*no, I haven't read them all...sorry if they're rude or don't make sense...
shannon is not here
shannon is the raw gourmet
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits
shannon is a homeopathic physician practicing in portland
shannon is slider
shannon is still singing'
shannon is one of them
shannon is god
shannon is showing you exactly
shannon is from south florida
shannon is crazy
shannon is a highly recommended adult site
shannon is not a muderer
shannon is going
shannon is dead
shannon is the bomb
shannon is coming home
shannon is a very quiet person
shannon is gone
shannon is easily one of the most underrated guitarists in the industry
shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children
shannon is right on the money
shannon is the one best source for people looking to go places
shannon is a fitness centerfold and bikini model that has appeared in musclemag
shannon is secure say ibec
shannon is a living highland games legend
shannon is making an enormous contribution to the quality of life in the city of st
shannon is key
shannon is on the cover of maxim magazine
shannon is now a big movie star in the east
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants your cock
shannon is" and these are the results that i got
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet shannon is one of the hardest people to get an autograph from
shannon is not a murderer
shannon is 5
shannon is a 'superstar'
shannon is a retarted cow
shannon is 30 miles southwest of the town of charlottesville
shannon is considered as the founding father of electronic communications age
shannon is the president of first strategy corporation and a partner in the wilson shannon company
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits dads about to boink the babysitter
shannon is living
shannon is acknowledged nationally and internatioally as an anglers paradise
shannon is a junior at shadle park high school and is 16 years old
shannon is a funkmeister at heart
shannon is on feeds every three hours of 42 mls
shannon is now feeding almost always from bottle with very little going down the tube
shannon is the 123rd most popular female first name in the united states; frequency is 0
shannon is cool
shannon is a general contractor and owns his own company
shannon is a graduate of fordham university in bronx
shannon is a performing member of indiegrrl
shannon is the longest river in ireland
shannon is active in community service
shannon is full of heritage and culture with broad appeal
shannon is the ski swap and rose sale coordinator
shannon is a dork
shannon is exonerated
shannon is now in the home stretch to return to full activity
shannon is on a perilous journey
shannon is the most decorated
shannon is proud to have been an nfaa arts national finalist as well as a presidential scholar in the arts in theatre
shannon is an avid collector of celebrity and pinup memorabilia
shannon is pulled further into this seductive world of surf and sex when she falls for ty
shannon is not only a volleyball player
shannon is re
shannon is a soft spikes only golf course
shannon is desperate to communicate with john and to tell him to walk the straight and narrow
shannon is eterally grateful
shannon is an applied mathematician who is considered the father of information theory
shannon is a very welcome development as the sector is very important to the shannon
shannon is to provide high quality content
shannon is presently the hottest new blues phenomenon on the market
shannon is not just a town but a whole region of ireland
shannon is the only new member from the state of maryland
shannon is a 262
shannon is a precious 26" artist porcelain ballerina doll
shannon is headed to ucsf
shannon is only 18 years old
shannon is right in the sense that he does not mimic the blues of the
shannon is three feet six inches tall and pale with rosy red cheeks
shannon is a freshman at the university of utah
shannon is home to technical marketing and business development teams of the network processor division
shannon is often interviewed and she always speaks highly about hugh
shannon is home to shannon international airport where many planes from america make a stopover before flying on to other european destinations
shannon is ideal as a base for touring ireland
shannon is the raw gourmet
shannon is a homeopathic physician practicing in portland
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits
shannon is slider
shannon is one of them
shannon is secure say ibec
shannon is a highly recommended adult site
shannon is from south florida
shannon is going to show us her whisker
shannon is only one of many in ireland
shannon is a 'superstar'
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants your
shannon is going
shannon is coming home
shannon is a very quiet person
shannon is gone
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants your cock
shannon is right on the money
shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children
shannon is truly special
shannon is a living highland games legend
shannon is a fitness centerfold and bikini model that has appeared in musclemag
shannon is now a big movie star in the east
shannon is on the cover of maxim magazine
shannon is still singing'
shannon is making an enormous contribution to the quality of life in the city of st
shannon is dead
shannon is a dork" is bad
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet shannon is one of the hardest people to get an autograph from
shannon is key
