So Monday morning I woke up to find a ladder with a bucket on it set up just inside my Dad’s doorway, seems the roof started to leak in the night. I’m a jinx!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Finally home for the holidays
Well the past week has been insane, making sure I had everything ready to be packed, presents all wrapped, getting stuff at work ready for my absence. My brother came over and I gave him presents for my niece and my great-niece, and it was nice ’cos I don’t see him very often these days.
The weather over the past week of course has been INSANE, really really cold and snowing like crazy, it seems like it never stops snowing. The boy dropped me off at the train station this morning super early, the train was 40 minutes late leaving the station because of the snow - but once we left the station the weather was lovely, Dad picked me up and drove me home and then the nasty weather started again, talk about timing! You’d have thought I’d planned it that way.
So I’m here now, life is good. Xmas shopping is all done - and now I’m off to bed!
The weather over the past week of course has been INSANE, really really cold and snowing like crazy, it seems like it never stops snowing. The boy dropped me off at the train station this morning super early, the train was 40 minutes late leaving the station because of the snow - but once we left the station the weather was lovely, Dad picked me up and drove me home and then the nasty weather started again, talk about timing! You’d have thought I’d planned it that way.
So I’m here now, life is good. Xmas shopping is all done - and now I’m off to bed!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Good to be back...
So I’ve been having trouble with my internet provider lately.
I have two email addresses through them, and I have them feed into my Mac Mail program, but lately one of them hasn’t been letting me log in, and I talked to them about it on Friday - but this morning I wasn’t able to access either of them, and going online didn’t help either.
I have two email addresses through them, and I have them feed into my Mac Mail program, but lately one of them hasn’t been letting me log in, and I talked to them about it on Friday - but this morning I wasn’t able to access either of them, and going online didn’t help either.
Friday, December 12, 2008
What, another Facebook game? Questions!
1. Put your iPod (or media player) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN, NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
___________
My answers (some are eerie)...
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN, NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
___________
My answers (some are eerie)...
Another facebook post: music
Step 1: Put your music player on shuffle.
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 50 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Bold Strike out the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly.
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 5: If you like the game, post it!
____
and my list - with instrumental, duplicate and spoken word entries edited out...
Step 2: Post the first line from the first 50 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing.
Step 3: Bold Strike out the songs when someone guesses both artist and track correctly.
Step 4: Looking them up on Google or any other search engine is CHEATING!
Step 5: If you like the game, post it!
____
and my list - with instrumental, duplicate and spoken word entries edited out...
Sunday, December 07, 2008
I’m dreaming of a Brown Christmas
I seem to have improved through the week, so my day off was well spent this time - I went to the One Of A Kind show (missed last year’s so this was good) and got a few people crossed of my shopping list for this year. I also got some really nice beads, some of which got added to the bracelet and necklace I made for my friends L&N (and forgot to take a photo, damn, I’d better ask them for one...) and the best Cranberry Pudding ever, mmm...
So yesterday was the annual Brown family get-together, which was just as much fun as always, and we all were silly and played Rock Band and Twister! Presents were given, yummy food was eaten, friends were hugged, drinks were imbibed, games were played, and we played curling with BamBam *grin* - a great evening!
More photos are on Flickr...
So yesterday was the annual Brown family get-together, which was just as much fun as always, and we all were silly and played Rock Band and Twister! Presents were given, yummy food was eaten, friends were hugged, drinks were imbibed, games were played, and we played curling with BamBam *grin* - a great evening!
More photos are on Flickr...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights
So I had the day off work on Friday (and for the next two Fridays - that’s what happens when you don’t take your vacation time through the year), and I thought this would be a great weekend to do a major purge of the spare room, which has turned into a large storage room, which is a shame.
So anyway, Friday I treated myself nicely - slept in a bit, had a nice long shower, watched a little TV, a bit of surfing, some cereal... then around noon I decided it was time to start cleaning up.
And I was making good progress too, damnit, I got eight shopping bags full of clothes and stuff for the Amity box, and a huge garbage bag of, well, garbage. But around 2pm (no, two hours wasn’t nearly enough) I started to feel achey. By 3pm I had a fever and by 4pm I was ill. So guess what, this weekend hasn’t really gone to plan. Ah well, better to get sick now than to wait until I get the annual Christmas Sick.
Christmas Sick? What’s that, you ask?
Have patience and we’ll see what happens...
So anyway, Friday I treated myself nicely - slept in a bit, had a nice long shower, watched a little TV, a bit of surfing, some cereal... then around noon I decided it was time to start cleaning up.
And I was making good progress too, damnit, I got eight shopping bags full of clothes and stuff for the Amity box, and a huge garbage bag of, well, garbage. But around 2pm (no, two hours wasn’t nearly enough) I started to feel achey. By 3pm I had a fever and by 4pm I was ill. So guess what, this weekend hasn’t really gone to plan. Ah well, better to get sick now than to wait until I get the annual Christmas Sick.
Christmas Sick? What’s that, you ask?
Have patience and we’ll see what happens...
A random Facebook post
‘I can’t get any work done,’ she said.
Rules followed (thanks PD):
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
Rules followed (thanks PD):
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence along with these instructions in a note to your wall.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Those pesky wish lists
Believe me, I’m not hinting. It’s just that several people (including family) have asked what I want, and I can never think on the spot like that - so here are two lists I use to keep track of things for myself...
Wishlist.com
Amazon.ca
If you need it, use it for an idea of things I like...
Wishlist.com
Amazon.ca
If you need it, use it for an idea of things I like...
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Happy 45th anniversary, Doctor Who!
That’s right, 45 years ago today, BBC aired An Unearthly Child and started the longest running sci-fi TV show in history, introducing the world to Daleks, Cybermen and hiding behind the sofa. It made it past Mary Whitehouse’s campaigns, over-enthusiastic spring cleaners at BBC, and even Michael Grade’s cancellation in 1989 wasn’t permanent.
Anyway, to celebrate we had a special Tavern yesterday, complete with darts and trivia. More than 30 people showed up (that’s quite a number for us) and caroused for the better part of the afternoon and into the evening.
Oh, and in other news, I can finally wear my new bright white winter coat - I scotchgarded it!
Anyway, to celebrate we had a special Tavern yesterday, complete with darts and trivia. More than 30 people showed up (that’s quite a number for us) and caroused for the better part of the afternoon and into the evening.
Oh, and in other news, I can finally wear my new bright white winter coat - I scotchgarded it!
Friday, November 21, 2008
ABC: the new FOX
It’s official - ABC won’t be picking up Pushing Daisies after the 13 from this season are done. And it’s going to end on a huge cliffhanger. Why? Low numbers. They’re avoiding using the C word because they don’t want to lose advertisers.
Do you think that maybe, oh, I don’t know, ADVERTISING THE DAMNED SHOW might have helped with that?? I only knew when it was coming back by scouring the online lists and keeping a schedule written down (yes, I’m a geek) - most people didn’t even know it came back, let alone when it would be airing!
What are they keeping? Looks like AFV, Wife Swap, Dancing With The Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The dumbing down of the average viewer continues.
And I’d stop watching ABC altogether, if it weren’t for Grey’s Anatomy (which is suddenly good again) and Lost. Oh, and Fringe, damn.
Bastards.
Do you think that maybe, oh, I don’t know, ADVERTISING THE DAMNED SHOW might have helped with that?? I only knew when it was coming back by scouring the online lists and keeping a schedule written down (yes, I’m a geek) - most people didn’t even know it came back, let alone when it would be airing!
What are they keeping? Looks like AFV, Wife Swap, Dancing With The Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The dumbing down of the average viewer continues.
And I’d stop watching ABC altogether, if it weren’t for Grey’s Anatomy (which is suddenly good again) and Lost. Oh, and Fringe, damn.
Bastards.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Diamonds and rain and Mars bars, oh my!
Well the weather on the weekend was crap, it rained all weekend! So of course J*&P&A came in and we all (L&T included) went to the ROM to see the diamonds - there was one as big as a baseball (no, it wasn’t The Baseball Diamond, it was just huge) - and then to Flo’s for dinner, yay for malted milkshakes!
