fresh parsley

my very own garfield minus garfield

2012-02-14T07:34:00.001-05:00

A few years ago one of the sheffrat family introduced me to the joys of "garfield minus garfield". A series of comics showcasing poor John's life, Garfield is taken out of the frames.. it's funny, and sad.

This morning I laughed so hard I puked.

Two things here- Early in the morning, or late at night, if I'm tired - I puke easily. It's just one of those awesome things about me. If I cry too hard, laugh too hard, or even think about it... my stomach will often turn on me.

The other? The reason for the laughter. The... garfield minus garfield of the situation.

WHY (the week of valentines) is this so in the forefront? Other than posting that article on the book of face, I've done nothing different... why so many notable crazies?

I got another of those stimulating emails ("hi how r you") from a winner on the dating site. I'm not going to post his photo (that would be mean)... but his blurry self-taken photo (not even a bathroom mirror shot) showed an unshaven (not in the good way) slightly drunken man in a basement apartment. Location? That often mocked industrial city to the west of us.

His "about me section" has been changed since I read it in the morning, but at the time it said

"Oshawa Ontario, hey what girl i like to go for bake run and i like to go i like to go for woke i like to work on car i am for shawa i like to work to i like to lis to music i like mover to i like tv to cool"

He also wanted to go for caffe for his first date.

But the part that brought me to the porcelain with my uncontrollable laughter was in his bio- there's a section that has quick info listed in the same order on each profile, including schooling, employment, pets, if they have a car, if they drink/do drugs.

(no joke)

Pets: Cat

Profession: -cat

I'm not mean, I'm awesome

2012-02-13T07:50:00.000-05:00

*cue Law and Order type sound effects*

The following is a collection of things said to and around me at work on Sunday.

I may have said the "I'm not mean" thing to someone who was whining.

Enter Church Lady- oblivious to the topic of singledom that has been floating around this week.

Church Lady is wearing a well meaning sly smile. I know IMMEDIATELY what she is going to ask. Hemming and hawing, with a giggle she asks...

"Would you ever consider dating a younger guy? Now, I know they couldn't be too much younger, because you're already pretty young..." giggling nervously like she's the one asking me out, she grabs my arm, gives it a squeeze and dashes back to the other room after my patient and slow reply "I have in the past".

Apparently I've been wearing t-shirts and keeping my hair up in a pony tail far too often if she thinks her boys are near my age.

Moments later, I hear more giggling as she comes back into the kitchen....

"I should ask you this... do you like Jeeps or Junkers?"

I really shouldn't keep playing along, but I have to be honest, and thinking about a farm, answer... "I like them both"

Church Lady titters and flees the room again, only to turn around again and stand close to me as she asks "would you date a musician? or a cop? because the cop comes with the jeep, the musician has the junker..." I don't reply for a second... mostly in shock as I do the math and realize how young she must think I am ... or perhaps how desperate she thinks her boys are. Then there's the further pause as I decide weather to tell her I've sworn off musicians for the time being... Finally I respond with "I don't think I make that choice".

This must be what Church Lady is looking for, because as I turn and get something from the fridge, I find myself locked into the most awkward hug around my back and middle... the type that really excited moms give. She's still tittering and chattering like a pot on a stove as she leaves the room.

I'm blushing.

From embarrassment maybe? I'm not sure.

But I get back to making supper... and don't see her for the rest of the night.

From embarrassment maybe? I'm not sure.

the daily

2012-02-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

Before the book of face, I had a list of about 20 blogs and websites I needed to visit each day- in order to reach out and find that connectivity I so badly craved.

Now? I have 5. My email, twitter, hotmail, facebook... and the heart and stroke calendar draw page! Oh my gosh, best Christmas gift to receive (I mean other than perhaps a pony). Each day there are three draws for $5,000. Once a week, a draw for $10,000. Once a month, $100,000... Let's not forget the occasional $25,000 holiday draw!

I'm not a winner yet, but I'm holding out hope.

And a plan to purchase a 3 pack of calendars for myself next year.

follow up

2012-02-12T09:34:00.004-05:00

I need to follow up yesterday's post with this fantastic article which someone posted a link to (on the book of face) and which I've been sending to pretty much everyone- especially those who have been encouraging me to try the online dating thing. Sorry this is a long one, and sorry that there's that annoying white background thing happening behind the quotes, and again behind my last bit at the end. I think I need to tweak some things on the site again.

The article can be found here, by Antonia Zerbisias in the Toronto Star....

"Single People Make Up a Crucial, Fast Growing Demographic"

So, yeah, Valentine’s Day.
Hearts, flowers, candlelit dinners, whatever.
If all that manufactured schmaltz makes you feel like a loser just because you aren’t partnered up, you’re going to like this.
Despite the ceaseless romancing of the idea of coupled life, and the political focus on families as the building blocks of society and community, Canada’s population of singletons — defined as people who live alone — is arguably the fastest-growing demographic. And it may well be the most crucial — socially, culturally and even economically.
The evidence is literally towering.
All over Toronto, soaring glass warrens of tiny box-like “lofts” are shooting up into the skyline. They create densely populated areas where everybody walks to work in the morning and stops by the new supermarket on the way home for a freshly made, single-serving microwaveable meal. Later, these people fill the local gyms and pubs.
Singles are fuelling inner-city growth and keeping the core alive, frequenting the parks and other public spaces with their pets, dining out and attending cultural events, while couples, with or without kids, are in watching TV.
Singletons also contribute to the community through volunteer work; unlike married people, they have the time for it and it is a social network-building opportunity.
So take heart all you singletons, whose V-Day dates will either be with the girls (or boys) over drinks, with Facebook friends or with NBC’s cruelly timed The Biggest Loser and a bowl of popcorn.
You are not alone.
“I think the incredible rise of living alone is the biggest social change that we have failed to name and identify,” says New York University sociologist Eric Klinenberg, on the phone from Manhattan. “We treat it as a personal matter, like we are the only ones in the world dealing with it. The truth is, it’s now a widely shared condition and we need to understand it and talk about it.”
Klinenberg’s just-published Going Solo: the Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone is causing a sensation, both for how it has shaken up our traditional notions of the single life and as a sociological breakthrough. Psychology Today has already described it as “a social science classic.”
“This is the first book on this topic to take it on comprehensively, but it’s clearly not going to be the last one because we’re just coming to terms with what I call this social experiment,” Klinenberg explains. “We have 200,000 years of experience as a species living in domestic groups and we have about 50 or 60 years living alone. So we have a lot to learn.”
While Klinenberg’s research focuses primarily on the U.S., much of what he writes pertains to Canada.
According to the 2006 census, one in four Canadian households are single-person. In Toronto, almost one in three households consisted of people living alone, up 11 per cent from 2001.
And they form clusters.
“People who live alone tend to live better when they live in an area where there are a lot of other singles,” Klinenberg says. “One of the amazing things about contemporary cities is that we can name the neighbourhoods where living alone is a social experience. I don’t know the neighbourhoods of Canada, but in the United States you have Greenwich Village, West Hollywood, Lincoln Park in Chicago . . . these are places where we know people go to live alone together.
“One of my big arguments in the book is that urbanization has made living alone not just possible but also pleasurable.”
The numbers haven’t yet been crunched for the 2011 census, but the 2006 data show that in Toronto, the postal codes covering the Harbourfront highrises, as well as those in the Church-Wellesley and Davisville areas, just to name a few, are single-person household hubs.
When many of these buildings went up, the ’60s had swung the pendulum toward living single. The ’70s “Me Decade” grew into the Me-llennium. And, of course, the divorce and remarriage rate soared, with people moving in and out of the single state from one life stage to the next.
Women, especially, were breaking out, getting careers and gaining independence. Marriage was no longer mandatory and mothering for many fell right off the map.
“A lot of (divorced) women felt that they had neglected themselves for too long,” Klinenberg says of his findings. “They needed to have time for themselves. They wanted intimacy. They wanted to be in relationships. But they didn’t necessarily want to live with the person. They wanted to maintain their autonomy.
“Women are more likely to live alone than men but they are less likely to get isolated and the reason is because women are, on average, much better at establishing relationships and maintaining them.”
Twice-divorced Toronto writer Joanne Ingrassia, 57, is typical. She’s one of many who responded to an informal poll on Facebook.
“I’ve lived alone for the past 18 years,” she notes. “I’ve never let being alone hold me back in any way. I’m very active, community involved and very passionate about music, the arts in general, nature, travel (yes, alone) and more. I love the people in my life and have nurtured good relationships with family and close friends. But would I consider sharing my life and living space with a guy again? My life, yes. My space, quite possibly. I am at least open to the idea of both!”
And then there’s government worker Darlene Tansey, 43, who volunteers at the Toronto Humane Society: “I lived with a man for over 10 years. Gradually, I began to feel like I’d lost myself; I didn’t remember who I was or what I wanted to accomplish in life for me. Since I’ve been living on my own (about seven years now), I bought my own condo in a neighbourhood I love, I vacation in super hot climates and I do volunteer work that I love. I am waaaay more confident — and I can do what I want, when I want, how I want.”
“The stigma of living alone is much less than it used to be,” says Klinenberg. “In 1957, a group of psychologists from the University of Michigan surveyed Americans about their attitudes toward marriage and singleness and they found that 80 per cent of the respondents thought that adults who wanted to be unmarried were either ‘sick,’ ‘neurotic,’ or ‘immoral.’
“Learning that fact cracks us up today because it is so foreign to us and it tells us that our attitudes have changed tremendously. But at the same time the social pressure to couple up remains intense. Many people get uncomfortable around their single friends and family members because they’re independence feels threatening on some level. That’s true even though half of the adults in the U.S. are single. I think we failed to collectively make sense of why this has happened and what it means for us and at the very least I hope that this book sparks a debate.”
And that debate needs to be political, Klinenberg tells us, because it is the senior cohorts and not the young ones who are increasingly living alone.
As StatsCan found with the 2006 census, 63 per cent of those over 65 in the GTA — almost 90,000 people — live alone. Those numbers will go up as baby boomers age and while the Harper government talks of postponing old age security benefits, the need for housing, health care and related services will grow greater.
“You can make the case that the needs of people who live alone and single people have not been served by political parties and the issues that matter to single people have not been championed the way they should be given the size of the population,” warns Klinenberg.
This, he maintains, “will be a real challenge” in the years ahead — and we don’t seem to be prepared for it.
Meanwhile, governments, media and Valentine’s Day card-makers ignore singletons at all our peril.
“I am not advocating for living alone,” insists Klinenberg, “but I am concerned that we fail to understand why so many people have made this decision and collectively have failed to remove the stigma of living alone — and we can be so judgmental. And our judgments are alienating for about half of the adult population.”
Happy Valentine’s Day all you singletons.
You deserve the love.