shannon is considered as the founding father of electronic communications age
shannon is 30 miles southwest of the town of charlottesville
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits pix
shannon is acknowledged nationally and internatioally as an anglers paradise
shannon is a junior at shadle park high school and is 16 years old
shannon is the president of first strategy corporation and a partner in the wilson shannon company
shannon is located at
shannon is scheduled to compete in the reese's cup
shannon is a funkmeister at heart
shannon is the longest river in ireland
shannon is a tough prosecutor who will protect georgia families
shannon is that candidate
shannon is a general contractor and owns his own company
shannon is on feeds every three hours of 42 mls
shannon is now feeding almost always from bottle with very little going down the tube
shannon is a graduate of fordham university in bronx
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet
shannon is a performing member of indiegrrl
shannon is the 123rd most popular female first name
shannon is to provide high quality content
shannon is an applied mathematician who is considered the father of information theory
shannon is full of heritage and culture with broad appeal
shannon is exonerated
shannon is active in community service
shannon is 5"8
shannon is the ski swap and rose sale coordinator
shannon is the most decorated american gymnast
shannon is headed to ucsf
shannon is not only a volleyball player
shannon is right in the sense that he does not mimic the blues of the
shannon is pulled further into this seductive world of surf and sex when she falls for ty
shannon is an avid collector of celebrity and pinup memorabilia
shannon is eterally grateful
shannon is on a perilous journey
shannon is the air access gateway for the west of ireland
shannon is a very welcome development as the sector is very important to the shannon
shannon is 15"; 26#
shannon is a precious 26" artist porcelain ballerina doll
shannon is a first
shannon is the county town of leitrim
shannon is trusted by
shannon is three feet six inches tall and pale with rosy red cheeks
shannon is the third oldest out of her brothers and sisters
shannon is a soft spikes only golf course
shannon is engulfed in her hospital bed
shannon is her creativity and style for music
shannon is no different
shannon is a valuable addition to our equine world insurance
shannon is hassle free and you will not experience the congestion many visitors experience at dublin
shannon is just 2 miles from the airport
shannon is great at helping me see the bigger picture while keeping the little picture well organized
shannon is a homeopathic physician practicing in portland
shannon is slider
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits guys
shannon is one of them
shannon is still singing'
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants
shannon is going to show us her whisker
shannon is not here
shannon is a highly recommended adult site
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits
shannon is crazy
shannon is going to show us her
shannon is only one of many in ireland
shannon is going to show us
shannon is my goddess
shannon is the bomb
shannon is a very quiet person
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet
shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits teen tied
shannon is truly special
shannon is if you go to google and type in "yournamehere is"
shannon is a living highland games legend
shannon is secure say ibec
shannon is 4th o' july
shannon is making an enormous contribution to the quality of life in the city of st
shannon is a fitness centerfold and bikini model that has appeared in musclemag
shannon is now a big movie star in the east
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants your cock
shannon is on the cover of maxim magazine
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits nc
shannon is key
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet shannon is one of the hardest people to get an autograph from
shannon is our baby of the month
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits the dog pound rose garden 19
shannon is considered as the founding father of electronic communications age
shannon is dead
shannon is the location of intel communications europe
shannon is 30 miles southwest of the town of charlottesville
shannon is a junior at shadle park high school and is 16 years old
shannon is scheduled to compete in the reese's cup
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits wow
shannon is located at
shannon is acknowledged nationally and internatioally as an anglers paradise
shannon is a former vice president of the richmond chamber of commerce; former president of the richmond rotary club; former chairman james shannon is
shannon is the president of first strategy corporation and a partner in the wilson shannon company
shannon is on feeds every three hours of 42 mls
shannon is now feeding almost always from bottle with very little going down the tube
shannon is a general contractor and owns his own company
shannon is the 123rd most popular female first name
shannon is an applied mathematician who is considered the father of information theory
shannon is scheduled for surgery today at 5pm arizona time
shannon is also a huge fan of michelle and avril
shannon is the ski swap and rose sale coordinator
shannon is right in the sense that he does not mimic the blues of the
shannon is a graduate of fordham university in bronx