But Monday was good, after work I went to meet Mashibinbin for dinner - he was in visiting from across the pond so a couple of us met him at Pauper’s, and then we walked TOO FAR in the ccccold and had a deep fried Mars bar at the Duke of Glocester, mmm...
We had lunch today as well, nice little visit, sad I didn’t get out to visit earlier, aw...
But Monday was good, after work I went to meet Mashibinbin for dinner - he was in visiting from across the pond so a couple of us met him at Pauper’s, and then we walked TOO FAR in the ccccold and had a deep fried Mars bar at the Duke of Glocester, mmm...
We had lunch today as well, nice little visit, sad I didn’t get out to visit earlier, aw...
Friday, November 14, 2008
*squidge*
A friend of mine told me she’s going to have surgery next month, it’s elective but will be good for her in many ways. I’m worried but also excited for her. That is all, just wanted to put another virtual hug for her online somewhere...
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Back in black
Went to the bank today and got my replacement card, which was no fuss.
Just wanted to announce that my line of credit is finally paid in full, as is my credit card. I’m solvent! Of course, this doesn’t mean I have any money just lying around, but it does make me feel good... look Ma, I’m an adult!
Just wanted to announce that my line of credit is finally paid in full, as is my credit card. I’m solvent! Of course, this doesn’t mean I have any money just lying around, but it does make me feel good... look Ma, I’m an adult!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Remembrance Day
So much for remembering - today I did something stupid. I left my bank card in the machine. And you know, when I walked away from the machine I had a vague feeling of unease, like I’d forgotten something - funny that. Old age is coming up fast...
Anyway, the weekend was good, L and I went to visit his Gran in Stoney Creek and then went to a birthday party in Oakville, which was really nice, just hanging out with the birthday boy and his family - and then it took us about 90 minutes to get back to Toronto on the QEW because the whole eastbound lane, and the collectors (seven lanes total) went down to one lane because of construction, and people went MAD, driving in the wrong direction, driving across the grassy divide between the sections, it was insane!
Had friends over in Markham on Sunday too, which was all good, we ate pizza and watched Dr Who. Nice day.
Thought about Harrison, my Dad’s Dad, today. He fought with the North Shore Regiment during WWII, he went ashore on D-Day and took St-Aubin. He made it back and lived a long life, but when he died the government wouldn’t even give him a marker - my Dad had to have a whip ’round his friends to pay for a stone. Sad.
Oh, and darts tonight - I didn’t suck completely, I infact had some pretty good games - too bad I was playing someone even better *grin* but still enjoyable!
Anyway, the weekend was good, L and I went to visit his Gran in Stoney Creek and then went to a birthday party in Oakville, which was really nice, just hanging out with the birthday boy and his family - and then it took us about 90 minutes to get back to Toronto on the QEW because the whole eastbound lane, and the collectors (seven lanes total) went down to one lane because of construction, and people went MAD, driving in the wrong direction, driving across the grassy divide between the sections, it was insane!
Had friends over in Markham on Sunday too, which was all good, we ate pizza and watched Dr Who. Nice day.
Thought about Harrison, my Dad’s Dad, today. He fought with the North Shore Regiment during WWII, he went ashore on D-Day and took St-Aubin. He made it back and lived a long life, but when he died the government wouldn’t even give him a marker - my Dad had to have a whip ’round his friends to pay for a stone. Sad.
Oh, and darts tonight - I didn’t suck completely, I infact had some pretty good games - too bad I was playing someone even better *grin* but still enjoyable!
Friday, November 07, 2008
Dear (Anonymous) Pub
We’ve been coming to your establishment for about nine years now. Once a month, every month. We, in fact, have a standing reservation.
Why, then, do you always break in your new waiters on us? It seems like every month we have someone different. Why do you do this without giving them even the most basic of instructions - ‘they come and go over the course of the evening so separate bills is a good idea’, ‘if you visit them often they drink way more’, etc. How hard is that, really? And, in fact, have you lied to your staff and told them that running individual bills instead of one massive one will crash the register? Is that why they insist on doing it, even when we tell them the evening will run smoother if they do separate bills? Do they also not realize the chances of them getting stuck with extraneous charges on the bill that no one will admit to rises exponentially as the number of customers on that bill increases?
Come on guys - I realize we’re the ‘bad group’, the ones no one wants to serve because we tip badly, but why do you think that is? The service for our group is really terrible almost every month. And really, the tipping badly thing only happens when there’s one huge bill and bad service - when they’re broken up, and we have good service, the tips get better...
Why, then, do you always break in your new waiters on us? It seems like every month we have someone different. Why do you do this without giving them even the most basic of instructions - ‘they come and go over the course of the evening so separate bills is a good idea’, ‘if you visit them often they drink way more’, etc. How hard is that, really? And, in fact, have you lied to your staff and told them that running individual bills instead of one massive one will crash the register? Is that why they insist on doing it, even when we tell them the evening will run smoother if they do separate bills? Do they also not realize the chances of them getting stuck with extraneous charges on the bill that no one will admit to rises exponentially as the number of customers on that bill increases?
Come on guys - I realize we’re the ‘bad group’, the ones no one wants to serve because we tip badly, but why do you think that is? The service for our group is really terrible almost every month. And really, the tipping badly thing only happens when there’s one huge bill and bad service - when they’re broken up, and we have good service, the tips get better...
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Indecision ’08
We all skipped darts tonight to stay home and watch the US elections. I don’t have much to say about them, except that I got the results from The Daily Show. Go Barack!
Oh, and S sent me the link to this baby, the Kaossilator Touchpad Synthesizer - am I crazy to want this?
Oh, and S sent me the link to this baby, the Kaossilator Touchpad Synthesizer - am I crazy to want this?
Monday, November 03, 2008
What spending spree?
Okay, so I spent the whole week going around to every Winners in the area, trying to find the same coat in something other than white, and I’ve had absolutely no luck. But this past weekend I was up in KW for Hallowe’en and a birthday party, so I thought perhaps J* and I could visit the massive Winners there, you know, just quickly pop in and see if they had an alternate. I should have known better.
We got there on Saturday afternoon and their coat selection was really minimal. So instead of just turning around an leaving, we browsed a wee bit through the pants. And shirts. And shoes. And when we left, I had a BCBG dress, grey jeans, patterned dress pants, black & white top, amazing Emma Peel boots and fake nails. Plus the white coat.
I had brought a really nice outfit up with me to wear to the birthday celebration on Saturday evening, but what I had just bought was so fabulous I ended up wearing that (including a great pashmina J* got for me in NY) and looking hot to boot. Yay!
Oh, but wait, it doesn’t end there! Next day, we went out to a different Winners, where I once again didn’t find a replacement coat - but did find two more blouses and some Xmas cards. Oh, and we stopped at Sunrise as well and L and I spent bought a bunch of Dr Who figures. Sheesh.
So anyway, Hallowe’en itself was good, my godson looked adorable dressed as a monkey. The birthday party was also good, got to see lots of friends I hadn’t seen in a little while and the birthday girl looked completely lovely. I knitted a hat for her! And my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary was Sunday, go them. How much do you want to bet they went to Swiss Chalet again?
We got there on Saturday afternoon and their coat selection was really minimal. So instead of just turning around an leaving, we browsed a wee bit through the pants. And shirts. And shoes. And when we left, I had a BCBG dress, grey jeans, patterned dress pants, black & white top, amazing Emma Peel boots and fake nails. Plus the white coat.
I had brought a really nice outfit up with me to wear to the birthday celebration on Saturday evening, but what I had just bought was so fabulous I ended up wearing that (including a great pashmina J* got for me in NY) and looking hot to boot. Yay!
Oh, but wait, it doesn’t end there! Next day, we went out to a different Winners, where I once again didn’t find a replacement coat - but did find two more blouses and some Xmas cards. Oh, and we stopped at Sunrise as well and L and I spent bought a bunch of Dr Who figures. Sheesh.
