Golden Pouchcakes

Life Songs: the ’80s part two

2012-01-08T17:43:00.000-05:00

I’m back! Sick as a dog, can’t go out (missing a gorgeous day out there too), so thought I’d continue with the Life Songs project.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Looking back on 2011

2012-01-01T17:09:00.002-05:00

Happy new year everyone! I hope you all had a great night last night. I know I did — they say the way you spend your New Year’s Eve is the way you’ll spend your year, and if that’s true I think I’m going to have an awesome one, surrounded by good food, yummy drinks, great friends (new and old) and glittery nail polish *grin*

So let’s see, what kind of a year was 2011...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

O Come All Ye Faithful Readers

2011-12-18T23:20:00.001-05:00

A few of my favourite bloggers have been sharing their favourite Xmas music, and I thought I might as well jump on that ’ol bandwagon and share a few of my own favourites and a few interesting lesser-known ones. I’m afraid I can’t keep it to 10 (are you at all surprised by that?) so here’s a bigger list — no particular order!
...you KNOW I have more to say...

This is me, sharing way too much (a catch-up post)

2011-12-15T23:37:00.002-05:00

So it's been a little while since I posted about anything that wasn't about my favourite music. About three months actually. (Not that the music posts haven't been interesting, but they've sidetracked me a bit.) Here's a little rundown of what's been going on.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Life Songs: The ’80s, Part One

2011-11-12T01:25:00.005-05:00

Okay, I’ve had a good long think about the ’80s, and there’s just too much to blog at once. So I’m breaking it up! I’m realizing I can’t even keep it to around 10 per year now (geez Ben, how did you choose ONE per year?), so this is going to just get silly…
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Life Songs: ’70s, additional

2011-09-23T17:36:00.009-04:00

Okay, so I’ve been pondering that last list and I realize I left a LOT out, and here’s some other ones I came up with. I know my list is way too freakin’ long now.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

An updated quote

2011-09-14T13:16:00.001-04:00

It’s about time I changed the quote at the bottom, don’t you think? It’s been there for a while. I’m replacing it with Roy Batty’s final speech from Blade Runner (as given by the illustrious Rutger Hauer). For posterity, it replaces this, Lloyd Dobler’s description of what he wants to do with his life, from Say Anything... (portrayed by John Cusack):

I don’t want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don’t want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don’t want to do that.

Life Songs: 70s

2011-09-14T01:06:00.009-04:00

An awesome friend of mine once made a disc for me of ‘life songs’ – that is, a favourite song from every year of his life. I attempted to make one for him in return, but I couldn’t limit it to one song per year. I present for you here a revised version of that list.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Best day ever?

2011-08-28T09:54:00.000-04:00

Maybe.

Friday I took the Casino bus into Niagara Falls to visit my folks. Dad met me at the casino, we went to the all-you-can-eat buffet (where I proceeded to drip several kinds of sauce onto my favourite green shirt) and then to the slots.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Oops, have I been missing again?

2011-08-24T22:43:00.010-04:00

I realize I haven't been posting much lately, so here's a little catch-up:
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Girl in a closet

2011-08-19T00:24:00.002-04:00

Cast your mind back, through the mists of time, to July 18, 2006...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Adventures on the TTC

2011-07-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

Today has been interesting to say the least. ...you KNOW I have more to say...

The Impossible Astronaut / The Day of The Moon

2011-05-01T16:43:00.033-04:00

Okay, so I have seen the Dr Who season opener two-parter, and I have theories and questions. The Boy does as well, so let’s see what we’ve got. Don’t follow the jump if you don’t want to be spoiler-ed!
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Farewell, Sarah Jane.

2011-04-26T12:43:00.008-04:00

Last week, on April 19th, Elisabeth Sladen passed away after a quiet battle with cancer. The news came as a complete shock to me, delivered by phone while I was at The Ontario Science Centre with friends, for whom it was also quite a blow. Fittingly, we were standing in an exhibit on disasters. That evening we attended a fundraiser for WhoParty 15 and toasted her memory....you KNOW I have more to say...

Friggin' Bus.

2011-04-24T19:23:00.003-04:00

If you put your feedback address on your site, I WILL send it to you...

Bad planning, Coach Canada.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Hotness, the Dentist and Rugsucker Kolodny

2011-04-12T00:22:00.000-04:00

Been pretty busy lately - darts is done for the season (I wasn't fabulous, but I held my own), T and I are caught up watching modern Dr Who (new series premieres at Easter, are you ready?), and the weather's been too beautiful to ignore!...you KNOW I have more to say...

Happy Anniversary to me!

2011-03-26T20:23:00.021-04:00

Two anniversaries, actually – three weeks ago I had my 10-year anniversary with my firm, and a year ago today was the closing date on my condo!...you KNOW I have more to say...

Stuff I’ve Got: Wii Edition

2011-03-20T00:25:00.002-04:00

So I’ve had my Wii for a little over a year now and, while I don’t play as often as I used to, I still quite enjoy it. So I just wanted to share what I’ve picked up for it since last January!
...you KNOW I have more to say...