shannon is full of heritage and culture with broad appeal
shannon is the longest river in ireland
shannon is trying to help the blues evolve
shannon is active in community service
shannon is no different
shannon is the most decorated american gymnast
shannon is pulled further into this seductive world of surf and sex when she falls for ty
shannon is proud to have been an nfaa arts national finalist as well as a presidential scholar in the arts in theatre
shannon is a homeopathic physician practicing in portland
shannon is slider
shannon is one of them
shannon is still singing'
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants
shannon is going to show us her whisker
shannon is not here
shannon is a highly recommended adult site
shannon is crazy
shannon is only one of many in ireland
shannon is going to show us
shannon is my goddess
shannon is the bomb
shannon is the author and illustrator of many highly praised books for children
shannon is truly special
shannon is if you go to google and type in "yournamehere is"
shannon is a living highland games legend
shannon is secure say ibec
shannon is 4th o' july
shannon is making an enormous contribution to the quality of life in the city of st
shannon is a fitness centerfold and bikini model that has appeared in musclemag
shannon is now a big movie star in the east
shannon is showing you exactly where she wants your cock
shannon is gone
shannon is on the cover of maxim magazine
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits nc
shannon is key
shannon is not here shannon is the raw gourmet shannon is one of the hardest people to get an autograph from
shannon is our baby of the month
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits the dog pound rose garden 19
shannon is considered as the founding father of electronic communications age
shannon is dead
shannon is the location of intel communications europe
shannon is 30 miles southwest of the town of charlottesville
shannon is a junior at shadle park high school and is 16 years old
shannon is scheduled to compete in the reese's cup
shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits wow
shannon is located at
shannon is acknowledged nationally and internatioally as an anglers paradise
shannon is a former vice president of the richmond chamber of commerce; former president of the richmond rotary club; former chairman james shannon is
shannon is a performing member of indiegrrl
shannon is the president of first strategy corporation and a partner in the wilson shannon company
shannon is on feeds every three hours of 42 mls
shannon is now feeding almost always from bottle with very little going down the tube
shannon is not here shannon is going to show us her whisker biscuits shannon is god shannon is showing you exactly shannon is crazy shannon is not a muderer
shannon is a general contractor and owns his own company
shannon is the 123rd most popular female first name
shannon is an applied mathematician who is considered the father of information theory
shannon is scheduled for surgery today at 5pm arizona time
shannon is also a huge fan of michelle and avril
shannon is the ski swap and rose sale coordinator
shannon is right in the sense that he does not mimic the blues of the
shannon is a graduate of fordham university in bronx
shannon is full of heritage and culture with broad appeal
shannon is the longest river in ireland
shannon is trying to help the blues evolve
shannon is active in community service
shannon is no different
shannon is the most decorated american gymnast
shannon is pulled further into this seductive world of surf and sex when she falls for ty
shannon is proud to have been an nfaa arts national finalist as well as a presidential scholar in the arts in theatre
shannon is exonerated
shannon is winning the war of independence
shannon is not only a volleyball player
shannon is on a perilous journey
shannon is a woman with money
shannon is headed to ucsf
shannon is a very active young lady
shannon is a first
shannon is originally from charlotte
shannon is to provide high quality content
shannon is three feet six inches tall and pale with rosy red cheeks
shannon is right on the money
shannon is a very welcome development as the sector is very important to the shannon
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
a bit about me...will I learn something or will you?
1. WHAT COLOR ARE YOUR KITCHEN PLATES? 1970s purchased, brown-orange patterned, white Corelle called "Gold Butterfly"
2. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? *right now* I'm reading the computer screen, but currently I am slogging though Middlesex, Emotionally Weird, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Virgin's Lover, The Fellowship of the Ring and Dreamweaver for Dummies
3. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? red stuff
4. FAVORITE BOARD GAME? trivial pursuit at the moment
5. FAVORITE MAGAZINE? magazine? what's that? Canadian Guider?!
6. FAVORITE SMELL? clean
7. LEAST FAVORITE SMELL? stinky food on the bus mixed with stinky people on the bus
8. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING? now that I have nice new curtains that block out all the light, I usually think I must have mis-set my alarm because it's WAY TOO DARK to be up!
9. FAVORITE COLOUR? I like blues and purples and pinks
10. LEAST FAVORITE COLOUR? yucky orange (there is nice orange too)
11. HOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? no more than four, because that's when the answering machine picks up. no one ever calls me anyway!