So anyway, Hallowe’en itself was good, my godson looked adorable dressed as a monkey. The birthday party was also good, got to see lots of friends I hadn’t seen in a little while and the birthday girl looked completely lovely. I knitted a hat for her! And my parents’ 45th wedding anniversary was Sunday, go them. How much do you want to bet they went to Swiss Chalet again?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tennant’s days are numbered!
*insert sad violin music here*
BBC officially announced yesterday that David Tennant is stepping down from his role as Dr Who. Let the speculation begin!
My Personal Opinion - not of who gets the role but what direction they should take.
BBC officially announced yesterday that David Tennant is stepping down from his role as Dr Who. Let the speculation begin!
My Personal Opinion - not of who gets the role but what direction they should take.
- Relatively young - while older actors would have been just fine in the previous run, in the new series they’ve sort of built fan expectation up for a young, vital doctor so an older actor may not go over as well. Unfortunately that leaves Bill Nighy out, who would have been excellent.
- ...but not too young - no one who played a teenager in anything in the past ten years please. No Daniel Radcliffe!
- Attractive - again, the fan expectation has been built up
- ...but not too attractive - no one with too big a sex appeal please, the doctor should be part of the story, not a massive sex god with random stuff happening around him. No Jude Law, no Christian Bale.
- Different body type - don’t get me wrong, I love the whole indie-boy thing, really I do. But David Tennant really has that all sewn up, and the regeneration should make the doctor DIFFERENT, not the same guy with a different face.
- ...but there are limits - no muscley action stars please, that’s just silly. Jason Statham, I love you but that cuts you out (nevermind whether he’s got the chops or not, I’m just making a point).
- Still UK-ish - I’m not being snobby, really, I just feel like there’s an essence to the role that needs the English/Scottish/Irish/Welsh kinda upbringing. Close your eyes and imagine Martin Sheen in the role. See? That said, the role is still way open to different cultural, ‘racial’ and sexual differences. Paterson Joseph, James Callis, hell even Fenella Woolgar.
- Willing to stick with it for at least three seasons - there are only so many regenerations (unless they pull a magic ‘oh, I touched the heart of the TARDIS and now I have tons more regenerations left’ thing) and it’s really hard to learn to love an actor in the role only to have them back out after one series (witness Christopher Eccleston, the George Lazenby of the Dr Who world - and no, that wouldn’t be Paul McGann, he’s still in the audios)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Mac & Cheese
So this weekend was our two-year anniversary. L and I spent the weekend relaxing at his place - and I made homemade Mac & Cheese. Yup, homemade, not Kraft Dinner. I have a new love for super old Cheddar now! It turned out okay, a little dry I think but pretty good.
The weather was pretty crap that weekend too - we went for dinner on Sunday to Kelsey’s (best spinach dip ever) and when we came out the sky was BLACK - but way off to the West the sun was setting below the massive black cloud and looked amazing. I tried to capture it the entire way home but none of my pix look good, so I can’t show you. Sorry.
Also over the weekend I bought a new winter coat at Winners, it’s absolutely gorgeous - but I’m afraid to wear it, as it is BRIGHT WHITE. It’s just begging for coffee or gravy or something to get spilled on it! So I’m going to see if I can find the same coat in a different colour or else perhaps an even more lovely coat.
Oh. And at darts yesterday we had possibly the worst service and worst pub fare ever. And they wonder why they don’t get fabulous tips.
The weather was pretty crap that weekend too - we went for dinner on Sunday to Kelsey’s (best spinach dip ever) and when we came out the sky was BLACK - but way off to the West the sun was setting below the massive black cloud and looked amazing. I tried to capture it the entire way home but none of my pix look good, so I can’t show you. Sorry.
Also over the weekend I bought a new winter coat at Winners, it’s absolutely gorgeous - but I’m afraid to wear it, as it is BRIGHT WHITE. It’s just begging for coffee or gravy or something to get spilled on it! So I’m going to see if I can find the same coat in a different colour or else perhaps an even more lovely coat.
Oh. And at darts yesterday we had possibly the worst service and worst pub fare ever. And they wonder why they don’t get fabulous tips.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Full Spectrum Dominiance
Tonight I went to an rough screening of Full Spectrum Dominance, a documentary about the weaponization of space. Pretty cool actually, but a little one-sided at the moment - apparently the filmmaker is planning on including some interview footage he hadn’t added in yet to balance it out, I’ll be interested to see the final cut.
It ran late though, so I had to miss darts - and then I stubbed my toe really badly. Like I thought I had broken it. That’s what I get for bailing on darts I suppose.
Oh, and my Mum is officially a retiree now. How did she celebrate? I think she might have gone to Swiss Chalet for dinner. My parents are such rebels.
It ran late though, so I had to miss darts - and then I stubbed my toe really badly. Like I thought I had broken it. That’s what I get for bailing on darts I suppose.
Oh, and my Mum is officially a retiree now. How did she celebrate? I think she might have gone to Swiss Chalet for dinner. My parents are such rebels.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
...and I bought NO YARN
Just got back from the Creativ Festival, which was really good this year.
I decided a while back I was going to try to get through a year without buying any yarn, and I’ve done really well so far - this was going to be my test, and I passed with flying colours.
That’s not to say I didn’t spend money, I certainly did - magazines, books, a jeweller’s loupe (with a light in it, very cool!), some stamps, DPN cases, notion cases - but it was all completely worth it.
And also better as it rained in the afternoon, and L had asked if I wanted to go to the TFC game, but I did the show instead - go me!
I decided a while back I was going to try to get through a year without buying any yarn, and I’ve done really well so far - this was going to be my test, and I passed with flying colours.
That’s not to say I didn’t spend money, I certainly did - magazines, books, a jeweller’s loupe (with a light in it, very cool!), some stamps, DPN cases, notion cases - but it was all completely worth it.
And also better as it rained in the afternoon, and L had asked if I wanted to go to the TFC game, but I did the show instead - go me!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time for a change?
Apparently not. Harper, once again, runs a minority government in our country.
We had a sad 59% voter turnout. All major parties, regardless of their clean start, ended up running smear campaigns. Way to go, guys.
Anyway, in other news, Thanksgiving was great - I spent the entire time in Welland with my parents, just hanging out and enjoying our time, got to see my niece and my greatniece (who is hilarious and cute) and went for a nice walk on Merritt Island. There are worse things to do with your time. Had to miss the first darts of the season due to being away, but I did the same thing last year, can’t be helped.
We had a sad 59% voter turnout. All major parties, regardless of their clean start, ended up running smear campaigns. Way to go, guys.
Anyway, in other news, Thanksgiving was great - I spent the entire time in Welland with my parents, just hanging out and enjoying our time, got to see my niece and my greatniece (who is hilarious and cute) and went for a nice walk on Merritt Island. There are worse things to do with your time. Had to miss the first darts of the season due to being away, but I did the same thing last year, can’t be helped.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Chilly!
The days are getting colder and darker - I finally feel like knitting again! Yes, I already have a few WIPs, but I feel like working on something newish for a while. But I’m not going to buy new yarn, no no - I’m only going to use what’s in my stash. To be honest, my stash could last me the rest of my life. So really I’m being financially responsible, aren’t I?
Lessee, what’s been happening?
Well, I went to The Clothing Show and the Toronto FC game a couple of weeks ago. The Clothing Show was good to me this year - three shirts, a dress and a pair of earrings (and a free button, yay!), definitely worth it. Toronto FC... well, the game was good, lots of action, and it ended 1-1, but we only got a goal on us because one of our OWN PLAYERS headed it backwards without looking, gah!
October’s Tavern was a really good one, three new faces and a pretty good turnout - we took up a fair chunk of Pauper’s that night! But they’ve done something to the garlic bread, it just wasn’t as good as it usually is. Graeme made it out (quite a hike, with him living in Ottawa now!) and came bearing Enlightenment for all and sundry. We also had Tavern In The Dark again, I honestly think our group aura has a negative effect on the dart board lights...