New design!

2011-03-13T21:41:00.004-04:00

Well, I’ve finally taken the plunge and updated my blog design. Whaddya think? Does everything still work alright? Does the heading font come through? Leave me a comment, let me know!

Wordcloud, anyone?

2011-03-13T18:22:00.004-04:00

Here’s a wordcloud generated from this very blog!

You can make one too, just visit Wordle!

Today is a good day

2011-03-11T12:11:00.006-05:00

I’m having a pretty good day today. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I’m feeling positive about things and I’m much bubblier around the office than I have been for weeks (seriously, I’ve been a complete bitch here lately, stressy stressy stress). Possible reasons: ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Oh pointy dart, oh pointy pointy

2011-03-09T01:27:00.005-05:00

I can’t believe it. I truly can’t believe it.

Tonight, ladies and gents, I won EVERY ONE of my dart games. And not just best of three, either - I won all three rounds in two games each.

What can it mean? Have I improved? Well yeah, I have to a degree. Let’s just put it down to that, shall we? ...you KNOW I have more to say...

I haz a keyboard!

2011-03-02T14:39:00.008-05:00

I love my implements, I really really do. My iPad (which I have yet to name, btw) is a constant joy. Much as I love it though, the keypad isn't sufficient for long amounts of typing - because it's on-screen, there's no tactile response, so you have to be looking at it as you type, no touch-typing (oh, you can touch-type on the screen? Bite me, you're either lying or really have too much time on your hands).

Enter the bluetooth keyboard! ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Five Rounds Rapid

2011-02-24T00:31:00.005-05:00

Nicholas Courtney died yesterday. Apparently he'd been ill for some time, so it shouldn't have been a surprise; nevertheless, it was somewhat shocking news to wake up to this morning. ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Doctor Who and the Incredibly Tardy Blog Post

2011-02-21T00:28:00.004-05:00

Okay, I suck. I freely admit it. I have so many posts languishing in Draft Purgatory I could release them as a novel. A badly-written novel, but still... ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Been busy. Here, catch up.

2010-09-08T22:14:00.014-04:00

Oops, sorry folks, got caught up doing stuff! What, you ask? Well sit down, this could take a while......you KNOW I have more to say...

iPhone for me? Please?

2010-08-14T20:22:00.005-04:00

Okay, so it goes like this.

Mid-July my friend at work decided it was time for a new phone, which got me thinking about the fact that my own current phone is from 2006, and since I'm on Rogers I'm definitely due for a new one. My current phone plan is good, but I want a data phone. ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Back from the North

2010-08-08T18:42:00.002-04:00

I'm back! T's cottage was fabulous, as always. Days spent lounging, reading, crafting and keeping him from electrocuting himself with the giant-ass batteries in the basement. ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Quick movie post

2010-07-22T23:07:00.004-04:00

Despicable Me
I saw this a week ago today. It was excellent. What? Details? ...you KNOW I have more to say...

Steve Hackett with Renaissance, The Mod Club, July 7, 2010

2010-07-08T18:23:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday morning my coworker D popped her head around the wall and said “Do you like Steve Hackett?”

...you KNOW I have more to say...

The List - an updated version

2010-07-05T13:45:00.005-04:00

Wow, looks like the last time I updated the list was two years ago. Maybe I should revisit!

I’m gonna narrow it down to five I think, in no particular order:

...you KNOW I have more to say...

What does it all mean?

2010-06-12T10:02:00.007-04:00

I’ve just had my first dream set in my new place. And it was a weird one:
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Going to a forum.

2010-06-11T18:32:00.001-04:00

I got an invite today to RGD Ontario’s In-house Breakfast Forum next week, and I’m going (as long as I can get registered on Monday, no one was there when I called today) – I’m excited too, ’cos it’s not often something like this comes along that’s actually relevant to me. I mean, I always get the PM Forum emails but they have no bearing on what I do. Also, one of the panelists was my agent when I first worked for MacTemps 13 years ago (he’s now the president of his own company, cool), and that’s pretty awesome.

I Allow Media To Sway My Opinions.

2010-06-07T12:31:00.003-04:00

Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration. But honestly, I don’t listen to the radio anymore, everything sounds like the same crap (I don’t have satellite radio, and yes I know that would change my mind). But I like new stuff I hear in commercials and on TV shows and in movies.

...you KNOW I have more to say...

Random ramblings

2010-06-06T13:15:00.007-04:00

Okay, so I know I’m lazy. I’m still digging out from under all the moving boxes, but I’m making slow progress every day so I’m not overly disappointed in myself.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Guilty, but with an explanation...

2010-05-21T21:27:00.013-04:00

(yes, from Bananas)

Okay, I see it’s been, um, NINETEEN WEEKS since I posted! No way am I going to do a complete update. But I’ve had my reasons.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

2010: The Death List

2010-01-07T08:13:00.005-05:00

Okay, so we’re not wishing these people would die, these are merely predictions for the coming year. Believe me, I’d be heartbroken over the deaths of a number of people on this list. But not all of them!