While I realize this article is urban biased to a degree, I couldn't have said it better than C.Shaw in her reply "I am single, and I really like being single; until there's a partner on offer whom I don't have to drag along with me or pick up after, I'm more than happy to stay single."

re: "urban biased"- one person commented that they felt that here in smaller towns more parents volunteered - I'll agree that parents are volunteering- but I have a feeling they are only volunteering in the activities their children are a part of... I'd lean towards calling that "taking an interest in their activities" or "fulfilling a required duty" (in the case of some sport teams that detail the commitments required of the team member in fund raising etc)

I liking to find soul mate

2012-02-11T23:31:00.004-05:00

oh dear.

Some friends of mine have been encouraging me to try out a few dating websites. These are my "happily married" friends, or those who have found themselves in relationships that they are still trying to justify.... I've taken to copying some of the gems that contact me to a friend, just so I can share a few tears, be they laughter induced tears.. or sheer terror and sadness tears.

Yes.

It's important to get to know a person.

Yes.

One should never judge by appearances.

Yes.

I know some people have found lovely partners using this media.

But if I say in my profile "ask me about this", I really mean it. I'm giving you a free pass to a conversation.

Tonight's winner:

with a private message attached-

"do u wanna chat"

(oh dear, this is going to be bad... and yet, I click the profile link... Even after seeing a screen name "Dude197" I can't stop myself)

I like Sports, walks I like every kinds exept rap MUSIC , MUSIC ROCK I

LIKE CHILLIN MY GOOD FREINDS ILIKE UFC MY GOAL TO MEET A NICE

GIRL AT FIRST THEN BECAME A REATIONSHIP.I LIKE CAMPING, I LOVE

ANIMALS ESPECAALLY DOGS AND CATS.I AM VERY HONEST ,LOCALLY,

OUT GOING WILLING TO TRY NEW AVDENTURES WITH THE RIGHT

GIRL.I AM VERY CLOSE TO FAMILY.i dont like playing games.I LIKING TO

FIND SOUL MATE

Just... oh dear.

magic fingers

2012-02-11T08:10:00.000-05:00

After years of neglecting my resources, I've decided that this is the year I take full advantage of my benefits ... I just called up a new RMT and made my first appointment- I'm shopping for one that I like, one that I'm going to commit to seeing every three weeks for the year... how's that for awesomesauce?

oh right.

2012-02-10T23:24:00.004-05:00

thoughts of this week's earlier "you're just a big teenager" are running through my head, alongside encouraging remarks from training with our behavioral therapist today... there's some serious clashing.

add a dash of "you're such a busy girl" from two coworkers.

what do you get?

well, it's still me on the couch on a friday night looking at plenty of fish and blogging.

Calender mix-up

2012-02-10T15:35:00.003-05:00

Two days ago I noticed that the Daffs were coming up.

If I wasn't in my PJs already, I'd go take a picture.

So much for taking up running again.

I did ride my bike to work yesterday.

Had a really great training thing this morning - there's still so much to learn for this current position. Just when I think I've got a good handle on things, something new is thrown my way.

Thank goodness for the variety! But, it's also why I'm in my Pjs at 3:30pm on a friday night.

Awesome thing that happened today? A friend had her second child. Her first was a week early, and she was 10.2lbs... huge. The new baby boy born today was a week late... and weighed 12lbs. No gestational diabieties, just a gigantic child. Delivered naturally. wow... just... wow.

would you marry for a name?

2012-02-10T07:38:00.000-05:00

2 things-

1st
I was given an extra shift at my old job for tomorrow night, then half an hour later I was told it had been given to someone else.... just a reminder that I'm not missing anything there.

2nd

Some of my friends are a little eccentric [read a lot eccentric]. A band was formed over the last year or so called "my wife Jennifer". The only members being people married to Jennifers. Sadly, the lead signer and his wife divorced... SO THEY KICKED HIM OUT OF THE BAND. No joke. Tonight, our regularly scheduled pub night, one of the band members sits down at the table and opens a note book. He announces loudly, that when (a) Jennifer is done talking we will be able to get down to business.

I have no idea what he's talking about, as I'm not a Jennifer, nor am I married to one, I'm left out of some of the conversations. (note: I'm FINE with that)

Turns out they want to film a series of webisodes.

The only note the entire evening that was written down was that I was not to be the director.

If you're a Jennifer and you're looking for something different for your partner to get involved in, or if you're married to a Jennifer and have some musical ability- you are wanted. Let me know, I'll hook you up with them. Maybe you'll get famous.

I need a zoo day.

wheezy takes a spin

2012-02-10T07:08:00.002-05:00

no joke, I just found in my blog post "drafts" a piece with this title.

Something in me remembers that it was going to be an amazing entry- one so amazing that it needed time and thought before putting it down on the page... but for the life of me I can't remember what it was.

Something to do with Florida.

Dad and Gale are down there now... if only I had the money for it this year! It's not that I'm over winter- it barely feels like it's begun- but... oh vacations.

Praying for either the lottery to come thru for me, or some magic in payroll. This job change is terrifying financially.

drivel.

2012-02-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

Apologies to those of you who are used to me attempting the proper use of punctuation and capitalization in my entries. This piece was imported from another project.

i've been weaning myself off of the facebook. trying to get back in the habit of writing blog entries instead... June 2004 I wrote my first entry in this account. at one point i was seeing well over a thousand visitors to the site each month, not bad for a blog about nothing. there have been months and years of some quality writing, and months and years of drivel.

i want to get back to the quality again. i feel good when words are released.

yesterday i sat in on an informal songwriters' workshop led by a favourite musician of mine- someone i'm thankful to call "friend". it got me thinking about the release that comes from writing, the welling up and overflow of words. the feeling of relief when a thought becomes shared and available.

a heartbreakingly beautiful moment happened in that workshop when a favourite musician of mine showed up- a man who's music brings me to tears- i've put on his album often just to bring myself to that place of release. this lovely man came to the workshop because he was feeling a bit of block and thought "why not?" (side note- the whole location/ story of the workshop is worthy of it's own post) rick shared a song he's working on- one so beautiful and pain filled- i cried through it (and wasn't alone in my tears) after he talked a little about the experience of writing the piece and began to well up himself.

the afternoon just left me with a craving to find words- especially now, as i navigate through some major life changes. i miss expression.

nice

2012-02-09T07:03:00.000-05:00

While walking the pooch last night I ran into a neighbour. While she did recoil in horror when I told her that I'd eaten Camilla the rooster, she gave me a nod and said "thank you for not being a hypocrite".

(backstory- when Cheep the chick found her way home with me last summer, I promised the neighbours "no roosters- it's breakfast or dinner for the chicken")

pass the bottle

2012-02-08T23:53:00.002-05:00

I feel as though I've taken up running again.

At work last night I was unexpectedly thrown into a 12 km walk, the first 5km was a speed walk... after spending much of the winter on my couch, and with no warning/stretching.. today I'm pretty sore.

Yes I'm out of shape, but more so I'm surprised at the physical toll emotional distress takes on my body. Without going into any detail, that walk was a time of carrying the serious weight of emotion. I'm pretty sure that is what is causing the pains today.

All that to say... if I'm already hurting, I might as well start running again.

Time to download the C25K podcasts onto my phone (ug, where is my ipod?)

Pass the alieve please.

mudsville

2012-02-05T20:30:00.003-05:00

I know, climate change has it in for us everywhere this winter.

I'm one of those strange ones who loves the fluffy white stuff. I love the way it makes everything look so clean, so smoothed out. I love the reflection of light, the magnification of bright... I love the crisp smell, or the damp air. I love the feeling of true cold under my feet, the hollow crunch of snow that doesn't give- or the way it mashes together as the air warms, the feeling and the visual of the slush parting around my boots.

The chickens won't leave the coop if there's snow on the ground... they're... chicken.

Meanwhile, I haven't even bothered to replace these yet...

I bought new bindings to replace the homemade ones... I found a place that would order them in for me (saving me the shipping). And I didn't even need a rivet gun. I just haven't bothered to put them on.

mmm

2012-02-01T23:52:00.002-05:00

I'm listening to a new recording by the ever-lovely Tim Crabtree of Paper Beat Scissors.... geeze I love his music.

give this a listen, you won't be disappointed

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://store.streamingcafe.net/album/paper-beat-scissors-live-at-streaming-cafe"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Paper Beat Scissors live at Streaming Cafe by Streaming Cafe&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Slightly related- At work the other night I supported an individual who wanted to go to the movies. I wasn't super keen to go, we were to watch "we bought a zoo", and I hadn't seen any previews for it/ didn't really know what I was getting into. In the opening scene I was sold.... this Jonsi-esque music played in the background.... moments later, the credits listed the musical composer for the film as Jonsi himself. It was a really cute movie, I'd watch it again... and it got a 4 minute cry rating (yes, I cried thru the end of the film).

tipping point

2012-01-31T23:08:00.002-05:00

I was able to get away from work in time to join the Knitwits at trivia.

This season our team has been given some real competition. Last season our main competitors were team "mega deadly". Team "Aniston" was never a problem until the last few weeks- when they started to smart and added a few ringers.

This season, Team Aniston has added another ringer... and has blown us out of the water....

It was my first night back at the pub in more than a month- there's a group of us who've been going to the pub every Thursday for more than a year, but we finally had enough of the dirty room and terrible service and found another pub that suits us really well.... Tonight was a reminder of how much I dislike the service there.