Oh, and I forgot to mention - Pushing Daisies is still excellent! And I’m sure they film the apartment hallway scenes in The Bradbury Building, another fine thing!
Still going to the gym. Don’t think I’ve lost any weight (I’m not weighing myself) but I’m feeling a bit better so that’s all good...
Lessee, what’s been happening?
Well, I went to The Clothing Show and the Toronto FC game a couple of weeks ago. The Clothing Show was good to me this year - three shirts, a dress and a pair of earrings (and a free button, yay!), definitely worth it. Toronto FC... well, the game was good, lots of action, and it ended 1-1, but we only got a goal on us because one of our OWN PLAYERS headed it backwards without looking, gah!
October’s Tavern was a really good one, three new faces and a pretty good turnout - we took up a fair chunk of Pauper’s that night! But they’ve done something to the garlic bread, it just wasn’t as good as it usually is. Graeme made it out (quite a hike, with him living in Ottawa now!) and came bearing Enlightenment for all and sundry. We also had Tavern In The Dark again, I honestly think our group aura has a negative effect on the dart board lights...
Oh, and I forgot to mention - Pushing Daisies is still excellent! And I’m sure they film the apartment hallway scenes in The Bradbury Building, another fine thing!
Still going to the gym. Don’t think I’ve lost any weight (I’m not weighing myself) but I’m feeling a bit better so that’s all good...
Friday, September 26, 2008
More TV - returning shows
My favourite shows are back, yay!
Firstly, I must point out that the Big Bang Theory season premiere was hilarious! So happy they didn’t let me down. The boys are still neurotic, Penny’s still, well, Penny. I see far too much of myself in the cast though, what does this say?
And following right after was How I Met Your Mother - also still funny, but it was a bit melancholy. Poor Barney! Anyway, still worth watching. Legen - wait for it - dary.
Also back lastnight was Grey’s Anatomy - to be honest, I might have seen two episodes last year, it just didn’t grab me, but I tuned in to the 2-hour premiere lastnight anyway. And I was really glad I did, what a great episode! It’s as if the show itself was brain-dead and on life support, and the writers are the super surgeons who breathed new life into the script - and guest-stars help too! Bernadette Peters, Kathy Peters - and the fabulous Kevin McKidd (rumour has it that he’s going to return to join the cast)...
Pushing Daisies starts back next week, so no report for now other than my growing excitement!
Firstly, I must point out that the Big Bang Theory season premiere was hilarious! So happy they didn’t let me down. The boys are still neurotic, Penny’s still, well, Penny. I see far too much of myself in the cast though, what does this say?
And following right after was How I Met Your Mother - also still funny, but it was a bit melancholy. Poor Barney! Anyway, still worth watching. Legen - wait for it - dary.
Also back lastnight was Grey’s Anatomy - to be honest, I might have seen two episodes last year, it just didn’t grab me, but I tuned in to the 2-hour premiere lastnight anyway. And I was really glad I did, what a great episode! It’s as if the show itself was brain-dead and on life support, and the writers are the super surgeons who breathed new life into the script - and guest-stars help too! Bernadette Peters, Kathy Peters - and the fabulous Kevin McKidd (rumour has it that he’s going to return to join the cast)...
Pushing Daisies starts back next week, so no report for now other than my growing excitement!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
EBE is hitched - and I rock
Even Bigger Eric got married on Saturday! He and Karen looked amazing and the service and reception were exceptional. Great food, great venues.
L and I didn’t dance, even though the music was pretty good - I was having too much fun chatting with friends. Pix are up on Flickr now... (and yes, B, you do look and sound just like Lewis Black. Deal.)
Sunday J and I went out to Aberfoyle - and I bought pennies. Yep, I BOUGHT pennies. Three cents each. But one of them was an American 1902 indian head, so there. Also, I now finally have a weighty-enough crock to use for my utensils so they won’t fall over every time I glance in their direction. Oh, and a couple more watches and a necklace. Yup.
In possibly bigger news, I did indeed start back to the gym a few weeks ago. And it was really hard to get back into it, but I’ve made a discovery: if I only do weight training at the gym and use my walk home for my cardio, I’m only at the gym for about 40 minutes and it doesn’t cut into my life at all! So that’s what I’m doing. And I don’t need an antihistamine! Twice a week since the 8th, so far so good.
Also trying to eat a bit better, but that’s harder - there are only so many salads and subs I can have in a week before I start craving chicken fingers *grin*
L and I didn’t dance, even though the music was pretty good - I was having too much fun chatting with friends. Pix are up on Flickr now... (and yes, B, you do look and sound just like Lewis Black. Deal.)
Sunday J and I went out to Aberfoyle - and I bought pennies. Yep, I BOUGHT pennies. Three cents each. But one of them was an American 1902 indian head, so there. Also, I now finally have a weighty-enough crock to use for my utensils so they won’t fall over every time I glance in their direction. Oh, and a couple more watches and a necklace. Yup.
In possibly bigger news, I did indeed start back to the gym a few weeks ago. And it was really hard to get back into it, but I’ve made a discovery: if I only do weight training at the gym and use my walk home for my cardio, I’m only at the gym for about 40 minutes and it doesn’t cut into my life at all! So that’s what I’m doing. And I don’t need an antihistamine! Twice a week since the 8th, so far so good.
Also trying to eat a bit better, but that’s harder - there are only so many salads and subs I can have in a week before I start craving chicken fingers *grin*
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
New shows
Okay, so we’re back to a new season of television. Yes, this is important.
New for me is Fringe - sort of a new X-Files-ish show with an interesting cast. I can see some parts of it I’ll probably get sick of sooner or later, like the ‘mad scientist’ guy, although his son is kind of awesome. The return of Blair Brown to primetime is genius!
House is back. Hugh Laurie is still fantastic. Nothing else to say about that really.
And then, under the radar, comes Rabbit Fall. It’s a creepy little half hour (an odd but inspired length for this kind of show) with shades of Twin Peaks. Most of the cast not immediately recognizable (at least to me) but rather than hinder the show it seems to help enhance the isolation at the heart of the story. Apparently this show has been around for a little while, maybe on APTN, but with Space carrying it now I’m betting it will pick up a larger audience. Here’s hoping!
Next week we’ll have Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy starting back, and Pushing Daisies will start the following week. Getting kind of excited over here...
New for me is Fringe - sort of a new X-Files-ish show with an interesting cast. I can see some parts of it I’ll probably get sick of sooner or later, like the ‘mad scientist’ guy, although his son is kind of awesome. The return of Blair Brown to primetime is genius!
House is back. Hugh Laurie is still fantastic. Nothing else to say about that really.
And then, under the radar, comes Rabbit Fall. It’s a creepy little half hour (an odd but inspired length for this kind of show) with shades of Twin Peaks. Most of the cast not immediately recognizable (at least to me) but rather than hinder the show it seems to help enhance the isolation at the heart of the story. Apparently this show has been around for a little while, maybe on APTN, but with Space carrying it now I’m betting it will pick up a larger audience. Here’s hoping!
Next week we’ll have Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother and Grey’s Anatomy starting back, and Pushing Daisies will start the following week. Getting kind of excited over here...
Sunday, September 07, 2008
What a great weekend!
First, Tavern on Thursday was a good one, great turnout. Chris wasn’t serving us this time though, we got a new person (they always give the new people to us, we have a few in our group who just don’t know how to tip so we’re sort of bad to serve as a group - but we’re really sweet, honestly!) but she did an okay job.
Friday was basically the best day ever: first, it was Timbit Day (which we have once a month) - mmm, sour cream! Then I got an 80-gig iPod Classic (I love suppliers)! Then I got a free cookie! And then my old boss SG stopped in for a visit - I miss her so much, and she looked AMAZING! Man, she’s an inspiration. The down side to the day was that the train was the latest KW train ever, but once I got there I got hugs from my godson to make up for it. Then dinner at The Rude Native (two words: Chocolate Paté). I’ll say it again - best day ever.
