about a whole lot. Until this past summer/fall, when my first year school circled back to meet up with me at my graduate school (short lived as it was).

First of all, over the summer, I met Dave, who as it turns out had gone to high school with Misty, which seemed like a rather random thing to me, but cool. Small world, etc. Then within my first couple of weeks at Western, I'd befriended Angela, who, as it turns out, went to Brock for her undergraduate degree. We'd started the same year, and lived in the same residence (although no where near each other - it was a large complex of 12 'courts' made up of 12 or so townhouses each). She'd had a great time at the school, and really enjoyed it overall. So while it wasn't my cup of tea, we had a similar frame of reference for things in and around the school, a common ground to start out on. And just this past week, we discovered that she had gone to high school with Carla. Again, small world, and neat how threads cross and connect with one another across space and time. Haven't made any cosmic connections to Alicia yet, unless you count the fact that she was from London, my current residence. A tenuous link to all 3 .... who would have thought?

If I had a digital picture of the 4 of us, I would add it here.... but alas, all of my photos from those days are 'real' ones, so no go. ;)

But just for fun (and because for whatever reason, I still remember...) - I'm going to list all of Misty's siblings - she was the oldest of 8 kids (many were fostered and/or adopted, but all loved the same), and she talked about them constantly, they sounded like such an awesome and loving family. She was totally shocked one day in the middle of the year when I asked about all of her siblings by name (that I knew/remembered them all), and to this day, I still know them all.

So: Misty, Matthew, Brittany, Curtis, Ed, Angel, Tiffany, Jasmine. :D
When I knew her, Misty was 21, and the youngest, Jasmine, was 3, with the others all ranging inbetween. She had pictures of all of the kids everywhere, and they were all unbelievably adorable and cute. Misty was going through the Child & Youth program, and I hope that she's a teacher somewhere now - she'd be an amazing one. I wonder if Carla is an accountant, and Alicia is ... well, she switched her major to linguistics, so not sure. Perhaps a speech language pathologist?

I wonder.

Shades of 'Star Wars'

2005-11-17T02:19:00.000-05:00

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away....

(May 1999, to be precise) ... a group of rabid (yet lovable) Star Wars fans lined up outside of the Colosuss theatre in Woodbridge, 3 hours before show time, clutching tickets they'd bought weeks in advance (skipping school to do so), all to experience the next generation of the Saga, 'Phantom Menace', on its opening day ... dragging along in their midst me, a newly indoctrinated Padawan, who had only finished watching the original trilogy a week or so before. Can't say I really knew what I was getting myself into, but it was a lot of fun, in any case. We had tickets for an 8pm show, arrived to line up sometime before 5 ... although in fact, a few members of our 20+ group had seen the show already, having gone to a midnight screening earlier that day.

That, my friends, is what I am going to embark on today ... although instead of Star Wars, the name of the game is 'Harry Potter'. Midnight screening, crazed magical-obsessed libarians-to-be ... should be a good time! And no, don't worry, I won't write about it and post any spoilers, and I'm certain that its one I'll see in theatres more than once, so don't worry, I still want to see it with you! (And you. And you. You...hmm, I'll have to think, and get back to you.)

Popularity (all relative, of course)

2005-11-16T21:59:00.000-05:00

A little known trick to be instantly popular ..... drop out of your fairly close knit graduate program, then come back to visit occaisonally. EVERYONE loves you and misses you and wants to hang out....kind of funny/amusing (not to mention very sweet - I miss you all too!).

Equally funny are the people who haven't even noticed that you haven't been to class in nearly a month .... :)

Oh yes - I got mail this week (real live mail!). Thank you Hana - the CD is awesome! I was expecting music, and was happily shocked with all of the Rent clips. Yay! Less than a week now .... (and just over 24 hours for Harry Potter - midnight screening).

Wanted: A Costumer

2005-11-02T23:25:00.000-05:00

So, Halloween.

I'm all about the candy associated with this celebration, not so much with the dressing up part. Or rather, I'm rarely creative/inspired/interested in coming up with a costume for myself .... but I am willing to let others dress me up. (Perhaps not the best thing to admit on the internet...)

Which leads to instances such as this:
Halloween 2003 - Saf dressed me up, and we took in the sights of Church St. I love love love the blue glitter eyes (and it was ALL glitter) ... the shiny red pants were pretty cool too (all clothes/makeup property of Saf)

Halloween 2005 - This year was a little different - I let a friend dress me up, then we stayed in instead. No trick or treaters came, so more candy for us! I spent evening with a couple of my MLIS friends ... Colin & I went over to Angela's apartment, where after a yummy dinner, she got to pull out her 'tickle trunk' of medieval/Renaissance type costumes and dress all of us up. I quite enjoyed wearing the big swishy skirt (which you can't really see, but was a dark shiny blue) and the big sleeves and corset type dress. And a very pretty opal necklace, which also isn't really seen in the photos ... ah well. After posing, we then sat down and played Trivial Pursuit (which I'm pretty bad at, it turns out .... although a couple of my completely random guesses served me well by being correct!) Angela was very happy to have two new subjects to dress. :)

Soooo....... who's doing my costume next year?