I am a good tipper, more than fair... but tonight the miserable woman who has been our waitress hit a new low and missed out on the chance for her unearned tip. She rang thru my tab (a single drink) and rounded it up to the nearest dollar on the interac .... giving herself a seventeen cent tip.

For the first time in my life, I didn't tip.

first world problems.

2012-01-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

Dear: run-on sentences and vague references,

We've been spending a lot of time together lately, and I think it's time we broke up.

update

2012-01-14T23:46:00.002-05:00

Cam was very tasty, a little stringy- but he was a different breed than the type I've bought in the stores all my life... that, and he was 27 weeks old- verses the 8 weeks factory chickens live out.

Picked up my two new little hens today- I think I picked up the wrong two! I was suppose to get one splash, and one blue, but ended up with two blue. I think the other lady who was part of our "chicken carpool" was suppose to get two blues.

I was too excited to even think about it when I picked them up... maybe I'll be going for a drive in the morning.

it's -24 out right now.... everyone is tucked snugly into a cardboard box with a blanket over them for protection... the boxes are actually quite warm, I stuck my hand into cheeper's box- I could feel heat in the box. very neat.

which came first?

2012-01-13T19:58:00.004-05:00

The fact that I ate my first home grown egg on the same day I processed my first home grown chicken isn't lost on me. This strange life cycle condensed. Cycles.

Yesterday Cheep laid her first egg. So this morning, I fried it up and had it on a home made english muffin.

Tonight I (humanly and calmly) killed my other chicken, sliced up onions and carrots and potatoes and put them all together in a pot for tomorrow's supper.

While the act of taking a life was difficult, looking at the cycles and systems inside Cam (previously known as Camilla until he started to crow) was such an amazing thing.

I could do it again.

I learned a lot, Cam was patient, and he'll be enjoyed.

'ello

2012-01-11T11:44:00.001-05:00

oh geeze.

the chicken bug has me bad.

I just watched this trailer and at the 2:00 mark nearly peed myself laughing.

eeeewwww

2012-01-07T23:51:00.002-05:00

so, I've realized in the past year... that the number of social networking sites I'm involved in has tripled.

if not more.

and, I realized that a number of sites that I've used over the past few years that were NOT social networking sites... have changed their focus and become SNS.

this isn't a huge problem, except for the fact that in that space of time, they've been bought up, or consolidated with the big online players... and now I've got something like 4 different google related accounts, 3 yahoo (which are connected to google), and a few other oddballs.

where's the problem?

well, now that they're all connected- I have to sign out of one to get into the other.

where's the problem?

I can't figure out which sign in goes with which password.

And some of the accounts are so old, that I can't change the password without access to the email account they are attached too... except that, there isn't an email account, because some older accounts were grandfathered in....

what?

for example... my flickr account.

now run by Yahoo... is not attached to a yahoo email. my yahoo email was a work account back in the day, and back in the day, I just signed in using my user name.... BUT, it thinks it's being smart by finding my username (my legal name) attached to that old defunct email account (that email was closed as I no longer work for that org- and I never attached the flickr account to the email address), and insisting that my flickr user name (from before it became a yahoo account) can't be changed without use of the yahoo account...

oh my, it makes my head spin.

that, and I have to sign out of gmail in order to use my youtube account, because my youtube account is attached to a different email provider. I'm sure there's a way to change these things...

I'm just annoyed that I have to... and that I have to spend time looking up how to do it.

because I honestly can't keep all these accounts straight anymore.

this wasn't what I was going to blog about tonight. I was going to write about "super size me" and my flu bug.

but when I was signing in, I realized that my account for blogger was the same as my youtube account info.. but that the two weren't related (yet)

knitwit

2012-01-04T23:00:00.005-05:00

I forced my friends into joining me for trivia night at the pub.
That was 8 (trivia) weeks ago. While we lost the first game, we've come in second or first nearly every night since. We're good.
really good.

well, let's be honest.... I answer maybe two questions each night.

I'm there to knit.

In the pub, knitting. It's the only night the lights are bright enough in there to knit.
Let's face it, one can only drink so much coffee or tea in a week, a gal needs her pint with her needles!

this was NOT a pub project. my first lace piece. I had to be able to count and read the pattern for each line- pub knitting is for plain socks.

Did I mention our team is named the "knitwits"?

wheels

2012-01-03T11:14:00.003-05:00

I didn't bother to write about the changes that have happened in my place of work this year.

"If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." Thank you Thumper.

However, some big changes of my own design are about to happen starting next week, so a quick recap is in order!

-I worked full time for organization A

-decided I wanted to buy a house, so started working full time for organization B also

-bought the hobbit house, left B.

-A moved my job to a different town

-I've found a new program within A to switch to, bringing me back to work in the 'Burg

Pluses to the new program?

- Working with an amazing team of people

-supporting a very interesting situation

-bike distance to work. (I can retire that car which no-one wants to steal)

-I can sleep in my own bed every night

-I'll get more than 5 hours of sleep

Minuses?

- A cut in salary

-further bike distance to work than what I had before I was moved out of town

-hours that seem to be all over the map.

What does this all mean?

-I'll be more fun to be with because I'll like my job so much more

-my body will like me

-I have to give up a number of the activities that bring me joy due to my work schedule....

I worry the two may cancel each other out at first.

New year, new things.

goal 175

2012-01-01T01:21:00.003-05:00

I wonder if I give up.. or cut back... on facebook, if that will increase my likelihood of blogging.
Blogging came first, it was my reaching out "being alone together" before FB came along and made us all alone together.

I have one goal this year... 175.
posts.
in the blog.
that's not too much to ask for right?

While I do have the tumblr account still on the go- I'd like to look at writing again.
I need to be creative somewhere.

rolls around again

2011-12-19T01:08:00.002-05:00

the year is nearly at a close- and my only resolution was to write more.
oops.

Tonight I remembered a conversation with an old friend- watching "10 things I hate about you" on the bed in my dorm room.

"that's a move you need to learn"

I still haven't.

Maybe that'll be this year's resolution.

speedy

2011-11-30T10:23:00.002-05:00

I'm going to have to build a half door to the back room.
Pontouff Pony moved in a week ago, and while I trust the dog not to eat him... I don't trust her not to eat his food, or whatever might be in the litter box.

"Try a baby gate" you say?

20lbs of bunny can still fling himself over the gate.

last bunny post for a bit... honest.

oh right.

2011-04-26T11:28:00.001-04:00

due to an infatuation with my tumblr... I'm taking a blog break... otherwise I'm not going to accomplish anything ever again....

damn you interwebs.

Blue Boxing

2011-02-28T23:31:00.001-05:00

We've got this really really great second hand store in town. In fact, a whole street made up of second hand stores.

There's nothing better than a sunny morning with friends, cruising "the sales" after brunch.

weekday wake ups

2011-02-24T08:43:00.003-05:00

Each morning the tone for the day can be set with the most subtle of cues. If I greet the tall one first- before he greets me, it generally doesn't end well.
If I'm patient and don't even look at him till he says something to me, I know the day will be ok.

This morning in the group home I walked passed him and I was greeted with a "good morning Knucklehead". This is nearly as loving as it gets from him. Some times I get "hot sausage" or "vanity fair" (don't ask) on a good day... more often than not I'm showered with swearing.

This morning I turned to him and asked "how do I get rid of my title of Knucklehead?"

Without missing a beat he responded "stop working here".

yup.

steamed

2011-02-22T22:28:00.002-05:00

I missed my hot tub while I was away... I know, I know, there was one at the condo- but it wasn't mine. it was filled with the DNA of strangers. And.. it was hot. too hot. way too hot.

So, I've been in mine every day since I got home- today I shocked the heck out of it, it had been running low on the chemicals, and though I hate chemicals... it needed to be done, or it was going to be in the "gross DNA" range.

I forgot I shocked it until I had the cover off- but, standing with one foot hovering over the tub with little on in the freezing cold... I jumped in anyway.

I don't think I have fingerprints any more.

monday bunday

2011-02-21T23:19:00.003-05:00

while my own lagomorphs were terrorizing TLS in my absence, I found this little critter on the beach.

hold please

2011-02-17T09:50:00.001-05:00

Parsleyseasonings will return after this vacation.....
thank you.

Found poetry

2011-02-12T10:52:00.003-05:00

I get lost in the moments of movies from my childhood.
Honey, I wish you'd shrunk me. too.
Wandering the giant forests of my backyard lawn
a feathery parasol shading me
a gift from the dandelion
I forgot to weed.
and my rabbit unshrunk, would offer me a ride
and I'd fall asleep in that small between his shoulder blades
where his hair is like silk
content

I was cleaning out a dresser yesterday and found this...
At first I thought it was a leftover from a "Sunday Supper" experiment, then I remembered it was from a poetry workshop/show with Tanya last spring.fall?

Rumours of funtimes and house concerts are floating... can I hear an Amen?

not so lost

2011-02-11T17:21:00.003-05:00

Keys have been found.

They managed to find a home in my wool stash... good thing I was digging in the wool today!

I just loved the way snow has been clinging to the bricks at the back of the house- the far side has sprouted a mane of icicles too...

almonds - clowns

2011-02-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

person 1 enters the room. On the floor, a table on it's side Two shoes are hanging from it by their heels. Nearby, there is a single glove, three clothes pegs and a container of almonds laying in a row on the floor. Ideas of entertainment float into focus.

Person 1 is encouraged instead to be in the space. Not to judge the items before they've been encountered. P1 is annoyed, the idea of turned up noses to old shoes is funny! A script is being formed- but P1 allows the idea to be discarded and walks to the objects to investigate.

It's painful for a few seconds. Just viewing the items. trying not to formulate. Touching them, but not trying to force an idea on the way things "should" unfold. Finally... long moments later... the glove is picked up, and pinned to the wall. P1 stares at it, shrugs, and starts to eat out of the container of almonds. P1 pauses and throws an almond at the glove, it hits the glove and falls to the floor. P1 allows a small smile to escape, and placing the container of almonds on the floor, begins to play a basketball-like game with the almonds and the glove. Each shot is missed.