J&P had their end of summer party on Saturday, which was a lot of fun and didn’t get rained out this time *grin* - got to see folks I haven’t seen in a very long time, and Sarah stayed over so on Sunday I got to see her new place (and new beau!) in Guelph, which was really quite nice.
And then we went to Vaughan Mills, yay! New purse (I didn’t need), two new scarves, a Ben Sherman shirt, and a $4 skirt I’ll never fit into but the fabric alone was worth the price, I have to make something with it!
So anyway, between SG looking and, let’s face it, BEING so fabulous, and QoWP’s sage advice and kindly offers, I’m now inspired to get my butt back to the gym! Honestly, I was on the verge of simply cancelling my membership, but I’m going to give it a month and see if I keep going. Twice a week at least...
Friday was basically the best day ever: first, it was Timbit Day (which we have once a month) - mmm, sour cream! Then I got an 80-gig iPod Classic (I love suppliers)! Then I got a free cookie! And then my old boss SG stopped in for a visit - I miss her so much, and she looked AMAZING! Man, she’s an inspiration. The down side to the day was that the train was the latest KW train ever, but once I got there I got hugs from my godson to make up for it. Then dinner at The Rude Native (two words: Chocolate Paté). I’ll say it again - best day ever.
J&P had their end of summer party on Saturday, which was a lot of fun and didn’t get rained out this time *grin* - got to see folks I haven’t seen in a very long time, and Sarah stayed over so on Sunday I got to see her new place (and new beau!) in Guelph, which was really quite nice.
And then we went to Vaughan Mills, yay! New purse (I didn’t need), two new scarves, a Ben Sherman shirt, and a $4 skirt I’ll never fit into but the fabric alone was worth the price, I have to make something with it!
So anyway, between SG looking and, let’s face it, BEING so fabulous, and QoWP’s sage advice and kindly offers, I’m now inspired to get my butt back to the gym! Honestly, I was on the verge of simply cancelling my membership, but I’m going to give it a month and see if I keep going. Twice a week at least...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Canada’s Wonderland
So yesterday T and I went out to Canada’s Wonderland. That’s right, Paramount no longer owns it and their name has been stripped off. There are some pictures over on my Flickr page if you’re interested.
Downsides:
We spent the whole day working ourselves up to actually riding the Behemoth, but by the time we were ready the line was too long. Next time! We’ve promised ourselves that we’ll go early in the season next year...
Downsides:
- A number of rides had to be renamed - many of them were named after movies, in a shameless cross-promotion ploy.
- The 3D theatre, instead of doing something cool like the James Bond or Jurassic Park (there’s that cross-promotion thing again), was playing a Spongebob Squarepants feature. Feh.
- No ‘Paramount’ branding on everything.
- Prices for most things at a reasonable level.
- Discounted tickets from work.
- Funnelcakes!
We spent the whole day working ourselves up to actually riding the Behemoth, but by the time we were ready the line was too long. Next time! We’ve promised ourselves that we’ll go early in the season next year...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Whither Bowlie?
Bowlie is gone - DavidK finally pulled the plug on August 25th, after spending ten years of his life making sure it ran like a dream and keeping us all together.
If I’m honest with myself, while I’ve been a member for four years I must admit I’ve been pretty much a lurker for the past eight months or so - but knowing it would be gone forever made me suddenly sad. I spent the last Bowlie day visiting old threads, adding to new ones and joining the massive reinstated Bowlie Chat.
The past two days have been hard, every time I let myself think about it I realize I can’t just pop on and see what’s new with everyone. But really, I can still do that, we’re all still on MSN and Flickr and Facebook and, yes, even in the real world. But I still miss it.
Ah, my far-away friends, when will I ever see you again?
If I’m honest with myself, while I’ve been a member for four years I must admit I’ve been pretty much a lurker for the past eight months or so - but knowing it would be gone forever made me suddenly sad. I spent the last Bowlie day visiting old threads, adding to new ones and joining the massive reinstated Bowlie Chat.
The past two days have been hard, every time I let myself think about it I realize I can’t just pop on and see what’s new with everyone. But really, I can still do that, we’re all still on MSN and Flickr and Facebook and, yes, even in the real world. But I still miss it.
Ah, my far-away friends, when will I ever see you again?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Uniqlock
My latest obsession. It says Montreal because they didn't have a Toronto option. I’ve posted this with the sound off as I know how irritating automatic music can be, but I highly recommend turning it on - it’s really quite cool - by clicking on the little speaker in the bottom right corner of the dancing ladies...
If for some reason you can’t see the video or hear the music, just visit Uniqlock.
If for some reason you can’t see the video or hear the music, just visit Uniqlock.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Limbcrafters...
I finally received the new wheel for my robot on Thursday night and performed surgery Friday night - success! I mean, he still pulls to the side a bit, but not badly. Mostly it means my home is clean(ish) again!
That is all.
That is all.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Bollywood-style!
Yeah, so I don't actually watch So You Think You Can Dance, it's nothing I ever felt the urge to watch - but tonight I watched almost the whole thing (don't ask me why, I don't know) and this blew me away:
(Link if you can't see the imbedded video)
I mean, how good was that? Blew every other performance out of the water!
Anyway, just wanted to share.
(Link if you can't see the imbedded video)
I mean, how good was that? Blew every other performance out of the water!
Anyway, just wanted to share.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
My robot is sick.
I love my robot, but he needs the doctor.
Yep, my Roomba’s right wheel has been sticking, and I’m going to need to perform a transplant. Today iRobot let me know they are sending me his new limb (“Limbcrafters - quality prosthetics in about an hour” – thank you FASS ’92!) and when it arrives I’m going to scrub up and dive in!
But in the meantime my carpet is starting to show signs of needing attention. Gah.
(That, by the way, is my first ever YouTube video!)
I love my Roomba. Personally, I think he got ill because I haven’t named him yet. I dunno, a name just hasn’t popped to mind. L has given me suggestions of course but I don’t feel they’ve captured his personality — although Belvedere came close!
Given the sticky wheel situation, perhaps Dizzy would be a good name...
Yep, my Roomba’s right wheel has been sticking, and I’m going to need to perform a transplant. Today iRobot let me know they are sending me his new limb (“Limbcrafters - quality prosthetics in about an hour” – thank you FASS ’92!) and when it arrives I’m going to scrub up and dive in!
But in the meantime my carpet is starting to show signs of needing attention. Gah.
(That, by the way, is my first ever YouTube video!)
I love my Roomba. Personally, I think he got ill because I haven’t named him yet. I dunno, a name just hasn’t popped to mind. L has given me suggestions of course but I don’t feel they’ve captured his personality — although Belvedere came close!
Given the sticky wheel situation, perhaps Dizzy would be a good name...
Monday, June 23, 2008
Influence
“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” - Mark Twain
Okay, I’m not talking about that kind of influence.
During an inebriated discussion at a party this weekend a group of us were listing five albums that influenced us. I took this strictly to mean albums that were different than anything I had heard before and focused the direction of my tastes afterwards. My list, in no particular order, was:
With sober hindsight, and if we relax the rules a wee bit, I believe my list could easily be expanded to add:
And if we expanded it still further, to include albums that were simply soaked up when I was a child (say, by the age of 10), and therefore were the beginning of my own personal musical journey, I would have to include:
Okay, I’m not talking about that kind of influence.
During an inebriated discussion at a party this weekend a group of us were listing five albums that influenced us. I took this strictly to mean albums that were different than anything I had heard before and focused the direction of my tastes afterwards. My list, in no particular order, was:
- Bill Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado
- The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
- The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
- Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
With sober hindsight, and if we relax the rules a wee bit, I believe my list could easily be expanded to add:
- Frank Zappa - Sheik Yerbouti
- Tom Waits - Raindogs
- Kate Bush - Hounds Of Love
- The (English) Beat - Just Can’t Stop It
- The Fixx - Reach The Beach
- Joe Jackson - Night And Day
- Wall Of Voodoo - Call Of The West (oooh, this might be that elusive number five I mentioned! I was sure I'd know right away but I’m not sure - I’ll look for a corroborative voice on that...)