12. FUTURE CHILD'S NAME? Um? future child? Dunno...I'd have to think about that one...
13. WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE? living
14. Uh...there is no 14?
15. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? vanilla
16. DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE FAST? sometimes
17. DO YOU SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL? I have a teddy who sits on my bed during the day, but usually sleeps on the floor at night
18. STORMS - COOL OR SCARY? very cool
19. WHAT TYPE WAS YOUR FIRST CAR? still don't have one
20. IF YOU COULD MEET ONE PERSON DEAD OR ALIVE WHO WOULD IT BE? my grandma
21. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK? vodka
22. WHAT IS YOUR SIGN & YOUR BIRTHDAY? cancer - July 3
23. DO YOU EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI? yup
24. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB WHAT WOULD IT BE? hmmm...something where I could work from home, travel lots, and do something worthwhile
25. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY COLOUR HAIR, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I like my brown hair
26. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE? mmmhmmm
27. IS THE GLASS HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? half full
28. FAVORITE MOVIE? love actually
29. TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE RIGHT KEYS? yup...I was forced to take grade nine typing and as much as I loathed it, typing has probably done me more good than the table I could have made in woodwork.
30. WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? stuff...shoe boxes, a table hockey box
31. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 13
32. FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH? hockey
33. WHAT IS YOUR SINGLE BIGGEST FEAR? scary stuff...which changes everyday
34. FAVORITE TV SHOWS? when I used to have a TV ER was my favourite (and that was a while ago because George Clooney and Anthony Edwards were still on it) and when I was at Pax Lodge for some bizarre reason, I became addicted to Ally McBeal with Astrid
35. KETCHUP OR MUSTARD? ick..neither
36. HAMBURGERS OR HOTDOGS? burgers! but sometimes hot dogs are the right thing to eat (usually those times involve a campfire and burnt marshmallows too)
37. FAVORITE SOFT DRINK? ummm....does cranberry with soda count?
38. THE BEST PLACES YOU HAVE EVER BEEN? a number of different places that have functioned or do function as home...not necessarily the home I live in right now (although I like it a lot too)
39. WHAT SCREEN SAVER IS ON YOUR COMPUTER RIGHT NOW? ummm...the screen goes blank after a few minutes of being ignored
40. BURGER KING OR MACDONALD'S? neither...Subway or Quiznos would make me much happier
There we go, I've effectively wasted a bunch of time...Anyone out there care to answer these too?
Spending my life on hold...
I've spent so much time on hold the last few days that I've figured out how to get around the stupid recorded lady who talks to you at Telus...just say agent when she starts talking and you'll get to talk to a real person without having to answer all kinds of silly questions that the agent is just going to ask you again when you finally get through to them after having a 10 minute "conversation" with the recorded lady. I don't know what her name is, but apparently the recorded lady at Bell Canada is named Emily.
Now I'm waiting for the people at IT Services to figure out what kind of a web bundle our office needs....and it's getting a bit annoying!! I am so confused...to the point where I might just stay confused forever...All I really wanted was to know how many hours of dial-up we might need and what account I should send our payment to...and now it's been 25 minutes....
Yeah, not so patient today....
Now I'm waiting for the people at IT Services to figure out what kind of a web bundle our office needs....and it's getting a bit annoying!! I am so confused...to the point where I might just stay confused forever...All I really wanted was to know how many hours of dial-up we might need and what account I should send our payment to...and now it's been 25 minutes....
Yeah, not so patient today....
Sunday, May 28, 2006
The Birthday non-Party
Somehow the concept of a Birthday non-Party is a bit hard for me to grasp. I kind of think that maybe it was a party even though we called it a non party...cause there was all this party stuff:
Yeah...I think in the end, it turned out to be a PARTY!
It was fun and we had a great time. I even got a present even though it was Alex's birthday.
Chandra brought me pretty flowers to cheer me up after everything that happened in the last few weeks :) So this cake:
looks suspiciously like a cake I made for another party a few weeks ago. I think I need to expand my cake decorating repertoire. Oh, and can you tell I'm a Smarties addict...or I was, I've since quit cold turkey and only eat Smarties that are on cake.