P2 enters the room, and watches. Slowly P2 approaches the game. P1 has missed every shot, but doesn't seem frustrated. P2 asks what P1 is playing, and if they can play too.

P1: CATCH! throws the almond
P2: I'll try! catches easily and tosses it back to P1

the almond is thrown back and forth, till P1 takes the almond and pretends to slam dunk it into the glove... P1 goes for the dunk, and with the other hand, opens the glove up wide and places the almond inside.

P1: TOUCHDOWNS!

P2: again!

P1: tosses the almond, catches, and pumps her fists in the air... we're really good. Champions!

We could win a trophy!

p2: how would you look if you won a trophy?

P1: places hands on hips and sticks out their chest, head held high.

How would you look?

P2: strikes a pose. Here, let me try! Pass it to me!

the almond is tossed back and forth, P2 goes for the shot... and misses. The almond falls, P2 falls, and the almond breaks.

P2: I didn't do it. It broke. I never win ANYTHING!

P1: This is really sad. We're not going to get the trophy. I've never really won anything before. I wanted a trophy..... Have.. you ever won anything?

P2: gets up off the floor I don't remember it, but I was told I won "cutest baby"

P1: cutest baby doesn't count.

P2: crestfallen. I don't think I've won anything then.

P1: That's ok. moments pass What if we pretended we won? and it was like the Olympics? and we got up at the podium, and they all clapped for us? It would be like winning? Here, we can step up on to the podium and pretend.. we can sing the national anthem!

P1 steps onto an imaginary podium and begins to bow.

P2: I don't think I can do it....

P1: yes you can, here, I'll hold your hand!

P1 drags P2 onto the podium. P2 has P1 in a death grip.

P2: hisses quietly ... I'm scared!

P1: It's ok, you don't have to be scared. I'm holding your hand.

P2: I don't think I can do it.

P1: want to know something that works for me? Just look out at the people and pretend they're all naked.

P2: looking straight at P1 Ok....

P1 and P2 slowly look away from eachother, look out at the audience, their eyes growing wide.. and start laughing....(after a beat the audience realizes that the laughter really is directed at them.... ) they begin to walk off the stage, P1 offers more advice for bravery as they walk....

**post script**
unfortunately, the txt here will never ever capture the moment.
the pauses, the gestures, the fear and joy on the faces of the clowns... the painful moments of discomfort waiting for things to be reviled. .. honestly discovered on the fly.

after the "cutest baby doesn't count" line, and up till the "pretend they're naked" line, things are a little guesstimated... there was a little too much laughing to keep it all straight.

One of my proudest moments was when the next group and the instructor made a comment about how difficult it would be to follow us. It felt so good after a frustrating morning of trying hard not to allow myself to "script" what I thought would be funny.

icey

2011-02-09T20:53:00.002-05:00

I don't drive often.
I last used my car on Saturday night.

And now?
I can't find my keys. I know I had them at work with me on Monday morning and that they were in my coat pocket at least until I finished shoveling the driveway (again).

And... tonight when I did need my car, my car was frozen to the ground.
Yup, that's right- the mild weather on Monday made a puddle of slush around my tires... and the minus 10 to minus 20 celcius of the past two days locked some of my tires to the ground.

Thankfully, I own a shovel,
and I know how to rock my car out of a space... it took me a good 10 minutes, but I got out.
(The neighbourhood smelled like burning for awhile there)

noon

2011-02-09T08:49:00.003-05:00

I think... that if it's 12pm EST any weekday and you're reading this post...
that you're on the wrong website.
If it's 12pm EST you SHOULD be here...

Roots Music Canada

watching interwebs history in the making, and (if it's still Wednesday Feb 9th when you're reading this) enjoying the launch of The Woodshed Sessions!

Riveting.

2011-02-08T13:28:00.001-05:00

So, until the day my old landlord 'fesses up and produces my missing snowshoes, I'll always have 4 Algonquin style shoe-shaped holes in my heart.

To help to mend this broken heart of mine, sweet Naynay has offered me a pair of his- he was recently gifted three pairs from his inlaws. I offered to purchase a pair, he offered to give a pair to me! How exciting! I pledge to give away a pair if and when my missing pairs make their way home to me.

There's a small catch.

They are bindingless. Having just experienced the joy of well fitting bindings for the first time this winter (on a borrowed pair)- I plan on purchasing new bindings for the newcomers. (side note: I'm going to need to name these snowshoes) I spent so much of my life stepping out of my Sshoes, now that I know how good it feels to be free of that fear (of winding up hip deep one-legged) I'm not going back to jury rigged bindings.

In effort to support the downtown establishments, I went with Bethsheff to both shops that offer snowshoes to see if they had a lead on bindings. The first place was helpful. "No, we don't carry them, but if you purchase them- we'll include them in our next shipment so your shipping costs are lower". This was a kind offer. I did find some bindings online, but the Canadian company that offers them charges more for shipping than the item costs.

The second shop was lovely, but... um.

B: do you sell snowshoe bindings?
S: no, I've never even seen them in the catalogue as an option
M: I've seen them offered online
S: do you have a rivet gun? They are attached with rivets.
M: uh, the ones I was looking at laced on, it was like sewing.
S: They make them with rivets.
M: Hmmmmm.... I guess I'd have to figure something out....
thanks...

(outside)
M: All I can picture is how important the Hudson Bay company must have been with their rivet makers....
B: all those Native peoples, building their deer gut snowshoes, bending and shaping wood for generations, waiting for the white man to bring the rivet gun?

Monday Bunday

2011-02-07T19:57:00.003-05:00

This picture is from last year- 'Touff stealing little Fynn's litter box at the old house. I can't remember where I put my card reader to retrieve my photos from this week. I'll find it.
Also missing is that great pirate shirt. I can't remember if I gave it to someone? I think it might fit Jelly, it was a little too small for 'Touff.

broken

2011-02-07T19:29:00.002-05:00

Poem 8

In a place called Somewhere
There lived happiness
Somewhere was a place of Paradise
But one day from Nowhere
Came Sorrow to the place called Somewhere
Happiness asked Sorrow to leave
The place called Somewhere
Sorrow went back to Nowhere
And then occupied the hearts of people
Who are kind and compassionate
As they never refused anybody a place to stay
So if you feel the pain
Which a person who has lost his mind bears
If your heart aches when you see a tear in someone's eyes
If you are ready to accept such a person and help him
You can be sure
That you have sheltered sorrow in your heart.

-Rajarshi Mukhopadhyay (Tito)

A few years ago I posted about "The Mind Tree" ... go. find it.

red nose, red faced.

2011-02-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

A weekend debrief is in motion... half written. It's a long one, and I've cut a ton...

but, quick recap:: early morning start, clowning adventures, hot water sipping with the Pagepage peeps, dinner at my favourite, (sopa azteca, with a guest appearance of sweet Chief Julio!) with my favourites. more snow than snowmageddon. shoveling. knitting. breakfasting with the rats. knitting. superb owl dinner with the rats (in deference to the super bowl, and a nod to wilw's tweet). oh, and more shoveling.

just one of those normal weekends... ya know?

red noseing it.

2011-02-04T22:52:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, it's good to figure out who you are inside.
And sometimes to do that, you have to turn the insides outside....

So, tomorrow I'm going to a clowning course.

That seems like a really good idea.

**and if anyone has $400 they'd like to give me, there's a week long course coming up that I'd love to attend.

roadtrips with Persia

2011-02-03T22:13:00.004-05:00

I just spent a lovely day in the city visiting some of the favourites, and catching up with some old friends... it was so good to see those faces.

I feel like each part of the day was it's own day... too many stories jumbling together, starting with Muffins in Farsi and ending with a tiny smiling elf playing the drums beside spinning speakers.
no.
really.

-yogurt and sitars
-roomie visit (how to get lost in the mall)
-catching up
-Roots Music Canada's woodshed
-polka roo debunked
-knitting in the pub with (the) rats
-"I was a smoker dating a smoker" ... "how'd you like to date another smoker?"...."admit it, that was really funny".
-the Nylons (baby, are you busy tonight?)
-dinner and music a la Cleave Anderson and John T. Davis

knit one slip purlside... knit... slip. slip. slip. slip.

2011-02-02T09:19:00.009-05:00

Hi, my name is Bess... and I have a sock knitting addiction.

I know.

I know....
It's a nasty habit.
Ignoring housework.
Ignoring the phone.
All those fibres. Needles. Scissors. More needles...

Just laying... around the house everywhere.
Where ANY ONE could find them!
I know.
And I tell myself each time... this is the last sock....
I promise.

And then...
I open the cupboard.
or
I walk into the shop.
I see something soft and fine, in a cool or even a warm tone.
Self striping maybe.
Mixed fibres, wool, alpaca, angora... cotton, bamboo, hemp..... my blood races from my heart to my hands, from my hands to my heart to my head as I .
just.
reach.
out.
and.
touch.

cave....

purchase....

nested, under an old afghan... corner of the couch, snowflakes blowing past my window...
slip knit slip knit slip.

counting beans

2011-02-01T22:01:00.003-05:00

I'm still a bit of a stats whore.
I got excited today when I looked at the sidebar stat counter and realized guest number 1600 had come and gone...

then I remembered that it was the "new" stat counter, reset after moving the blog to the newer format two years ago... I'm actually nearer to 30,000 guests.... and even that count doesn't take into account the first two and a half years of the blog.

um.
really.
this is dorky excitement.

hold still

2011-02-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

If that dog wouldn't breathe so much, she'd be a great music stand/ foot stool.

Monday Bunday

2011-01-31T08:20:00.000-05:00

Jelly is banished to the far side of the baby gate. A fair trade- usually 'Touff is behind bars...

Once the littlest girly started playing on the floor, we realized she and Pontouff were about the same (body) sized. eek!

*pay no attention to the pile of empties in the background!! I've been saving them for a bottle drive since July.... If they don't get picked up on this next round, I'm going to have to make the (shameful) trip to the beer store to return all the bottles. Actually... pay no attention to that back room... it's last on the list of repairs in the house- it's the old kitchen- currently the mud room/storage and junk catch-all.