- They Might Be Giants - Flood
- Skinny Puppy - VIVIsectVI
- Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria
- Cocteau Twins - Tiny Dynamine/Echoes In A Shallow Bay
- Belle & Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress
- Moby - Play
And if we expanded it still further, to include albums that were simply soaked up when I was a child (say, by the age of 10), and therefore were the beginning of my own personal musical journey, I would have to include:
- Cat Stevens - Teaser And The Firecat
- Willie Nelson - The Red-Headed Stranger
- Bob Dylan - Blood On The Tracks
- Leon Redbone - On The Track
- Rush - Caress Of Steel
Hey, more words!
So 'nigh' needs to be added to the list of course, as per the comment on my last post (thanks!)
Any more?
- bespoke
- chemist (instead of pharmacist)
- cobbler
- insipid
Any more?
- bespoke
- chemist (instead of pharmacist)
- cobbler
- insipid
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Words are postage stamps
Words are only postage stamps delivering the object for you to unwrap - George Bernard Shaw
So recently some friends and I were talking about words, and we started listing words we feel have either fallen from use and should be welcomed back, or are just great words that aren't used enough - and I've continued that discussion with other friends. A selection:
- wont (as in "I was walking along the seaside, as is my wont")
- vile
- efficacious
- nonce
More?
So recently some friends and I were talking about words, and we started listing words we feel have either fallen from use and should be welcomed back, or are just great words that aren't used enough - and I've continued that discussion with other friends. A selection:
- wont (as in "I was walking along the seaside, as is my wont")
- vile
- efficacious
- nonce
More?
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The List
Wow, did a tumbleweed just blow past?
*blows off dust*
Okay, you all know you have one. Here's my current Top Five - well, let's make it Ten - no particular order:
*blows off dust*
Okay, you all know you have one. Here's my current Top Five - well, let's make it Ten - no particular order:
- Paul McGann (of course - you all know me)
- Robert Downey Jr. (I don't care how many times he's f*cked up his life, he's adorable)
- Johnny Depp (again, of course)
- Viggo Mortensen (but he may be dropping off the list soon)
- Bradley Whitford (especially if he came with the writers too)
- Nathan Fillion (yep)
- Daniel Craig (the only Bond who actually looked like he killed people for a living)
- Ben Browder (not initially my type, but Crighton grew on me)
- Julian Rhind-Tutt (cute as a puppy)
- Alan Davies (the most realistic on the list, and mostly because he's just sweet)
- Jennifer Tilly
- Drew Barrymore
- Toni Collette
- Renee Zelwiger
- Theda Bara (back then of course, not the corpse she is now, what do you take me for?)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Trawlers suck
Whoever that was who just left what looked like a randomly-generated NOVEL as a comment to one of my posts - fyi, I've changed my settings so only registered users can leave comments.
This means that anyone who wants to leave a comment now has to register. I didn't want to do that, but now I've been forced into it. I apologize to any honest people who would rather not register.
Oh, and Trawler? I hope you meet with a slow, painful demise.
This means that anyone who wants to leave a comment now has to register. I didn't want to do that, but now I've been forced into it. I apologize to any honest people who would rather not register.
Oh, and Trawler? I hope you meet with a slow, painful demise.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Yes... Spring!
It's gorgeous out! It really is - it's crazy beautiful out there. Sunny, warm, a bit windy but that's okay. So of course I'm inside.
Yep, this weekend I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet. Not the stairs though, so they're still a mess, but that's a project for another day. I actually feel like I need to get rid of a piece of furniture - a chair specifically, and maybe an end table as well - but I like them too much, and I also like the extra seating.
Oh, and I bought a robot.
I've been lazy about my photography though, my 365 Days and Photogamer entries are sadly lacking...
Yep, this weekend I vacuumed and shampooed the carpet. Not the stairs though, so they're still a mess, but that's a project for another day. I actually feel like I need to get rid of a piece of furniture - a chair specifically, and maybe an end table as well - but I like them too much, and I also like the extra seating.
Oh, and I bought a robot.
I've been lazy about my photography though, my 365 Days and Photogamer entries are sadly lacking...
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Spring?
You wouldn't know it was spring last week, it's still pretty cold here BUT it's warm today, it's supposed to hit 10 on Monday, bring it on!
So on that note, I'm cleaning. I'm taking a few minutes to sit with a hot chocolate and actually update this thing. You can see the carpet in the living room! You can't see what colour it is yet, of course, but I'm getting there! I've even got oven cleaner bubbling in the, um, oven. I think I'll finish straightening up the living room today, then let the vacuum run for a while, see how it does. I'll probably have to do it four or five times before I can do a carpet shampoo, but it'll be worth it when it's finally done...
So on that note, I'm cleaning. I'm taking a few minutes to sit with a hot chocolate and actually update this thing. You can see the carpet in the living room! You can't see what colour it is yet, of course, but I'm getting there! I've even got oven cleaner bubbling in the, um, oven. I think I'll finish straightening up the living room today, then let the vacuum run for a while, see how it does. I'll probably have to do it four or five times before I can do a carpet shampoo, but it'll be worth it when it's finally done...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Midnight ponderings
I hate Daylight Savings. I think it's a stupid idea in the first place, so I find it even more stupid that we've had to change our dates around just because the Americans are changing theirs.
As a result of this, I'm wide awake when I should be asleep, and my mind is racing.
I was doing a bit of a spring cleaning on the Metatron™ the other night and came across my MSN logs - yes, I've got my IM software set to log my chats, because sometimes a connection might be lost and you want to know what was missed, etc. Anyway, I stumbled upon one from almost two years ago, a very late night chat with a very dear friend, and I suddenly realized I hadn't seen them in a very very long time and I almost cried, to think I'd let so long pass without keeping in touch.
What do I plan to do about this? I'm not sure. I've sent them a message to see if they remember that particular discussion - did you know pizza is actually sliced with old pizza? maybe you had to be there - and I'll see what they say.
Oh, in other news I've picked up a partially finished scarf I was working on, probably around the same time, and I'm determined to have it done before scarves aren't needed anymore this year. I'm hoping that'll be within the next two weeks, but the way the weather is going out there it might be June before we see the end of the snow.
As a result of this, I'm wide awake when I should be asleep, and my mind is racing.
I was doing a bit of a spring cleaning on the Metatron™ the other night and came across my MSN logs - yes, I've got my IM software set to log my chats, because sometimes a connection might be lost and you want to know what was missed, etc. Anyway, I stumbled upon one from almost two years ago, a very late night chat with a very dear friend, and I suddenly realized I hadn't seen them in a very very long time and I almost cried, to think I'd let so long pass without keeping in touch.
What do I plan to do about this? I'm not sure. I've sent them a message to see if they remember that particular discussion - did you know pizza is actually sliced with old pizza? maybe you had to be there - and I'll see what they say.
Oh, in other news I've picked up a partially finished scarf I was working on, probably around the same time, and I'm determined to have it done before scarves aren't needed anymore this year. I'm hoping that'll be within the next two weeks, but the way the weather is going out there it might be June before we see the end of the snow.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Progress
Well, it's been a little more than two weeks since I last posted. I think I'm doing well. On my to-do list from my finance guy:
Anyway, I feel like I've accomplished a lot, and it makes me feel like I should do more. So I also decided to expand a bit artistically (well, as far as that goes anyway) so I've joined both Photogamer and 365 Days on Flickr, and though I've missed a few days here and there, I've been doing well, and it makes me happy. Let's see how I do...
- I've added extra to my RRSPs (although for some reason I'm going to get less back on my tax return - must be to do with the lower PST, maybe I should have payroll deduct more from me?)
- I've got my line of credit up and running
- I've paid off my M/C via my LoC
- I've set up an automatic payment schedule for the LoC
- I've been updating my excel file of my outgoing cash (which I've been doing without changing my spending habits so far, so it'll be an accurate reflection of my lack of self-control)
- Started a change jar (well, it's really a miniature recycling bin from Solutions *grin*)
Anyway, I feel like I've accomplished a lot, and it makes me feel like I should do more. So I also decided to expand a bit artistically (well, as far as that goes anyway) so I've joined both Photogamer and 365 Days on Flickr, and though I've missed a few days here and there, I've been doing well, and it makes me happy. Let's see how I do...