To be honest, we do this ever year on New Year’s Eve or thereabouts, but we always forget to write them down. Not this time!
...you KNOW I have more to say...

A new year... a new decade...

2010-01-01T11:58:00.004-05:00

...a new Doctor! But I'm not watching that until Sunday, so no discussing it...

Anyway, my New Year's Eve was great, up in KW again at J*&P&A's house, generating new Jersey Shore names for us all (I'm apparently H-Cat) and playing Wii Sport Resort (I'm getting one soon, maybe today). And also discussing our favourite albums of the last decade.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Xmas - the final stretch!

2009-11-30T18:11:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow is December, and I can really feel it. Everything has become so busy this month I can hardly breathe!

Okay, let me just back up a bit.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Tarot - more more more!

2009-11-18T20:57:00.046-05:00

As promised, here is another tarot round-up…
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Life skills fail.

2009-11-04T01:48:00.002-05:00

I just want to get this off my chest.

I’m a talkative person. Ask anyone who knows me, they’ll confirm it. It’s not something I can change about myself – on the occasions when I try, everyone thinks there’s something wrong because I’m not my usual, cheerful, chatty self.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Alternative Toronto

2009-10-29T08:52:00.003-04:00

And no, that’s not Toronto people who are into alternative lifestyles.

I think I’ve spoken before about ‘Alternative Toronto’ – I dream about it every once in a while, usually in different areas of the city but always consistent with the last time I dreamed about it. I keep planning on mapping it out but I never get around to it. There’s a subway station on a platform hanging over the Don Valley, a beach-and-cliff combo downtown, the financial district buildings shift and change size… Anyway, in the past nine days I’ve had two AT dreams, which seems to be an increase in frequency to me.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

So my life is suddenly quite hectic.

2009-10-27T23:51:00.004-04:00

This week I have limited access to my own bathroom, while the office tears out my old tub and bathroom flooring and replaces them (the water damage caused by tubliners must be seen to be believed, don’t be sucked in by the hype folks!). For me, showers are for getting clean and baths are for relaxing – and then you have a shower after to be clean. It’s killing me to be stuck with only baths for the whole week. But at least I don’t have the worry in the back of my head that the floor is going to finally collapse. Anyway, as a result my home is an even worse disaster area than usual, tarps down and plaster dust in everything. Can’t wait until this is done.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Louis CK and Nuit Blech

2009-10-04T10:13:00.006-04:00

So wow, Louis CK is one funny bastard, let me tell you. Thought I was gonna wet myself. And, surprisingly, a nice guy – at least he seemed that way when I met him.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Autumn has arrived

2009-10-03T17:25:00.003-04:00

Yeah, okay, so I suck. I haven’t been posting much, no. Part has been me just generally sucking, but part has also been me being VERY busy.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

They are... wed.

2009-08-23T10:58:00.008-04:00

Sorry if that sounds anticlimactic, but I was composing a beat poem at the wedding lastnight and that was the last line. Yep, just like Mike Myers in So I Married An Axe Murderer. I didn’t have the guts to get up and read it though, I suck. Perhaps I shall record myself performing it and post it on YouTube...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Weekend hijinks in Niagara

2009-08-17T22:35:00.004-04:00

So my Dad’s turning 70 this week! I can’t come home on his birthday, so I took last Friday off and had a long weekend instead. So this week was pretty busy – see, I wanted to finish that scrapbook I was working on (I’d decided to give it to him) so every free moment was spent doing that. And I finished it! And it looks pretty awesome, I must say. He and Mum are both really happy with it.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

50 Bands Live: a Facebook meme

2009-08-08T15:11:00.007-04:00

OK, here are the rules. Test your memory and your love of live music by listing 50 artists or bands (or as many as you can remember) you’ve seen in concert. List the first 50 acts that come into your head. An act you saw at a festival and opening acts count, but only if you can’t think of 50 other artists. Oh, and list the first concert you ever saw - you can remember that, can’t you?

Wanna try? Copy my post. Paste the copy into a new note or comment. Make your list. Add a title. If it’s on Facebook, tag your friends (including me).
...you KNOW I have more to say...

No excuse

2009-08-08T12:00:00.003-04:00

Yep, I have no excuse. I’ve been lax in my posting. You’d think nothing ever happens to me, wouldn’t you? And yet I’m always busy and always exhausted. It’s my own fault of course, mostly.

So what’s been going on since May? Lessee...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Tarot catch-up

2009-05-31T19:40:00.009-04:00

Wow, I’ve really sucked about posting lately, but I have been quite busy. Not an excuse really, but that’s what I’ve got. Work has been crazy and I’ve been preparing for having house guests, so I haven’t been doing too much outside of that. But I have bought four more Tarot card decks since my last deck update...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Towel Day

2009-05-25T08:20:00.004-04:00

Douglas Adams, on Towels:

“A towel, [The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have. Partly it has great practical value. You can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapors; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a miniraft down the slow heavy River Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (such a mind-boggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can’t see it, it can’t see you); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.”