Brunch. 2nd breakfast

2011-01-30T22:12:00.002-05:00

I hosted "family brunch" this morning.... I first started to blog this morning before breakfast, but decided that the "it's about to happen" story wasn't as lovely as the "it just happened" story.

While I didn't have any blood family relatives over, I had the next best thing with some of the favourites joining in the pot luck meal. Brunch as a pot luck is likely the best thing ever. You can bring anything and it'll fit. Eggs and jube jubes? why not? Sausages and pie? sure! go ahead! Crumpets and fruit and hashbrowns and cheese balanced the meal out just perfectly.

Much laughter happened at the table, and conversation ranged from festival frustration and celebration, to faith, babies, jobs and literature.

"I brought you a book, you said you needed ideas for things to read"... Bob hands me a ragged coverless binding of pages. Dog eared doesn't even cover it. "It's ok if that one gets beat up a little, I've got another copy at home. But you have to read this one before I lend you the next one."

Once our stomachs were filled, we moved to the living room... instruments were tuned... more laughter... Two ukes, guitar, mando, and an autoharp... a request- Rolling Stone, and then "Fat Bottomed Girls"... A rockabilly Sunday.

walking on water.

2011-01-29T14:24:00.010-05:00

as promised, a few shots from the other day....

Photo credits: Rae

favourites

2011-01-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

My favourite hobbits came home last night, which is lovely... but it meant their house sitter had to go back home. *sigh*

Since the hobbits were settling back into their schedule, and everyone else seemed to be doing other things... I found myself with no choice.

I put on an audio book, I opened a can of Rekorderlig (red berry), and I took down the Christmas tree.

The house looks funny now. And I miss the twinkle lights lighting... I may have to buy one of those paper lamps and fill it with twinkles... just for the glow.

based on actual events

2011-01-27T23:53:00.004-05:00

The following is partly word for word, partly "close enough".
I'll let you figure out which part is which.

R: What about "x"?

M: put him on the list.

R: what about "y", would you date him?

M: (hesitantly) uh

R: why not?

M: I wouldn't say no if he asked me out.

R: That's all I wanted to hear.... I don't know if you've noticed, I'm not putting my all into this. I've got a vested interest in you staying single. Otherwise I have to share you. I think maybe we should just buy you a vibrator and forget about finding you a husband so we can hang out whenever I want".

M: *eye roll*

up and down the dunes

2011-01-26T23:00:00.004-05:00

I went snow shoeing for the first time in years today,

and now my muscles and ligaments are trying to get along.

Rae and I walked down to the beach and pretended we were explorers from another land- the land did seem alien to us- the addition of french accents and poor grammar completed the scene. I hadn't been down to the beach in about a month... seriously, who lives just a few blocks from the beach and doesn't go everyday? I need to change that- except for the cold. The cold has been the best reason EVER to avoid going.

The ice has been churning up against the shore, building. Creating false cliffs out in the water... well beyond the actual shore. There's a miniature ice burg locked in the corner of the breakwater to the harbour- the groans and sighs of the water heaving in and out of it's cracks sound haunted. A few times I stopped just to listen. Silence. Water birds. Slushy sloppy ice further out, the waves carrying it, mixing it.

We walked the dunes on the beach, climbed up on the breakwater, skirted the harbour. Chased some birds, wrote love letters to hobbits in the snow, and forged a trail to the bakery for warm bread and cookies.

Can we just revisit that comment about the bad french accents?
Photos to follow... eventually.

I turned the heat back up in the hot tub this morning before we set out.
Best thought ever.

make the most of it

2011-01-25T18:14:00.002-05:00

A toast!
To my favourite toast.
Growing up, somehow, my mom could time the bread just right- so it was coming out of the oven as we walked in the door. The smell would drive me crazy, and waiting till it had cooled just enough that she could cut off thick slices, and slather them in butter- left me drooling and hanging over the counter in the kitchen.

Sometimes I try to recreate those smells. I don't eat much bread usually... and the bread I do eat- I treat myself to from the Millstone Bakery in town... mmmmm. I really need to learn how to make just one loaf.

This is my favourite bread, a Finnish Coffee Loaf that our family just called "Sugar Bread" growing up.... it makes the sweetest toast... I can't wait till morning!

Monday Bunday

2011-01-24T08:45:00.004-05:00

Please, step into the time machine with me... we're going to go back to the future and remember when the buns were but tiny sweet faces.... and had never caused a problem ever.

I love these pictures... I wish I'd had the foresight to take a picture of each of them in a similar pose, or with the same objects around them to compare their sizes... Both of them are at 5.5 weeks here... the difference being, Fynn fit in the palm of my hand... and Pontouff was the same length as a full-grown Fynn!

bright white

2011-01-23T13:20:00.006-05:00

The snow is blinding today.
After a week of clouds, the sun glares off of every surface.
It's painful and beautiful.
Minus 22 degrees Celsius ... wind warning of -40.
*shudder*

Last night I was headed to Hugh's Room to attend the 9th annual Lightfoot Tribute concert...
I haven't been to one since... the 4th? Maybe it was the 3rd?
Either way, I was really really looking forward to it- An evening of great music, then time spent with some of my favourite people... A night in the city.

By the time I left my house yesterday, it has been snowing softly for about an hour... just an inch of snow sat on the ground, I gave the driveway and sidewalks a quick swipe, then set off across town to the highway... By the time I got on the onramp though, I'd decided it wasn't worth it. The storm had picked up.... I'm no stranger to snowstorm driving. I'm willing to push through a little blizzard to get where I'm going... but as I pushed through the drift of snow on the on ramp, and struggled with the poorest of poor visability... I knew my day to turn around had come.
The 401 was down to a single lane- the others covered in snow... and I went through an actual snowbank to get off the highway when I reached the Port Town.

The family home is still there*, so I pulled up to the house to make some calls to let people know the change of plans. (I called from my cell in the driveway) In the time it took to make two quick calls and send two text messages, I had to get back out of the car and wipe the snow off.

Joy in the evening? Yup, After I turned back: Had a great dinner with friends, read a sweet little book, visited with an old friend while shoveling, felt pretty (as I got myself all sassed up for the show).

*I may have snuck in the house and discovered a lonely Kala low G solid body Tenor, which I may or may not have rescued .... Don't worry dad, I'll return it when you get home in May.

Peace Joy and Love

2011-01-22T13:38:00.002-05:00

I'm sitting on the couch a little teary eyed.
I just got off the phone with a friend who just told me about some sad news in her life... That's not the reason for the tears. She said that she looks to me as an example of happiness.
And she wants to get together to talk about what it means to be happy.
So, I'm touched.
And scared.
It feels really big.

In high school and university I spent time doing a study on joy. I took a course through a church, went to bible studies, I met with two other girls... and that is what we lived.... finding joy.

What did I learn?

Two things.

That joy is a choice: In everything, I can choose to find joy. I may not always be happy, but there will always be something to find joy in.

And that when you love, it's easier to find peace in things, simpler to find the joy.

-found joy today in: my leftover homemade hamburger for lunch, in the memories of canning day- brought by the homemade ketchup. Watching the snow fall from the comfort of my couch. The knowledge that I am learning and making music. The colour of my favourite kitchen chair. The way my computer always thinks I've spelled "colour" and "favourite" wrong. The expectation in waiting for this evening's concert, and the people that I'll get to see. Making a coffee date with a friend.

soggy cuffs

2011-01-21T09:47:00.003-05:00

My plan today is to go downtown and buy a calendar, sit in the Bean, knit, or maybe Uke.
Jenny and I used to sit in there and play our Ukes all the time... since it's changed owners we haven't. We decided the other night that it might be time to break the new guy in.

It's still snowing.
It's been snowing for forever.
all my photos from the past few weeks are dark from the covering of ever present clouds...

I spent the day in the Port earlier in the week- the river was making angry noises under the ice.

This morning there was much shoveling to be done at work

And then some more when I got home!

what about you

2011-01-20T16:38:00.005-05:00

Two nights in a row of Uke time.

my fingers, sore from the use.

"Margarita Ville" is on the radio... it was one of the pieces we shopped last night at the Corktown Jam... "shopping a piece" or running a bit of a workshop on a song, breaking it down into chunks and working thru the fiddly bits. I love that about the Corktown jam.
By the end of the "shop" we had the strummers and the pickers, new ideas for fingering, and a few new chords under our belts.

It's a pretty simple song when you break it down, but I think it was the thing I was most excited about this week... well, that and the alternate fingering for a D7 to a G for a quick transition to E7... and a fun run for Blood Sweat and Tears' "Spinning Wheel".

I need to upload some newer videos. Tonight at the pub The Writer said he'd come across my youtube channel... He had nice things to say- but mostly I was embarrassed because they're so old and pretty rough.
I actually had been watching one earlier today, and spent a large portion of the afternoon trying to figure out how to pick thru the song (my early version was just strummed)... I've nearly got it... I just want to replace one note... but I'm not sure with what... it's a D being played, but when I pick it out the strings are A D Gb A (which are correct) I just don't like the sound of the two A's being picked... I like the sound of the D going to the Eb and back (I'm actually picking the strings in a 23412342 pattern) but it clashes against the melody when I actually sing it... I'll just have to use that D Eb D Gb A for something else.

oh.
that got a little more techie than I intended.

maybe for that chord I could just play D Gb A Gb D Gb A D? I'll give it a try in the morning.

pout

2011-01-18T23:02:00.003-05:00

My dog has this amazing gift of being able to make me feel terrible.
I'm abandoning her.
I'm starving her.
She's freezing.
She's boiling to death.
I'm starving her.
I'm not paying enough attention.
I'm smothering her.
I'm starving her.
Honestly, she acts like I've never fed her in her life.