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
February...
Well, the bruise is almost gone from my left knee, and the coral mark on my right knee isn't but is at least settling down to being just a mark. And I'm almost done peeling - which really wasn't so much peeling as flaking, I've been topping up the world's supply of dust *grin*
So yeah, settling back in. Finishing my Extermaknit Dalek (just have the base left!), watching new Torchwood (sooo much better than last season) and Lost (ditto).
So what else is new? Um, darts has been good, in fact I won my singles 401 lastnight, which was very cool! Joined the Flickr 365 Days pool, so let's see if I can keep this up.
Valentine's Day was nice, we stayed in and watched Down With Love and ate lasagna and chocolate lava cakes, mmm...
Oh, last Friday T and I went to see In Bruges, which was pretty cool - better than I was expecting actually.
Oh oh, two weeks ago I went to see my finance guy - I have a number of things to do now.
So yeah, settling back in. Finishing my Extermaknit Dalek (just have the base left!), watching new Torchwood (sooo much better than last season) and Lost (ditto).
So what else is new? Um, darts has been good, in fact I won my singles 401 lastnight, which was very cool! Joined the Flickr 365 Days pool, so let's see if I can keep this up.
Valentine's Day was nice, we stayed in and watched Down With Love and ate lasagna and chocolate lava cakes, mmm...
Oh, last Friday T and I went to see In Bruges, which was pretty cool - better than I was expecting actually.
Oh oh, two weeks ago I went to see my finance guy - I have a number of things to do now.
- Top up my RRSP contribution before the end of the month
- Reactivate my line of credit (which is annoying, as it means I have to go up to the Queen & Yonge branch during their work hours of 2:15 and 2:30 - okay, slight exaggeration, but still, I have a job, you know?)
- Pay off my M/C with my line of credit
- Set up automatic payments into my line of credit
- Keep track of my purchases - every little penny
- Switch from Sympatico to Rogers - maybe I can get a deal?
- Cancel my home phone - Bell has made enough money off me, thank you
- Put all of my change in a jar
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Mexico - a week away
Okay, I've decided I'm just going to give you a quick precis of the trip, rather than post forever and ever.
J*'s luggage got held back by Mexican customs, and arrived about 36 hours later - it had been opened, and clothing, toiletries and her straightening iron were missing! The thieves (yes, they were thieves, doesn't matter that they were thieving in their jobs) thought a hoochie-mama shirt and tacky bag would be a good trade though and provided those. Lesson: never put anything you'd cry if you lost in your suitcase! Luckily she hadn't, but it was still irritating.
The resort was just vast, really huge - we didn't see the whole thing while we were there. The architecture was really sleek and modern (heard someone complaining that it was 'cold' but really it was really stunning). The rooms were great - don't splash out on the ultra huge suite, the regular ones are like half an apartment as they are. Bathrooms in the suites are amazing - my dream bathroom would be modelled after them I think, with the addition of a linen closet, really. Double jacuzzi, mmm...
The beach was a bit rockier than other places I've been, there's a lot of coral there, so I was glad I got swim shoes for L and I before we went down. Didn't stop me from bashing my knee on a rock and cutting my ankle though, but it wasn't bad - the snorkeling was pretty cool and the waterproof camera case worked really well (check out the pix on my flickr Mexico set).
Lessee, how did we fill our week? Well, on Sunday J* and I went for a 'tour' of the Lapis Jewelry Company to see how it's made - this consisted of a couple of people behind glass looking downwards and then a huge showroom of overpriced, mostly gaudy crap. Not only did I not see anything being made, I also didn't see anything I'd want. Luckily we hadn't paid anything except a $2 tip to our driver. To be honest, there was a Lapis store right at the resort with nicer stuff (still overpriced) and another one within the complex our resort was in (I got a silver ring with a huge red Cubic Zirconia stone in it for $30, I'm happy with that).
L and I spent Monday on a day-long bus trip that took us to the Ik-Kil GeoArchaeological Park and Blue Cenote and then on to Chichen Itza. This was a really cool trip, and I'm glad I took it - I wish I'd used the washroom on the bus before getting to the cenote though, there wasn't enough time to swim in it! And you're not allowed to climb the castillo anymore at Chichen Itza, only the observatory. Ah well, next time I'll go to Coba. I bought a t-shirt for my Dad there, a tour/photo book of the site and an oddly-framed collection of Mayan designs, no idea how I'm going to display it.
On Tuesday evening J* & P & I went into Playa del Carmen to do some shopping (yup, it's all about the shopping with us - L stayed on the resort and lounged). Two things have I discovered. a) Playa has lots of cool shops that all play great music, and 2) I need to lose weight. Anyway, I got a ring for my Mum and one for myself (both with twilight topaz, mine in white gold with diamonds and hers in silver) and some gifty things. Playa's beautiful at night, we could see the cruise ships off in the distance.
On Wednesday J* & P & I spend the daylight hours at Xel-Ha (poor L doesn't snorkel so he stayed behind again - either I've got to get him snorkeling or someone else has to join with us next time!). What a great place! Iguanas everywhere, stingrays and conches and macaws, oh my! Just beautiful. Nice hiking too, L would have liked that part I think. Finally found a t-shirt for myself I liked (Huh - guardian of the earth).
Thursday and Friday I didn't venture off the resort, although we got an interesting surprise on Thursday - mice! Yep, a pregnant mouse decided the blanket on one of our beds would make a good nest and chewed a huge hole in it - left a couple of baby mice behind too. Freaked me out just a bit - but they came and cleaned everything up really well so we didn't try to get another room.
Other highlights of the trip:
J*'s luggage got held back by Mexican customs, and arrived about 36 hours later - it had been opened, and clothing, toiletries and her straightening iron were missing! The thieves (yes, they were thieves, doesn't matter that they were thieving in their jobs) thought a hoochie-mama shirt and tacky bag would be a good trade though and provided those. Lesson: never put anything you'd cry if you lost in your suitcase! Luckily she hadn't, but it was still irritating.
The resort was just vast, really huge - we didn't see the whole thing while we were there. The architecture was really sleek and modern (heard someone complaining that it was 'cold' but really it was really stunning). The rooms were great - don't splash out on the ultra huge suite, the regular ones are like half an apartment as they are. Bathrooms in the suites are amazing - my dream bathroom would be modelled after them I think, with the addition of a linen closet, really. Double jacuzzi, mmm...
The beach was a bit rockier than other places I've been, there's a lot of coral there, so I was glad I got swim shoes for L and I before we went down. Didn't stop me from bashing my knee on a rock and cutting my ankle though, but it wasn't bad - the snorkeling was pretty cool and the waterproof camera case worked really well (check out the pix on my flickr Mexico set).
Lessee, how did we fill our week? Well, on Sunday J* and I went for a 'tour' of the Lapis Jewelry Company to see how it's made - this consisted of a couple of people behind glass looking downwards and then a huge showroom of overpriced, mostly gaudy crap. Not only did I not see anything being made, I also didn't see anything I'd want. Luckily we hadn't paid anything except a $2 tip to our driver. To be honest, there was a Lapis store right at the resort with nicer stuff (still overpriced) and another one within the complex our resort was in (I got a silver ring with a huge red Cubic Zirconia stone in it for $30, I'm happy with that).
L and I spent Monday on a day-long bus trip that took us to the Ik-Kil GeoArchaeological Park and Blue Cenote and then on to Chichen Itza. This was a really cool trip, and I'm glad I took it - I wish I'd used the washroom on the bus before getting to the cenote though, there wasn't enough time to swim in it! And you're not allowed to climb the castillo anymore at Chichen Itza, only the observatory. Ah well, next time I'll go to Coba. I bought a t-shirt for my Dad there, a tour/photo book of the site and an oddly-framed collection of Mayan designs, no idea how I'm going to display it.