Between staying up all night on Friday and a party last night and a double dose of family today (Alex's for lunch and mine for dinner) I could use another weekend to get rested. I'm hoping that all the activity might mean an end to that evil insomnia tonight! (Oh, and don't get me wrong, we love visiting with the family, it's great stuff!)
- Lots of people
- Birthday cake complete with candles
- Beer
- Wine
- Punch
- Food
- More food
- Laughing
- Some mild drunkenness
- Table hockey games galore....
Yeah...I think in the end, it turned out to be a PARTY!
It was fun and we had a great time. I even got a present even though it was Alex's birthday.
Chandra brought me pretty flowers to cheer me up after everything that happened in the last few weeks :) So this cake:
looks suspiciously like a cake I made for another party a few weeks ago. I think I need to expand my cake decorating repertoire. Oh, and can you tell I'm a Smarties addict...or I was, I've since quit cold turkey and only eat Smarties that are on cake.Between staying up all night on Friday and a party last night and a double dose of family today (Alex's for lunch and mine for dinner) I could use another weekend to get rested. I'm hoping that all the activity might mean an end to that evil insomnia tonight! (Oh, and don't get me wrong, we love visiting with the family, it's great stuff!)
Saturday, May 27, 2006
I stayed up (almost) all night!
sooooo...I didn't quite make it all night...but almost.
Friday morning was ick. The sun was gone, the rain had decided it was time to take up permanent residence over Vancouver and I was walking around a track all night long to raise money for cancer research. And cancer research won, so I spend a coolish night, huddled under a shelter, wrapped up in as many blankets as I could find with the rest of my Girl Guide team. At one point someone thought I was a pile of blankets on a chair because I had two around my legs, one camp poncho around the rest of me, a toque pulled down to my eyebrows and a fleece vest pulled up to the bottom of my glasses...and then Alex arrived with another quilt for me. We walked for a hour at 1:00 and then I couldn't take it any longer. I was so tired, I gave up on inflating the air mattress and we just curled up in the tent with the deflated mattress and a quilt under us and a couple of fleece blankets and sleeping bags on top of us. All things considered I slept very well.
We arrived home at 8:00 am and slept until 2 and tonight people, lots of them, are coming over for a birthday party...can you say someone was crazy when deciding that a party was a good way to spend the evening after staying up all night the night before!!!
We were a bit pooped...Stacey stayed up all night, so she was a real trooper!
But it was for a good cause and it was fun!
Thanks everyone! Alex and I raised over $1,000 between us and the Girl Guide team raised close to $8,000. We even won a prize for being the community group who raised the most. Overall the event raised over $134,000. So thanks again for your contributions! Hopefully one day we won't have to do the Relay for Life again because there will be a cure for cancer!
IS IT TIME TO GO HOME YET?!?!?!
Friday morning was ick. The sun was gone, the rain had decided it was time to take up permanent residence over Vancouver and I was walking around a track all night long to raise money for cancer research. And cancer research won, so I spend a coolish night, huddled under a shelter, wrapped up in as many blankets as I could find with the rest of my Girl Guide team. At one point someone thought I was a pile of blankets on a chair because I had two around my legs, one camp poncho around the rest of me, a toque pulled down to my eyebrows and a fleece vest pulled up to the bottom of my glasses...and then Alex arrived with another quilt for me. We walked for a hour at 1:00 and then I couldn't take it any longer. I was so tired, I gave up on inflating the air mattress and we just curled up in the tent with the deflated mattress and a quilt under us and a couple of fleece blankets and sleeping bags on top of us. All things considered I slept very well.
We arrived home at 8:00 am and slept until 2 and tonight people, lots of them, are coming over for a birthday party...can you say someone was crazy when deciding that a party was a good way to spend the evening after staying up all night the night before!!!
We were a bit pooped...Stacey stayed up all night, so she was a real trooper!
But it was for a good cause and it was fun!
Thanks everyone! Alex and I raised over $1,000 between us and the Girl Guide team raised close to $8,000. We even won a prize for being the community group who raised the most. Overall the event raised over $134,000. So thanks again for your contributions! Hopefully one day we won't have to do the Relay for Life again because there will be a cure for cancer!
IS IT TIME TO GO HOME YET?!?!?!
Friday, May 26, 2006
I am...
A TABLE HOCKEY GAME!!!