International Towel Day was first proposed by D Clyde Williamson and began two weeks after the death of Douglas Adams in 2001, as a tribute to the author’s life and books.

I’ve got my towel today, do you have yours?

I miss you, Mr Adams.

Who watches the Watchmen? Me.

2009-03-25T22:18:00.009-04:00

Okay. So I just saw Watchmen again, and I feel I can now step back and be critical of it... nah, it’s still full of win and awesome. I’m going to try to comment without giving stuff away, for those who haven’t read it or don’t want spoilers.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

The Tarot obsession – a follow-up post

2009-03-19T12:32:00.026-04:00

Alright, since the last post on these I’ve got two more - the Necronomicon deck and the Tarot of Atlantis. I didn’t do a real description of the decks I have though, so here’s my little review of them all, so far:
...you KNOW I have more to say...

Celebrity Spot

2009-03-13T17:59:00.005-04:00

Today I saw Ron James at St Lawrence Market. If it wasn’t him, it was someone who REALLY looks like him.

You all love Ron James, don’t you? I know I do.

That is all.

Oh, except that it’s FRIGGIN’ COLD!

Facing facts:

2009-03-11T22:29:00.016-04:00

I’ve been really terrible about posting – I have a lot of stuff in draft purgatory, and I don’t know whether I want to rescue it or not. Maybe I want to just let to let it lie there, maybe come back to it next year to see a nice surprise – like finding a $20 bill in your winter coat pocket in November.
...you KNOW I have more to say...

How many? Three?

2009-03-07T11:30:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know I was gonna back off from doing these things, but I’ll blame Chris for this so that’s okay. Doood!
...you KNOW I have more to say...

as they fly by

2009-02-22T12:56:00.007-05:00

Another fun Facebook meme - I’m going to try to not do so many of these, as they distract me from proper posting, but whatever. This one was fun.

1 - Go to “wikipedia.” Hit “random” or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to “Random quotations” or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four or five words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

3 - Go to flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover. (I did this at first, but I was finding they were all ‘all rights reserved’ images, so to avoid stepping on toes I chose a random one of my own)

4 - Use photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 - Post it to FB with the album title in the “caption” and TAG the friends you want to join in.

Back from Gallifrey One

2009-02-18T19:32:00.005-05:00

I’m back, I’m back! I didn’t blog while in Los Angeles, since I had no access (probably a good thing) but I’ll say something about it soon. In the meantime, I have to go through 3G of photos! They'll be on Flickr soon, I promise.

I miss everyone - but not the cold, as it’s about the same temperature here as it was there *groan*...

Yup, another one, this time with names

2009-02-10T00:12:00.003-05:00

c'mon, you know you want to...

WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother and fathers middle names)
Agnes George

NASCAR NAME:(first name of your mother's brother, father's brother)
Ronnie Clyde

STAR WARS NAME:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name)
Murhe

DETECTIVE NAME:(favorite color, favorite animal)
Sage Hedgehog

SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd fav color, fav drink, add "THE" to the beginning)
The Slate Triple Black (hey, my favourite drinks don't have names, had to take it from my favourite cooler)

FLY NAME:(first 2 letters of 1st name, last 2 letters of your last name)
Heay

STREET NAME:(fav ice cream flavor, fav cookie)
Chunky Monkey Pirate

SKANK NAME: (1st pet's name, street you grew up on)
Lady Pelham

GANGSTA NAME:(first 3 letters of last name plus 'izzle')
Murizzle

YOUR IRAQI NAME:(2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, first two letters of your middle name, last two letters of your first name then last three letters of your last name)
(okay, um...) Erdaerray (hey, that's not nearly as scary as I thought it was gonna be)

YOUR GOTH NAME:(black, and the name of one of your pets)
Black Evil Edna

STRIPPER NAME: (name of your fav perfume/cologne, fav candy)
Karma Thrills

The Name Game (another Facebook meme)

2009-02-04T23:43:00.003-05:00

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy to your own note, erase my answers, enter yours, and tag 10 people. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real... nothing made up! If the person before you had the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name: Heather
2. A four Letter Word: hard
3. A boy's Name: Hank
4. A girl's Name: Hannah
5. An occupation: handyman
6. A color: heliotrope (it's a purpley-pink)
7. Something you wear: hat
8. A food: hamburger
9. Something found in the bathroom: hot water tap
10. A place: home on the range
11. A reason for being late: hair dryer on the fritz
12. Something you shout: holy doodle
13. A movie title: Hellboy
14. Something you drink: hot toddies
15. A musical group: Hoodoo Gurus
16. An animal: hippopotamus
17. A street name: Henry Lane Terrace
18. A type of car: Honda
19. A song title: Heads We're Dancing (by Kate Bush)
20. A verb: hold

25 facts about me, weird and otherwise.