Today I left the house to head out for an oil change for my car (so.so.so.so.so.so overdue.) I left a little early as I had to stop at a friend's place to let her dog out... Miss Jelly pouted, I'd only JUST gotten home from work long enough to feed her and let her out. But I knew I'd be back in an hour to play with her..... 6 hours later I got home.
Turns out I needed a new muffler.
Home just long enough to let her out and grab a few Ukuleles before running to NUkeO.
Home from NUkeO (and it's obligations) and off to work again.
Poor dog.
so hard done by. *

(I promise to stop blogging about my dog so much)

*Portrait of a cold pooch in the car on the way home from the cottage

Monday Bunday

2011-01-17T22:32:00.002-05:00

I nearly forgot it was monday.....

Fynn Pants sometimes like to dig in his litter box.
I'm still waiting for him to learn how to use a broom.

jet outta here.

2011-01-15T23:15:00.006-05:00

I'm going to be headed to my dad's place down in Florida in a little less than a month. I'm pretty excited to sit and watch the dolphins while I drink my morning coffee... walk the beach for hours....

While I'm gone TLS will be house sitting the buns and the pooch (and the hot tub)... I'm glad. The pooch doesn't hold too too much disdain for him. In fact, she's even been known to sniff him... and even ignore him knocking at the door (I know! shocker right? the dog who barks at everything that sounds like a door knock). The buns will disapprove of anyone, and so long as they're fed and loved a little, they'll tolerate him.

My worry is not that TLS will lock himself out again and have to climb through the kitchen window, it is as with every trip- that my plane will crash and someone will have to go through all those random boxes in my basement and files in my dresser if I die. That worries me... so it's about this time that I start to go a little crazy purging.

Today I went down to the boxes to take a look at what I was up against... (and it's really not that bad, it's mostly boxes of books waiting for a book shelf - or eight) and I encountered a box of old journals. which of course I started reading. Then, I went back up stairs and started reading old blog posts.

I found one that made me laugh a little, and made me feel a little on edge remembering the woman in the story.

http://parsleyseasonings.blogspot.com/2006/06/shady-corner-of-street.html

However, in a strange turn of events, sketchy has become someone I know thru GTI... it changes everything when you get to know someone a little.

acting chops

2011-01-15T12:10:00.003-05:00

it wasn't really lying ... as much as just using my ability to hang part of a sentence in the air...

Last night driving thru little lawless gallery town, I passed a police cruiser. I wasn't speeding. My stickers are up to date on my plates. My lights are working. And yet, the cruiser pulled out and followed me to the house. I was parking on the side of the country road when he pulled up beside me.
I rolled down my window.

"Hello L.Bo"
uh, hello?

"I know your name... know how I know that?"
uh, I'm not sure...

"I ran your plates"
(at this point I'm trying to figure out what's going on, I squint thru the snowflakes to see if it's an officer I know, maybe one of the guys from high school, or one from work?)

"I ran your plates and you forgot to renew your license on your birthday"
But!! I renewed my stickers on my birthday.... *

"yes, but you also needed to renew your license"
They didn't mention that at the office....

"I just wanted to give you a heads up, if you were pulled over for anything, it'd be a $350 fine... have a good night, and don't forget to get your license on Monday"

oh.
ok....
thank you so much!**

*I actually noticed the other day, but forgot to go on Friday when they were open. I don't drive my car often enough to think of these things...

**at that point I ran in the house laughing to tell the story to the girls at the PJ party hosted by two of my favourite men.

hic.up.

2011-01-13T23:22:00.003-05:00

Growing up, in high school, I had chronic hicups. Not as bad as my friend Mandamanda, but bad enough that I got kicked out of my afternoon classes on a regular basis.

Years later, thru trial and error and watching my lifestyle, I discovered that it was a stress related thing (mostly). There are a few other triggers that are food related. Carroty things. I remember my mom saying that carrot sticks gave her hicups. Mostly it's carrot muffins or raw carrots for me.

I'm also a serious stereotype.

I just spent a lovely evening at the pub with some friends and I can't stop the hicups.

also- two things. I can't remember the first, but I'm sure it will come to me. Something about sea shanties.

The second- small town syndrome. I don't think I've ever seen our waitress from tonight- but in conversation she said something about knowing that I lived in the apartment over her boss a few years back. (yup, hanging at the crazy lady's pub)

GTI

2011-01-12T19:55:00.003-05:00

Spent some time today at the Motel.
I know I haven't written too much about it in a number of months. But things are... good.
There have been some huge changes.

HUGE

And, sometimes.. I see these little glimpses of change that leave me breathless.

Like today, there's a father and son that come for dinner. Dad lives at the motel, his son (near to my age, maybe a little younger?) rents a place nearby. They both come early for dinner. Hours early, and spend the time joking around with whom ever else happens to be there.
I'm mocked.
A lot.

Dad's had some really great news about a pension, he's going to be able to move out- but first, until he moves along on the list for geared-to-income housing, he's signed up for one of the new rooms at GTI.

This is big.

Even bigger is that he talks about "that guy who used to live in [his] room. That guy punched all the plaster out of the walls", drank for days on end, hardly ever left his room, who had anger in his eyes all the time... people were scared of him.

That guy is history.

Today he had so much joy in his face that I could barely breathe watching him.
He's beautiful.

Auditions

2011-01-11T11:09:00.001-05:00

As promised, a little run-down of the auditions from a few weeks ago.
'umberland Players are putting on "the 25th annual putnam county spelling bee". Long name, great little show.

It's a show of just leads. There's no chorus backing them up, so I was quite hesitant to try out. But,like I mentioned a while ago, I was encouraged by someone who said a few times "my dream cast includes you, x, y, and z". In conversation with this person, they talked about the show and how "we'd" be doing it, what "our" set was going to look like... and a few other comments that made me feel like it was in the bag. So, yes, I was pretty hurt when I didn't get the part.

BUT. That comes from my biggest weakness.
My greatest strength.
Something that I still need to learn to control.

The best people were chosen for the parts based on their ability to excel in the audition process.

I don't know if I have the vocabulary to describe this fully, I've touched on it before.... and it's long, so feel free to skip it.

I have, since I was about 16, been blessed with the fantastic ability to hear harmony. Music in a whole sense. There's a physical sensation that I feel when I hear music- some people say they sense numbers in colour, people refer to seeing something and nearly being able to taste the vision, I have a physical sensation when I hear music. It happens mostly in my throat and neck- but when a "complete" piece of music is heard, I feel it down into my chest. A squeeze and release that follows the shape of the notes, and the sense that there are two portions in me, one leaning against the other in sound, pushing for a balance, and when the balance is reached, it's a tight feeling, nearly painful in it's perfection.
I used to joke that I had "harmony-itis", and the only way I could explain what was happening in me was that I only heard the harmony... but, when I take it apart, note by note... I hear the melody in my ears and my head, and my brain turns my response into the right "lean" to create a balance. When I sing a harmony, unless it's one I've learned by repetition... I don't know what I'm singing... I couldn't sing it back to you without the melody because it doesn't exist in my mind. A physical response to "fill out" the sound.

ug. I just read what I wrote and it sounds so stupid!
Why aren't we given the vocabulary for these sort of things?

So, to learn a melody takes me a little time.
I have to force myself to step away from the music, and learn the physical characteristics of the tune. If you listen carefully to me stumbling thru a new piece of music, you'll notice I'm breaking into the harmony to what I'm suppose to be learning in the most random of spots.

Trust me.
it's annoying.

In an audition, in a call back, you're asked to learn a few pieces of new songs and sing them solo. I'm just not quick enough on the draw to learn the melody and sing it confidently.

So, the strongest person gets the part. That's the way it should be.

Someday, I'll develop what I've got. Or I'll find a use for it beyond singing around a campfire.

Monday Bunday

2011-01-10T17:06:00.002-05:00

an oldie but a goodie....
I didn't have my camera out with the buns this week, so here's the dearly missed Norton Pee Bunny....

Fallin' fallin' fallin'

2011-01-07T10:41:00.002-05:00

Three days ago we were hit by some snow.
The plow didn't bother to do our street till yesterday... which.. made it kinda slippery, and difficult to plow at all.

Last night we had a pretty great snow fall, so good that people were going door to door offering to shovel! In the past hour, the plow has driven up and down the street 6 times.

I'm headed to the cottage with the girls for the weekend (and JellyDog- the buns have a friend checking in on them) Technology free weekend, here I come!
(Unless I buy that new phone to replace the one I lost last month...)

update: Monday Bunday

2011-01-06T12:20:00.003-05:00

Hold on to your whiskers, it's been a long time coming.

Bunday Mondays will resume this coming week.

Until then, here's an old photo... (don't worry his nails have been trimmed since then!)

stabby.

2011-01-06T12:05:00.003-05:00

I work in a group home- I'm paid to sleep there....

Last night as I climbed into my bed, I was stabbed twice.
Not by any of the residents, but by the darning needle I'd stuck in the collar of my shirt at some point in the evening, and then by the cable needle I'd left in my pony tail.

oops.

Photos tomorrow of the current project.

more squeak than crunch

2011-01-05T22:32:00.004-05:00

I'm on a bit of a house cleaning strike.
Which, doesn't really make sense, as I'm the only person who lives there full time.
Maybe tomorrow?
I just feel... blah.
I can't be bothered to get dressed. I just want to sit in my PJs and knit.
One good thing, I've been forcing myself to leave the house during the day ... uh, to go knit... at the Bean.
*insert eyeroll at myself*
I'm going to need a winter hobby that forces me to be social, and that doesn't include sitting by myself in the coffee shop drinking cup after cup of tea.

Tonight at GTI, lovely S and I were allowing ourselves to get a little silly. I think it helps. The space can be so dreary, people's situations so difficult... Anyway, after tearing down the Christmas tree we decided to head over to the grocery store to pick up cream and sugar for the coffee table. Neither of us is very good at reining ourselves back in from being silly- and S has fewer filters than I have. We rounded a corner in the store and walked up behind a man with the most lovely ass ever. What does S do? Pretty near assaults the man! She reached forward and made motions as if grabbing his cheeks... just as a woman rounded the corner from the next aisle.... we die laughing on the spot and rush to pay for our purchases before lovely ass can even turn around.

A great night, even if the temperature is at squeak and not crunch.
Brrrrr. hotwater bottle time!

to clarify...