But my camera died just as Alex was opening it, so I missed the priceless look on his face. But I think the game is going to be a lot of fun! I can't wait to set it up!!
But my camera died just as Alex was opening it, so I missed the priceless look on his face. But I think the game is going to be a lot of fun! I can't wait to set it up!!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
What Am I?
Well...I'm Alex's birthday present.
It took an entire roll of paper to wrap me up all pretty.
If you think you know what I am then you probably *do* know what I am (punk, julia and chandra for sure) so shhhh.
If you don't know what I am...take a wild guess.
After Alex opens me, I will model for the camera...I'm very photogenic!
It took an entire roll of paper to wrap me up all pretty.
If you think you know what I am then you probably *do* know what I am (punk, julia and chandra for sure) so shhhh.
If you don't know what I am...take a wild guess.
After Alex opens me, I will model for the camera...I'm very photogenic!
crazy Vancouver weather
first it was sunny
then it poured insane amounts of rain
and then it was sunny again
in like, oh, five minutes. I got soaked walking a block and a half...like dripping puddles of water behind me wherever I went soaked!
then it poured insane amounts of rain
and then it was sunny again
in like, oh, five minutes. I got soaked walking a block and a half...like dripping puddles of water behind me wherever I went soaked!
just when it seems like too much, I realize how good I have it
wow...life has been in turmoil lately, but after a series of crises involving Girl Guide leaders and the things they are facing in their lives, my life doesn't seem like it's in such upheaval. Thank goodness for the little things that remind me how good I have it...
no, the clock on my computer is not wrong
it is the middle of the night and I am still up and still thumping away at the keyboard.
Insomnia has once again hit. I know why, I just don't know how to get rid of it. I think it might be more productive if I go lie in bed, then should the insomnia grant me a reprieve, I will already be cozy and warm.
You know how when something happens that gets you thinking or gets your emotions going, you just can't turn your brain off. Yup. That's me tonight. Brain is stuck on super-duper intensely fast, let's see how much we can think about in a split second speed and I haven't found the brake.
Plus I started working on the web site of which I've been designated template enterer and I was changing some images in GIMP (freeware Photoshop-like tool) and now my shoulder, which has been relatively pain free for a few months is burning. I know it must be related to the mouse.
When will the overworked brain stop ticking. Cause it would be nice to go to bed at a decent hour and sleep for a change.
Jeepers, I'm a whiny baby! I'm going to go lie in my bed and day dream about sleeping. Maybe tomorrow when the sun comes out (*IF* the sun comes out?) I'll be in a better, less whiny mood.
Insomnia has once again hit. I know why, I just don't know how to get rid of it. I think it might be more productive if I go lie in bed, then should the insomnia grant me a reprieve, I will already be cozy and warm.
You know how when something happens that gets you thinking or gets your emotions going, you just can't turn your brain off. Yup. That's me tonight. Brain is stuck on super-duper intensely fast, let's see how much we can think about in a split second speed and I haven't found the brake.
Plus I started working on the web site of which I've been designated template enterer and I was changing some images in GIMP (freeware Photoshop-like tool) and now my shoulder, which has been relatively pain free for a few months is burning. I know it must be related to the mouse.
When will the overworked brain stop ticking. Cause it would be nice to go to bed at a decent hour and sleep for a change.
Jeepers, I'm a whiny baby! I'm going to go lie in my bed and day dream about sleeping. Maybe tomorrow when the sun comes out (*IF* the sun comes out?) I'll be in a better, less whiny mood.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
temperamental mother nature
It was soooooo nice and sunny this morning when I got up. I just wanted to sit in my sunny kitchen and drink coffee. And now...sigh...it's drizzling and grey. I miss the hot weather from last week. I want it back (and of course when it comes back, I'll complain that it's too hot).
At least I don't feel too bad about going back to work after a long weekend.
At least I don't feel too bad about going back to work after a long weekend.
Monday, May 22, 2006
long weekend sun and rain
ahhhhh long weekends...
but I'm exhausted even though it was a long weekend...
I took Friday off and caught the ferry to Nanaimo where, in theory, my grandmother, hereafter called Mama, would be eagerly awaiting my arrival. Of course, it was a long weekend and even though it was Friday morning, the ferry was late. Just as the ferry docked, my phone rang. It was buried deep in my bag and I considered ignoring it, but thought, what if it's Mama...and sure enough it was.