2009-02-03T11:24:00.001-05:00

Okay, finally giving in to this Facebook meme...
...you KNOW I have more to say...

'twas hard.

2009-01-11T20:38:00.001-05:00

It was a hard week this week, going back to work after two weeks off. There was a lot to catch up on, and my stuff from the holidays is all still sitting in cases in the living room! Anyway, got back to darts (won my doubles 501), made a new pouch for my stones (the one they came with kinda sucked), tried out my new stones, and I bought a slow cooker and tested it out – mac & cheese, which turned out a bit dry, I think I have to revise the recipe…

I’m Jack Benny’s age

2009-01-05T14:43:00.003-05:00

While I was home over the holidays Mum took delight in telling me I’d be Jack Benny’s age on my birthday this year. Funnier than the comment, though, was her delight in sharing it with me – and, to be honest, every time I think of it I smile, so that’s all good.

Okay, so let’s do this in order or I’ll get emotional.

New Year’s Day I wondered why I hadn’t heard from the parents, so the day after I called and left a message just to say Happy New Year’s and all that. Didn’t think about it after that – Janelle had given me a knitting book for my birthday (early) but I already have that one, so she took me and Anita into New Hamburg to the shop she got it from so we could exchange it – I ended up with two new books and two new needles! Can’t help myself. It looked like I wasn’t going to be able to see Shawn on this trip otherwise, so when we got back to Kitchener we met him at Ethel’s for dinner – I miss Shawn, he used to come into town for camera safaris all the time, but I haven’t had the time to arrange another one in a long time, I need to make the effort more this year.

The plan that evening was to go to The Rude Native for a night of drinking and live music with the girls, but when J* and I got there the band we expected wasn’t playing – so we went over to Symposium instead and sat in the comfy chairs there. Good decision.

So weird stuff happened on Saturday. Janelle, Anita, J* and I went to the Psychic Fair, which was kinda cool, but it was the beginning of a disturbing weekend.

We first went to a talk given by a medium, she was a lovely woman who picked various people out and talked to them about the people who were guiding them, and she picked both Janelle and J* out and was oddly accurate with both of them. During this I found myself thinking of my Uncle Ronnie, who passed away a couple of years ago, and getting a bit weepy. Now, me getting weepy isn’t strange in any way – ask anyone who knows me, they’ll tell you I cry during Kleenex commercials – but I hadn’t been emotional thinking about him in a while. No problem, I had my hanky, just dabbed my eyes and continued on with the day – I’m sure people around me thought I had a cold or something, no big deal.

So we all walked around the fair, separating out and perusing the different psychics/mediums/aura readers etc., seeing if anything called to us. Janelle went to a woman who told her incredibly accurate things and basically shook her. That doesn’t sound good though, does it? It was, she was very happy with the experience. Okay, so we all went around, I looked at some jewelry and pendulums, but nothing grabbed me. Still thinking a bit about Ronnie, still a bit weepy. Went to the table with books and a bunch of tarot decks, but nothing called to me. Then I came to a table with lovely candles and I was smelling them all (all very nice) and I saw the Stone Tarot Kit. The lady at the table told me about them, I loved the scent of the candle, and she had me pull a stone from the bag and told me something a bit freaky, we talked for a while and she had me pull two more and told me something else pretty accurate and, well, I ended up buying the kit. It was the first thing that spoke to me, so there you go.

By this time, Janelle and Anita had to go but Tanya came to join us. Okay, so I finally decided on someone I thought might be good for me to hear from, but he was totally booked for the rest of the day, and we couldn’t come back on Sunday so I decided to go to the same person Janelle went to. She was a nice woman, I’d have tea with her, she told me a couple of strange things that made me think a bit but I didn’t feel like I’d had any kind of special experience with her. I felt a bit let down, really.

So I came out from there, found J*and Tanya, and they asked how it went – and I had a full-blown freakout! I immediately burst into tears. Not just a bit weepy, I mean serious sobbing, had to cling to Tanya and bawl on her shoulder, chin wobbling, face turning red, unable to speak, the whole thing. When I could finally speak I told them that the lady didn’t tell me much and I wasn’t sure why all this was happening, but that I’d been thinking of Ronnie all day. Then it happened again, sobbing and weeping, and I had to go to the washroom to put a cold cloth on my face. Strangers asked me if I was okay, that sort of thing. Phew.

Okay, I came out and we went around the rest of the show and left, me still with this huge lump in my chest and dabbing my eyes, and soon it was time to go. We went outside, got in Tanya’s truck, started to drive away… and I immediately felt lighter and clearer, it was gone.

J* is convinced – and I agree, it’s the only explanation I can think of – it’s all down to all the focusing forces in that giant room, all the mediums and such. I’d love to come up with a more rational explanation, but frankly one doesn’t present itself.

Alright, back to a bit of normalcy.