2011-01-04T22:35:00.003-05:00

I feel like today is as good a day as any to bring up my feelings about the cold. Mostly because I'm sitting in the basement at work shivering a little- waiting for the kettle to boil so I can fill my hotwater bottle.

I like the cold.

Please read that line again.

Note that it doesn't say "I like to be cold" or even "I like being cold".

I like the cold.
I like it because of what it forces. It forces me to take measures to become warm, to stay warm.
Sweaters, Scarves, Mittens... they make me smile.*
Hotwater bottles, like a warm hug wrapped in a felted sweater**
Slippers, blankets, toques***
Blankets, duvets, cuddling, spoons.
I like the cold.

*honestly... scarves? It like you've suddenly been given permission to carry a personal sized security blanket with you out in public!
**oh, maybe it's just my hotwater bottle wrapped in a felted sweater?
***sometimes I wear my toque in the hot tub.

How to do Christmas.

2011-01-03T09:39:00.006-05:00

hike

Skate

huddle

(pond campfire provided by the Sheffrats)

New year...

2011-01-02T00:26:00.002-05:00

two thoughts for today....

This morning I saw a neighbour washing his truck. A large white pick up truck. He was down on his hands and knees while he lovingly wiped the last traces of dirt from the shining hubcaps.

Tonight walking home from work I had the overwhelming urge to fling chocolate pudding all over it with a plastic spoon.

I didn't do it.
I just really wanted to.

Other thought: I wish that everyone I knew could take part in something like the event we had last night.
The 3rd annual collage (not college) party. New Years' eve brought in with a pile of arts... I don't think I can do it justice to talk about it. Just picture some of your favourite people in a room, a long playlist of your favourite (and new favourite) musicians. A table, heavy with slow cooked food. And the freedom to be. And the invitation to create.
yup.
it was a great way to start the year...

I'm not sure if this will work...

2011-01-01T11:39:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year!

(tappa tappa brought to you by the 3rd annual collage party '10/'11)

resolutions

2010-12-30T08:27:00.002-05:00

it's that time to start thinking about the coming year...

I generally make my year's resolutions on my birthday- as a matter of not wanting to fail, or not wanting others to see me fail. This year I forgot, so I'm in the same boat as everyone else, facing the new year with some new ideas and plans.

so, what are they going to be?

eat foods that are worth the calories. and enjoy them without guilt
play more music
write more music
play more of my music
find joy in all things
grow confidence, care less about what others think
blog
be more honest with myself and others
have more face to face time with people
pace myself.

sigh

2010-12-29T16:33:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to pretend I'm not disappointed.
Thanks to the wonders of facebook and it's uncanny ability to show me conversations I'm not interested in, and link the people I know... I know that I'm not likely in the show...

Two casted members talking an hour ago online -Practical reasoning says:that was at least an hour ago, and you didn't get a call yet, and the two that you know are cast are cast in a configuration that doesn't leave room for a role for you.

Next time I'll take it more lightly when the director says "my dream cast would include you, x, y, and z"

only "y" has a role.

unless my phone is broken.

Drawing near....

2010-12-22T18:52:00.002-05:00

What's that under the tree? Miss Jelly, her toys, some cookie tins waiting to be filled, 2 ukes and the autoharp. Pretty much picture perfect if you ask me.

really?

2010-12-21T09:04:00.003-05:00

I have no problem with hipsters. Heck, I think I try to be one. It's a funny thing.
"Evolution of a Hipster" kills me.
The generalities are great for a laugh. I heard a GREAT comedy podcast on the weekend using every stereotype about hipsters, the whole show was about a university radio station that only played songs so obscure no one had ever heard them before. I laughed HARD.

Anyway, last night I had an audition (more on that later) and there was a young girl there... she was dressed like she'd been cast for a role in an 80's music video... but then again, I came in pig-tails and graphic tee (the audition was for the role of an 8 year old).
I chatted with her a bit since she was new and didn't know anyone... but it was all I could do to keep a straight face when I asked her what her audition piece was. Her reply? "Oh, it's a song from the 90's, 'Blue Hair' you've never heard of it, it's my favourite and it's really obscure"
amazing

oh say

2010-12-19T09:24:00.000-05:00

so, I spent the afternoon in the studio the other day...

and now if you listen carefully, you might catch me singing some commercials on the radio.
ha!

Hard frost

2010-11-16T22:30:00.001-05:00

I'm waiting.
For the frost to come and take away allergies.

guh.

2010-11-03T00:04:00.002-04:00

Today I cut the party dress and put the beds to bed.

The gardening season is drawing to a close... Slowly we're finishing up with clients, each garden bed prepped for the long winter ahead. There's nothing there that makes me more sad than to cut down a plant that is still in bloom. Last week out at one of my favourite gardens, a giant anemone plant ("party dress" huge frilly pink and white blossoms) was in it's glory days. Thankfully, it was granted pardon- and this morning with just a few faded blooms left, I took 'er down.

I can't wait to start planning my gardens this winter.

I know one thing for sure.

There won't be any roses.

train time!

2010-10-14T09:04:00.003-04:00

yup.
packed up, headed out the door to OCFF!
www.ocff.ca
4 days and nights of music and conferencing- with festival organizers and those who want to play at our festivals.

sweeeeeeet.
packing two Ukuleles... I've heard rumor there's a little Uke get-together tonight that Hal's running!

who are we kidding? I'll just sing along.
*grin*

this old house.

2010-10-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

I really like old maps.... what I really love about this one is that my house is in it... hand drawn sometime between 1860 and 1869. LOVE this.

And here's my edited version... marking where I've lived for the past 7 years.... the crazy landlord's house was old enough to make it on the map... it was built 20 years later... but the tiny house on Ball St was there- along with it's twins (2 more identical houses on the street). The only sad realization.... it wasn't that the 'Burg had city planners with a sense of humour putting my intersection together... the corner of James Bond existed well before the movies....

Monday Bunday

2010-10-04T09:23:00.002-04:00

back, after far too long....

'Touf's behind bars while some yard work goes on :(

You don't get it.

2010-10-03T22:39:00.005-04:00

So, most of my peers (in the day to day) just tolerate my day to day oddities.
When I came to work glowing and blubbering excitedly about hanging out with one of my uke heros- they patiently waited till I got the stories out of my system before mocking me. (isn't that nice of them?)
I'm not sure how they're going to take all the details of my epic journey to Napanee for the scarecrow festival...

I remind them daily that I'm hired for my entertainment purposes and not my gardening skills.

ha.
Last week one of my coworkers replied "just don't let the clients know".

Miss Jelly is glad I'm back - now I can serenade her with her favourite song. (played here by lovely Rachel)

found dew drop 3

2010-10-03T22:24:00.000-04:00

::recovered from Digital Dewdrops, a writer's forum of sorts that I was a part of... and which disappeared a while back::

September '06

SVFF

WHAT a weekend. I don't know if I have the strength to put it into paraphrase.
No matter what I write, you won't have even a glimpse of the heart and soul and breath that went into this weekend. You'll NEVER grasp the enormity of what we just were a part of, the joy we had, or feel the pain and the heartbreak of it. And because of that, I don't want to write anything.
But, I have to.
My head feels like it's going to explode... it's been so long since I've written. And I feel like if I even start to scratch the surface of it... I'll lose it.
My head feels like it's going to explode... I haven't slept much in the in past week. And I feel like if I go to sleep, a real sleep, it'll all be over... and I want it to be just a little longer, I want that time to last a few more moments.
My head feels like it's going to explode... and my muscles are paining me, throbbing. waiting for that next chore crying to be completed.
My head feels like it's going to explode... I've watched death and rebirth of an even, and seen generations of history happening. I haven't even understood all that's gone on around me.
And my head feels like it's going to explode... I need water, but I've seen and sat in enough to be quenched for weeks.

361 days till Shelter Valley.

** this post was written the day after the 2006 festival. Hurricane Ernesto came along and robbed us of the beautiful weather we'd hoped for. The festival was shut down for the evening on Saturday, and the gates reopened Sunday morning, a small cue of people ushered in by a piper and clapping volunteers. I sobbed.
As for the generations of history- Nathan Rogers (son of the late great Stan Rogers) played this year's fest- his work, and his father's works were blended together in just the most beautiful way. I don't think I can capture the emotions surrounding the final concert....

surf's up

2010-09-29T09:54:00.001-04:00

I love hosting couch surfers.... you never know who's going to show up.

I've been really lucky over the past 4 years, I have had all amazing surfers, passionate people, with maybe only one that I wouldn't host again... This group was my largest. In my profile, I state that I'll take up to three people- but this group sounded like they'd be fun, and really, you have to go with your gut while reading the requests. Plus, the girl who contacted me had more couch surfing experience than anyone I've ever encountered before and had incredible references. Imagine my surprise when these bikes pulled up to the house last month.... double-deckers, riding around the lake.... amazing.

Last week I had the sweetest couple (from France originally, now living in Montreal) biking from Niagara Falls to Montreal... I really liked the contrast this couple made with last month's crew. While the energy and excitement of the younger group was great, and their enthusiasm pulled me along... it was nice to have a mature couple come, to have time for conversation, and to not have a mess to clean up afterwards!

photo diary (or) how to end up with too many vegetables

2010-09-28T21:56:00.011-04:00

Once upon a time there was a girl with a little too much time on her hands.... um. ok, that part is a lie.
Once upon a time there was a girl who was really really good at starting projects, not so good on the follow thru, and who was a little over-extended. She liked starting seeds.... so she did. Until eventually her sun porch was filled with seedlings (and with pieces of the kitchen that still needed to be installed)

One day, a kind neighbour made the mistake of letting her into his yard.

For some time, she planted and tended.... planted and tended...

... until things began to grow.... out of control. weeds, heat,rain.

... eventually, mother nature was kind to the poor wanna-be-urban-farmer, and the garden began to pay off.... in truckloads.

.... now her only problem is what the hell to do with all the fruit flies.

The end.

blue sky days

2010-09-28T00:09:00.003-04:00

I haven't cut the lawn since pre-festival.

needless to say, it's getting to be like a hay field.