On Tuesday evening J* & P & I went into Playa del Carmen to do some shopping (yup, it's all about the shopping with us - L stayed on the resort and lounged). Two things have I discovered. a) Playa has lots of cool shops that all play great music, and 2) I need to lose weight. Anyway, I got a ring for my Mum and one for myself (both with twilight topaz, mine in white gold with diamonds and hers in silver) and some gifty things. Playa's beautiful at night, we could see the cruise ships off in the distance.
On Wednesday J* & P & I spend the daylight hours at Xel-Ha (poor L doesn't snorkel so he stayed behind again - either I've got to get him snorkeling or someone else has to join with us next time!). What a great place! Iguanas everywhere, stingrays and conches and macaws, oh my! Just beautiful. Nice hiking too, L would have liked that part I think. Finally found a t-shirt for myself I liked (Huh - guardian of the earth).
Thursday and Friday I didn't venture off the resort, although we got an interesting surprise on Thursday - mice! Yep, a pregnant mouse decided the blanket on one of our beds would make a good nest and chewed a huge hole in it - left a couple of baby mice behind too. Freaked me out just a bit - but they came and cleaned everything up really well so we didn't try to get another room.
Other highlights of the trip:
- bacon, hashbrowns and pains au chocolate every morning
- the adventures of the Dude clan
- swimming with squid
- lazy river tubing
- crocheting an octopus
- watching Torchwood with Spanish subtitles (the commercials for it were fun too)
- new friends from Alberta and Ottawa
- the margaritas in the main bar
- updating 'the list'
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
I'm back and I'm tan! Well, slighly more beige...
That's right, I'm back! The week before the trip I was way too busy to even glance at my blog, let alone update it, and while I was gone I wasn't going to jump on here *grin* so here I am!
Saturday January 19th: Woke up at stupid o'clock (around 3AM I think?) so L's father could drive us to the airport. Glad we did too, not too bad when we got there but the whole city came in after us! The flight was okay, Rush Hour 3 was the flick (didn't bother with that to be honest) so we all tried to get some sleep. Well, tried - a couple of people on the flight were FAR TOO EXCITED about the trip. No sleep for me. Bus ride from the airport to the hotel took about 45 minutes longer than it should have as they had to stop and buy more cheap Corona to get the stupid people who were going to an all-inclusive place to buy from them at a crazy markup. I got a bit of sleep on the way.
more to come...
Saturday January 19th: Woke up at stupid o'clock (around 3AM I think?) so L's father could drive us to the airport. Glad we did too, not too bad when we got there but the whole city came in after us! The flight was okay, Rush Hour 3 was the flick (didn't bother with that to be honest) so we all tried to get some sleep. Well, tried - a couple of people on the flight were FAR TOO EXCITED about the trip. No sleep for me. Bus ride from the airport to the hotel took about 45 minutes longer than it should have as they had to stop and buy more cheap Corona to get the stupid people who were going to an all-inclusive place to buy from them at a crazy markup. I got a bit of sleep on the way.
more to come...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Goodbye hair!
I forgot to mention in my post yesterday (well, not really forgot so much as deliberately didn't mention it so as to not give it away to L before seeing him!) - I got my hair cut! Took off about three inches or so, the girls at work almost cried like I'd gone on What Not To Wear or something, they said it took ten years off me *grin* I've got a sort of layered bob now, really nice.
I'm happy. BTW, if you're in downtown Toronto and you want a good cut, Harry's my guy and he totally rocks...
And in an unrelated story, I just finished water-testing my waterproof diving case for my digital camera - no leaks, all good! I bought it via Amazon.com rather than locally - hey, I'm all for supporting local business, but the $180 difference in price was a bit too much to deal with. I'm really happy I finally got it, as I'm going to spend the entire week in Mexico snorkeling and I want better pix this time...
Oh, didn't I mention, we're going to Mexico! Yup, a week at Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach in Akumal - snorkeling, swim-up bar, double jacuzzis, seven a-la-carte restaurants, old crumbly buildings (remember how I love those?) - it'll be hard to come back! I got my own snorkel and mask this time, no more borrowed snorkels (eew)...
I'm happy. BTW, if you're in downtown Toronto and you want a good cut, Harry's my guy and he totally rocks...
And in an unrelated story, I just finished water-testing my waterproof diving case for my digital camera - no leaks, all good! I bought it via Amazon.com rather than locally - hey, I'm all for supporting local business, but the $180 difference in price was a bit too much to deal with. I'm really happy I finally got it, as I'm going to spend the entire week in Mexico snorkeling and I want better pix this time...
Oh, didn't I mention, we're going to Mexico! Yup, a week at Grand Sirenis Mayan Beach in Akumal - snorkeling, swim-up bar, double jacuzzis, seven a-la-carte restaurants, old crumbly buildings (remember how I love those?) - it'll be hard to come back! I got my own snorkel and mask this time, no more borrowed snorkels (eew)...
Saturday, January 12, 2008
This week
...has been an interesting one. Work-wise it's been relatively quiet, and good thing too - IT finally came through with their promise from two years ago to get me a new computer. See, I got that damned Aurora/Nail virus (may its creator rot in pestilential hell) and, as you no doubt know, it can't be removed - you've gotta wipe your entire hard drive and reinstall windows (I'd like to point out that at home I'm on a Mac - an iMac Intel Core Duo to be precise, named Metatron - and I love it dearly).
So because of the virus they couldn't simply mirror my computer, they had to reinstall everything. Of course they missed stuff, and we've spent this entire week trying to figure out what. And also, since it was a fresh install and not a transfer of data, all of my preferences are still on the old computer, as is my work iTunes library, gah!
Anyway, I'm glad it was quiet.
New DVDs for 2007! L got me SNL Season 2 and Dead Like Me Season 2 for my birthday, how sweet! I haven't started watching them yet though, not seriously - I dipped into SNL - as I got so many DVDs for Xmas! I'll list those soon.
Oh, and on top of that, we went to see Juno on Thursday night - which was just amazing, I adored it. Can't recommend it enough. Ellen Page is fantastic.
So because of the virus they couldn't simply mirror my computer, they had to reinstall everything. Of course they missed stuff, and we've spent this entire week trying to figure out what. And also, since it was a fresh install and not a transfer of data, all of my preferences are still on the old computer, as is my work iTunes library, gah!
Anyway, I'm glad it was quiet.
New DVDs for 2007! L got me SNL Season 2 and Dead Like Me Season 2 for my birthday, how sweet! I haven't started watching them yet though, not seriously - I dipped into SNL - as I got so many DVDs for Xmas! I'll list those soon.
Oh, and on top of that, we went to see Juno on Thursday night - which was just amazing, I adored it. Can't recommend it enough. Ellen Page is fantastic.
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Twenty-Aught-Eight!
Yeah, I suck, I haven't posted since LAST YEAR! Three months, gah.
So anyway. Today I am 38. People keep asking me if I feel old. Well, yes I do, but not any more so than I did yesterday. But it's not just old, it's prematurely old, that's how I feel. Aches and pains and grey hairs and all that, when I can't possibly even be a proper adult yet.
The house is a disaster. But I'm buggered if I'm cleaning it on my birthday, when I won't clean it on other days. *sigh*
Okay, I'll have to do a proper post later. I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but if I did, posting properly would be one of them. Also I'm sure I have a bunch of stuff in post purgatory waiting for their ascension, I'll check on that...
So anyway. Today I am 38. People keep asking me if I feel old. Well, yes I do, but not any more so than I did yesterday. But it's not just old, it's prematurely old, that's how I feel. Aches and pains and grey hairs and all that, when I can't possibly even be a proper adult yet.
The house is a disaster. But I'm buggered if I'm cleaning it on my birthday, when I won't clean it on other days. *sigh*
Okay, I'll have to do a proper post later. I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but if I did, posting properly would be one of them. Also I'm sure I have a bunch of stuff in post purgatory waiting for their ascension, I'll check on that...
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