That evening I made myself pretty in some of my new finery, ’cos we were all going out for my annual pre-birthday dinner at Del Dante. There were a lot of us, we took up two tables, and it was a lot of fun. Good food, great dessert, yummy drinks, and lots of visiting with friends. Many of them came back to J*&P&A’s house afterwards too, and we all had a great evening together. I thought the freakouts were done. Ha.

So Sunday morning I finished a pair of mittens I made for my godson (I had them finished before, but they weren’t long enough for his wee wrists, so I had to extend them) and then we all packed into cars to go to Oscar’s (if you’ve never been, GO).

On the way I turned my phone on to find a message from Mum. Her voice sounded funny and she left a message that didn’t give any news, just that I had to call her. That just wasn’t right, and I was a bit scared so I called her right away, thinking about the fact that I hadn’t heard from them since I left town. She told me that on Tuesday, just a few hours after I left, she had been putting Xmas decorations away and stepped off the ladder wrong and broke her leg. TUESDAY. This was SUNDAY. So she’d had a broken leg for FIVE DAYS. My first thought was, how do I get back to Welland right away? How do I take that time off work? But she told me she was fine, surgery went well (surgery??!) and she was home from the hospital. She didn’t want Dad to tell me, as he’s far more emotional than she is and she knew that I’d be a mess. Which I was. We got to Oscar’s and I told everyone what had happened and broke down AGAIN. Wow. My eyes were so sore after two days of this! Is this what it is to be 39? And it wasn’t even by birthday yet!

So anyway, when we finally left, we gave Anita a lift back to Toronto. And got a speeding ticket coming down Mount Pleasant. And from a pleasant cop, strangely enough. Why can’t they all be like her? It doesn’t have to be a terrible thing, you know.

Which brings us to today. Today is my birthday, and for the first time I’ve taken it off work. I’ve slept in, watched some DVDs, listened to some music, and now I’m writing about my freak-out weekend. Back to work tomorrow! I don’t know if it’s going to be easy or hard to go back…

A whole new year

2009-01-02T00:20:00.001-05:00

Happy new year everyone! I’m in Kitchener at J*&P&A’s again, as per usual. Lastnight was nice, we had people over to celebrate the new year (and I didn’t have any alcohol, what’s up with that?) but tonight we went to Steve & Sue’s – Steve kept me well-lubricated, Sue made some really fabulous food, and I had a fun card game with the parents too. Nice night.

Oh yeah, so Christmas was really nice, I got some really nice presents and the parents liked what I gave them too, and my brother Dano was able to come home for a couple of days too, we got to hang out and relax, have good food (Mum’s cooking is the best, predictably).

This year Mum and I made sugar cookies for the first time in a long long time, and shortbread too, but they all went fast *grin* – oh, and after we had hot turkey sandwiches on Friday, Mum made Leftover Pie! Think Chicken Pot Pie, except in a huge casserole dish, with homemade pastry, and all the turkey and stuffing and gravy and mashed potatoes and peas in it, mmm… I had a big piece every day I was home, and if I was coming home before up to Kitchener I would have brought a bunch home with me! Favourite Xmas leftovers ever!

On Saturday the boy came in and we went into St Catharines so I could exchange a couple of things (wrong size and duplicates) and I ended up buying myself a couple of shirts – and Luca actually told me I should, so there. We also went to see Mike and watched the Dr Who Xmas special for this year, which was a lot of fun – I was worried from the trailers for it, but it all turned out well, except I think they went way overboard with the… well, I won’t say in case you haven’t seen it yourself. And we played Settlers of Catan on his new board that he made himself, beautiful!

While I was home I also got to see Danny from Seattle and Tim from Vancouver again, which was really nice. I don’t see them except at Xmas when they come home to see their families, I want to go out to visit them sometime!

So yeah, on Tuesday morning Dad took me into St Catharines to get the bus to Hamilton and then through to Kitchener, no more rest for me! P picked me up and we took my stuff in, and J* and I immediately went out again to Janelle’s for lunch and then we all went to Winners and The Bay. Yep, shopping. Are you surprised? You shouldn’t be. Got a bunch of stuff I didn’t necessarily need but looked good on me and were on super sales, so there you go. Got back home, immediately went out again to go swimming at the most amazing indoor pool I’ve ever been in! It was all separated out into sections, and there was a cool ramp to walk down to enter the pool, and it wasn’t cold in any way – and then we soaked in the hot tub before leaving. Fast visit, we were there maybe an hour altogether? I was really tired after that, surprise…

Before the New Year’s Eve celebrations yesterday we brought Juliana with us to Old Navy, where I got my very first angora sweater – it’s the softest thing I’ve ever worn, I adore it! And really, painter pants for $5? How could I not? …then we went to the other Winners of course, I will not speak of that except to say we all did well. *grin*

Okay, I’m going to bed, I’ve monopolized P’s laptop for long enough…

Christmas Eve, of course.

2008-12-24T23:47:00.001-05:00

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!