'Touff is happy about it. Fynn is annoyed with it. It towers over Fynn... he spends all his time pushing at it, hoping it'll move out of his way. Jelly steps over it gingerly.

I need two things to happen. I need the sun to shine, and I need to find a mower to borrow.

**photo from the ratpack camping trip. good times had by all, even by Miss Jelly... once I figured out she needed to be wrapped like a burrito at night to beat the cold.

to fill in the gaps

2010-09-26T21:14:00.001-04:00

I just got a little message back from lovely Brian MacMillan... the actual lyrics are::

the house is creaky, the trees they moan
cold cuts so deeply it autographs my bones
turn up the TV, turn off the phone...
this is the longest winter...

*shiver*

lines

2010-09-26T08:11:00.004-04:00

Sometimes there will be a line in a song that resonates so deeply within me... that time stops for a second, and I don't dare breathe.

I heard a great one last night- At a lovely little house concert played by Brian MacMillan. His voice is lovely and smooth- no wonder he was asked to do a show just reading (though... from a Harlequin romance novel? um... iffy.) I had to pinch myself to wakefulness a few times, his lullabies were that effective.

"a cold that cuts so deep it autographs your bones"

two towers.

2010-09-25T11:16:00.003-04:00

The line was "we'll be brothers forever from now on"
and I fell apart.

It's amazing the things I think I've detached myself from, become desensitized to- but discover, in one breath that I'm forever changed.
I'm thankful that some things will always be too heavy for my heart.

*sitting at work this morning, Discovery Channel aired a show that followed the survivor stories of three people from the world trade center bombings. I'm downstairs typing in the office while it finishes. I just couldn't stop crying.

found dew drop 2

2010-09-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

:: recovered from digital dew drops, a writer's forum of sorts that I used to belong to::
October '06

fall seems to be a time of reflection. or at the very least, fall seems to bring reflection to me.
everything around me causes me to pause and look again.
the colours standing against the graying sky, the geese drifting to halt on fields bare of their crops. blankets of fog.
not just blankets,
heavy down comforters of fog, enveloping me.
this morning I drove up to peterborough, and the fog was whisping and swirling around.
I had a 15-20 foot envelope of visibility to work in most of the time, like a large parachute of vision.. pulled tight to the ground.
sometimes the chute was lifted and I could see a little farther, and sometimes for the briefest of moment, the air left the chute and fell to the ground as I hit a thick wall of mist, seeing nothing be the hood of my car.
at one point a single sun beam broke thru the clouds above, and I saw for the first time a rainbow inside the mist.
it was amazing.
it flickered like a candle, wept across the trees beside me and then lit them on fire with colour.
orange became ORANGE
reds became RED
and the green dripped with the deepest hues I'd ever seen.
amazing.

**after I moved back to the Burg from Peterborough, I still drove to the city a few times a week for a band I was a part of, and to visit friends. It takes time to let go of one community and move on to a new one.

a gift for a friend

2010-09-23T22:25:00.001-04:00

Dancing all around

tiny heads bobbing in a roar that covers my ears

steals my voice

blinds my eyes

whips my skirt

we can't help but race

and fall exhausted onto the warm earth, cool grass

purple waves in the fields

she brings song and scents and floods me with memories

eyes closed

warm face

toes exposed

letting the pace fall away

letting the days fall away

content

** this summer we made a special gift for the hobbit's birthday- this was my little contribution. you should see how the finished product turned out!

The picture is from the top of the lavender farm (aka SVFF's home) in June. The day was sunny, the wind high. The grass in the field below swung in waves... I didn't want to pick weeds, I just wanted to sit and take it all in. or run... down the hill, and fall into the grass.
It was also the day I got poison ivy for the first time.
Now, I've gotten poison ivy in the past- but only in tiny amounts. A dot here or there, often just one between my fingers or toes... this ended up being several inches long on the side of my leg. I've never been so itchy in my life. Eventually it started to fade... and I got it a second time... much much much worse. My ankle swelled, it oozed, it crusted, it hurt, it ITCHED. deep down itch. Painful itch.

Today in the garden I had to pick some poison ivy... I've never been so worried about three little leaves in my entire life.

found dew drop

2010-09-22T21:45:00.002-04:00

:: recovered from the dew drop files- June '08::

I miss the rhythm of childhood.
The way each step followed the next.
The creak of the floorboards as mom came to the door.
Dad's nose honking in the shower.
Coffee grinder whizzing.
I miss the hope of summer in the smell of the flowers,
the push of the air,
the ants on their hills.
Climbing to the top of the dirt pile,
the flapping of the tissue kite.
Sliding down into the ravine,
sand in my shoes,
clay under my nails.

* I remember each summer we'd get a load of top soil for the garden. Piled at the top of the driveway, Little Bits (my sister) and I would play "mud men" rolling down the dirt pile, and jumping under the hose to clean off.
When we moved to the Port, a town of many hills, we had a ravine on each side of our subdivision- some days we'd head down to the ravine to the south- lunches packed, and get lost for the day in the woods (um... we weren't really lost). Other days we'd head to the "sand pit" to the North, and dig clay from the stream ... building ash trays for parents who didn't smoke, and digging into the sandy cliffs.

1 2 3 4

2010-09-22T00:12:00.002-04:00

So, I was feeling badly about having two years in a row where I hardly blogged a thing.
Then I remembered I was doing it for me, not for anyone reading this.

And then I also remembered, there's still 99 days left of this year.

smooth... and spicey.

2010-09-21T23:42:00.004-04:00

I'm back to playing puzzle pirates.
yup.

I'm that awesome.

Some big things happened today... firstly, it was sweet Leonard's birthday.

Even my daily poetry book made note of it. Which, mostly just made me smile.

(It was also Yodling Ronnie's birthday. They're the same age)

Secondly, Salsa day.

Not the dance, the day of chopping.

Sure, they look pretty... but when you multiply a recipe by 4... that's a hell of a lot of peppers. and tomatoes. and onions. and garlic. I wasn't there for the full day of chopping- too many other commitments, but my back is happy the day is over. In all, 30 jars of salsa- 7 of them 1L jars, the rest 500ml.... Also cooked up a triple batch of chili sauce, and a quadrupled batch of Salsa Verde, and a pile of ketchup and regular old tomato sauce.

whew!

Also today- a visit to the dentist who confirmed what I suspected- I damaged my top teeth in the time I was waiting for my night guard... I took up clenching my teeth/grinding in the night over the summer. The stress level is back down- but now my body is in the habit of clenching/grinding. I'll be wearing that super sexy night guard for awhile.

And finally, a night of NUkeO. We're looking at making the jam happen earlier in the day- due to so many conflicts with people's schedules. We had someone show up tonight that I didn't think would show- a lovely woman from GTI. She'd never played before, but teaches piano and has a great ear for music. I don' think we scared her off. I was so thankful for the leveling factor of the jam. The way that it didn't matter where people had come from, all that mattered was that they were there and that they were giving it a try.

so beautiful.

wake up.

2010-09-20T10:36:00.002-04:00

some favourite things (within reach):
napping
pooch
uke
couch
secondhand blankets
sunshine

dream dream dream

2010-09-20T09:17:00.004-04:00

Sleep has finally come back to me.
I've now had two nights in a row where I haven't budged after laying my head down. Two nights of my old friend, vivid dreams. A whole adventure in another world. A whole lifetime. Dreams amaze me.
Last night I was back to my traveling ways- I'd been having a series of dreams earlier this year where I would get on a plane and end up in all sorts of places. Most of the dreams dealt with the frustrations of traveling- lost luggage, delays, missed connections. Frustrations yes, but... I know when I'm dreaming, so I'm along for the ride- or I'm directing the show, so I love every piece of it.
I can't get over how my brain creates detail. Fills in colour, texture, sound and even smells.
Last night's dream had me flying from Togo to home, via West Jet.... with Pontouff in a carry-cage... 'Touff turned into Jellybean by the time we landed, but... whatever. It was a bad flight, at one point we dropped, and the tail dropped faster till we were pointed upwards, but still dropping... the weather was terrible, the pilots did a great job, but eventually we landed in St.Kitts... or some Caribbean place. But suddenly we were in a pontoon plane- and we'd landed in the water, and had to jump from dock to dock to get to land- the island didn't have phone service, and we had to figure out how to contact our families. We were given vouchers for a hotel in an underground mall.. The dream went on forever. I met other travellers, we explored the underground mall (it had a giant fun house in it), Jelly and a security bull dog got in a fight (big surprise) but they turned into rabbits when I broke up the fight (of course). If I were to write out everything that happened... and the detail that went with it- it would be so long.. so much longer than this ramble.

Anyway. I'm happy the dream world is back. It was a long summer without them.

re: the title.
*I'm still grinning*
James Hill showed up at a party I was at this weekend. At some point a bit of a Uke jam broke out in the living room. I sat in.
Now, mostly I just hugged my uke. I was a little intimidated, though, not by James, the guy is really humble, really encouraging. There was some pretty crazy talent in the room. I'm very blessed. Like... really blessed. Sometimes (and not just that night) I look around the room, see what's happening, and feel like my heart is going to jump out of me from the joy. It's a good life.
I sang harmonies instead of playing. yup. sang harmonies to James' tunes and the others' tunes.
It's a good life.

(click photo for a lovely little piece by James)

not so lost

2010-09-18T14:05:00.003-04:00

I have 7 blogs listed on my blogrole.
several of them are listed as private.

I learned my lesson after some censorship at work- it doesn't matter which work, just ... at a job. A higher-up person came to me and wasn't happy with something I'd written.

Apparently, there was talk at work about what I'd written, and it had made some people upset. So I removed what I wrote- though there was nothing that pointed to the organization, or the people involved.

So I stated another blog where I could actually write what I was thinking about things.
ha.

At one point in my life I was part of this fantastic little writer's forum... an experiment.. I loved the challenge it offered, and when it (the blog) disappeared last year, I was quite sad. Today I discovered that I can go back and read the posts... that they haven't been lost to the interwebs, they've just been sitting quietly, waiting to be rediscovered.
I'm going to try to rescue a few of my old posts.

*grin*