Anyway, the weather’s been insane, snowing furiously and then melting down and then snowing again, so there’s a lot of water around the house. So of course, the leak in the roof wasn’t enough - tonight we had a leak in the basement! Not just any leak, no - the pipe leading from the sump pump sprung a leak, but it’s behind a wall so Dad couldn’t get at it! The water was about a half inch deep in one spot in the basement!

Mum and I spend about an hour and a half mopping while Dad crawled around trying to redirect the pipe, and then I crawled into the space with him and held down the trigger on the pump while he finished with the piping - it looked like a war zone, complete with trench warfare.

Another half hour or so of that and we finally had it going out the window, not ideal but good enough in a pinch. I ache all over now, and Dad was in there way longer than I was!

Christmas Eve indeed.

Finally home for the holidays

2008-12-22T00:45:00.000-05:00

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!

Good to be back...

2008-12-15T23:32:00.004-05:00

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.

So I called them as soon as I got home from work, about 6:30, thinking we’d be about a half an hour. What I ended up with was a very sore ear, and I missed most of Big Bang Theory, but in the end I got my emails both back up and running, a permanent monthly $5 reduction on my bill, a doubling of my access speed and a promise of a new modem! Turns out it was worth it.

Anyway, this weekend the boy and I went to two parties, and we had a great time at both. The traffic coming home from the first one was terrible - I’ve never seen someone try to back up in the middle of a traffic jam on the highway in front of a cop before!

I still want to switch providers, but everyone’s the same. Bah. Grumble.

I shouldn’t complain though. I’m online again, yay!

What, another Facebook game? Questions!

2008-12-12T14:26:00.002-05:00

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)...

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
April Skies (Jesus & Mary Chain)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Run On (Moby) - gee, thanks guys...

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Nature Boy (David J) - *snort*

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
The Carpet Crawlers (Genesis) - well, I did drink lastnight...

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
I Don't Remember (Peter Gabriel) - see, that's my problem

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Suits (Gresham Flyers)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
What Was Going Through My Head (Grapes of Wrath) - wow, that's kinda negative!

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
The Order Of Death (Public Image Limited)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
How We Know (The Thermals)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Ain't Misbehavin' (Leon Redbone)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Single Girl (Lush) - so, alone then?

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Get Up And Go (The Rutles)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
6th Avenue Heartache (The Wallflowers)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Does Everyone Stare (The Police) - well, I am sensitive...

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Slow Hands (Interpol)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
No New Tale To Tell (Love & Rockets)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Adam Lay Ibounden (Mediaeval Baebes)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
World Shut Your Mouth (Julian Cope) - haha! I swear it's not true!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Golden Years (David Bowie)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Eighties Fan (Camera Obscura)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
What Do I Know? (Saga) - *snort*

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Candy (Cameo) - I am kinda sweet to them...

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
I Know There's Something Going On (Frida) - hrm, lack of privacy...

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Frame By Frame (King Crimson)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
XTC vs. Adam Ant (They Might Be Giants)

(thanks Martin!)

Another facebook post: music

2008-12-12T13:34:00.006-05:00

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...

1. Talk to me, you never talk to me...
2. The general scratches his belly and thinks...
3. ~~Eftur með gaddavír í kjaftinum sem blæðir mig...~~
4. The smart money’s on harlow and the moon is in the street...
5. Get ‘em out by friday, you don’t get paid ‘til the last one’s well on its way...
6. No brakes this time, i slit the line...
7. Where has that smile on your face gone? You laughed...
8. ~~I’m so tired, of playing, playing with this bow and arrow...~~
9. My old desk does an arabesque in the mornings when I first rise
10. ~~Stronger than reason, stronger than lies, the only truth i know...~~

11. Power is as power does, and everybody wants to feel that buzz...
12. See my life (i’ve been so tired), see myself (i’ve been uptight)...
13. My uncle has a country place, that no one knows about...
14. Blackbird singing in the dead of night...
15. ~~O superman, o judge, o mom and dad...~~
16. Gazed into the visions of the night, seen the darkness fall...
17. I don’t want to work away, doing just what they all say...
18. Coming off the moon with my lady luck in haste...
19. Caution, to prevent electric shock do not remove cover, no user serviceable parts inside...
20. ~~Les sanglots longs des violons, de l’automne...~~

21. Hey there little man, get out of my frying pan...
22. The time for talking’s over now, I guess it’s time to let you go...
23. You cannot go against nature, because when you do go against nature, it’s part of nature too...
24. Every day she wakes up, her life will be a movie...
25. So this ain’t the end, i saw you again today, i had to turn my heart away...
26. With the money from her accident she bought herself a mobile home...
27. ~~Can i touch you to see if you’re real, ‘cos in nothing there’s something i feel...~~
28. Adam lay ibounden, bounden in a bond, foure thousand winter thought he not too long...
29. You can tell me anything, you are a true exception in my life...
30. Feeling so innocent, despite this room of jaded overtones...

31. Tu pourras faire c’que tu veux quand du n’s’ras plus un morveux...
32. I define my heart and soul in all these little things...
33. ~~Joseph was traveling with a heavy load, his dreams were broken and deep sorrow flowed from his brow...~~
34. ~~We ain’t going to the town, we’re going to the city...~~
35. Three wasted years standing still as you opened up, 18 miles wide on this country drive...
36. I know you know what you know but you should know by now that you’re not me...
37. The spark in his eye was a sign he was alive, i cleaned his feet to be complete...
38. Hello, I’m the guy who sits next to you and reads the newspaper over your shoulder...
39. So i ran faster, but you caught me here, yes my loyalties turned like my ankle in the seventh grade...
40. Cold and alone in the vinyard he lies...

41. ~~And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack...~~
42. Day by day, the welcome blow of yesterdays and no tomorrow...
43. One person calls someone to pour the water, because it takes two to pour the water...
44. ~~As i glanced once upon the foam forty feet beneath my feet...~~
45. One day you feel quite stable, the next you’re coming off the wall...
46. Look at the way they’re walking, all these people around are givin’ me looks...
47. Gozen jyuu-ji, sukoshi sugi bathtub ni hitoribotchi, mada kyou wa nani hitotsu yotei wa nai kedo...
48. No sense, no style, i said i loved you for a little while...
49. ~~They tried to make me go to rehab, i said no no no...~~
50. Pushing all the buttons, trying to come to something, flying with his feet on the ground...

(thanks for the quiz Erin!)

I’m dreaming of a Brown Christmas

2008-12-07T15:15:00.004-05:00

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...

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

2008-11-30T18:05:00.002-05:00

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...

A random Facebook post

2008-11-30T13:46:00.002-05:00

‘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.

Those pesky wish lists

2008-11-26T21:46:00.002-05:00

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...

Happy 45th anniversary, Doctor Who!

2008-11-23T23:39:00.003-05:00

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!

ABC: the new FOX

2008-11-21T21:32:00.002-05:00

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.

Diamonds and rain and Mars bars, oh my!

2008-11-18T23:48:00.009-05:00

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...

squidge

2008-11-14T19:16:00.001-05:00

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...

Back in black

2008-11-13T19:35:00.000-05:00

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!

Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T23:45:00.002-05:00

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!

Dear (Anonymous) Pub

2008-11-07T01:35:00.000-05:00

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...

Indecision ’08

2008-11-04T23:46:00.000-05:00

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?

What spending spree?

2008-11-03T20:08:00.000-05:00

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?

Tennant’s days are numbered!

2008-10-30T19:28:00.000-04:00

*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.

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)

Whaddya think? Personal faves: Patterson Joseph, Richard Coyle, Jason Flemyng, Stephen Mangan, maybe Sean Pertwee... Michael Ironside in a ten minute clip YouTube perhaps?

Mac & Cheese

2008-10-29T08:14:00.000-04:00

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.

Full Spectrum Dominiance

2008-10-21T23:50:00.001-04:00

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.

...and I bought NO YARN

2008-10-18T19:18:00.000-04:00

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!

Time for a change?

2008-10-15T21:21:00.003-04:00

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.

Chilly!

2008-10-08T22:15:00.001-04:00

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...

More TV - returning shows

2008-09-26T12:15:00.000-04:00

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!

EBE is hitched - and I rock

2008-09-21T22:41:00.001-04:00

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*

New shows

2008-09-16T23:50:00.003-04:00

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...

What a great weekend!

2008-09-07T21:32:00.000-04:00

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...

Canada’s Wonderland

2008-08-29T23:02:00.003-04:00

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:

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.

Upsides:

No ‘Paramount’ branding on everything.
Prices for most things at a reasonable level.
Discounted tickets from work.
Funnelcakes!

And, because I haven’t been in a while, there were lots of new rides to experience! Favourite: Back Lot Stuntcoaster (which used to be the Italian Job thing) - I loved the shock of it starting!

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...

Whither Bowlie?

2008-08-27T22:14:00.001-04:00

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?

Uniqlock

2008-08-14T18:49:00.007-04:00

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.

Limbcrafters...

2008-07-13T10:26:00.001-04:00

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.

Bollywood-style!

2008-07-09T23:50:00.001-04:00

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.

My robot is sick.

2008-06-26T16:31:00.007-04:00

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...

Influence

2008-06-23T12:05:00.031-04:00

“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:

Bill Bruford - Gradually Going Tornado
The Police - Zenyatta Mondatta
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine

And I had a fifth one that was pretty pivotal, but of course I can’t remember it now. I've looked over my collection and searched online and nothing’s ringing a bell. Ah well - I’ll add it when I finally remember it!

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

It’s a long list, but these are all albums that sound like nothing I had heard before (I can’t pretend they’re all completely unique, but we’re talking about my own exposure, not the world’s), and for me they stand the test of time.

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

What about you? What would your influential albums be?

Hey, more words!

2008-06-23T12:01:00.002-04:00

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