The conversation went something like this:
Mama: Where are you?
Me: On the ferry. It just docked. I'll be right out.
Mama: But where are you?
Me: Still on the ferry. It just docked. As soon as they let us off, I'll be out.
Mama: But where are you?
Me: shaking my head, ready to once again say, ON THE FERRY
Mama: Are you in Nanaimo or Victoria?
Me: Nanaimo, where are you? hoping she's in Nanaimo
Mama: Oh good. I'm in Nanaimo too. I'm right outside the ticket window, across the street and to the right. My car is champagne. Not gold, champagne. See you in a minute. click
So, I'm thinking, is this how the weekend is going to go? I just talked to her yesterday and we set up the pick up time and everything. Well, it turns out that driving to the ferry, Mama thought, oh no, she's coming in to Victoria and I'm going to Nanaimo. So she pulled off the freeway and thought about it and thought about the time I said I was leaving and when I'd get in and decided, yes, I was going to Nanaimo.
Then the ferry was late. That's when she decided she was wrong and I was really going to Victoria. And she started to panic. So she thought she'd call my cell and see where I really was going. But her address book wasn't updated and didn't have my cell number. She figures the address book is so out of date, it doesn't have my phone number either.
So her thought pattern went a little like this:
Hmmm...well, if I don't have the cell number, I'll call Shannon's mom and get it. Hmmmm...Shannon's mom isn't home. I'll call her aunt at work and get it and if she doesn't have it, I'll make her aunt call her dad and get it from him and call me back.
So...my aunt had my number and Mama managed to reach me and relax.
But not before she left a crazy message that went something like this on my mom's answering machine:
Hello, are you there? are you there? are you there? If you're there pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. PICK UP THE PHONE! HELLO? HELLO?
So of course, my mom comes home and wonders WHAT is going on. She calls Mama who has a car phone which only works when the car is turned on. So she calls me and my phone is conveniently locked in the trunk and we're in the Tim Hortons parking lot asking some poor man how to find the Cadillac dealership so that we can get the broken buttons looked at. So Mama opens the trunk for me, then gets in the car, turns it on, and puts it in gear which automatically locks the door. And because the buttons are broken, she has to turn the car off and use the remote to let me in.
AAAAAAaaaaaaHHHHHhhhhhh drama. In the end, the broken buttons just have a short and the necessary piece is somewhere in Ontario and won't arrive until Wednesday, but for now, whacking it with the cane seems to fix the short, so off we go to Cobble Hill.
That was the beginning of my weekend...nothing quite so entertaining happened the rest of the weekend, but it was quite the start to the weekend! I had a very interesting visit with Mama, learned some interesting stuff about when they moved to Vancouver and when they moved to Kelowna and how she first met my grandfather. We watched some of Mama's tapes and read a book called Emotional Blackmail.
The good news is, the insomnia is gone. I don't feel like I did too much, but I'm exhausted.
Maybe that's a good sign.
Oh yeah...and it was sunny on Friday and drizzled a lot on Saturday and rained a lot yesterday and today.
Happy Victoria Day!
but I'm exhausted even though it was a long weekend...
I took Friday off and caught the ferry to Nanaimo where, in theory, my grandmother, hereafter called Mama, would be eagerly awaiting my arrival. Of course, it was a long weekend and even though it was Friday morning, the ferry was late. Just as the ferry docked, my phone rang. It was buried deep in my bag and I considered ignoring it, but thought, what if it's Mama...and sure enough it was.
The conversation went something like this:
Mama: Where are you?
Me: On the ferry. It just docked. I'll be right out.
Mama: But where are you?
Me: Still on the ferry. It just docked. As soon as they let us off, I'll be out.
Mama: But where are you?
Me: shaking my head, ready to once again say, ON THE FERRY
Mama: Are you in Nanaimo or Victoria?
Me: Nanaimo, where are you? hoping she's in Nanaimo
Mama: Oh good. I'm in Nanaimo too. I'm right outside the ticket window, across the street and to the right. My car is champagne. Not gold, champagne. See you in a minute. click
So, I'm thinking, is this how the weekend is going to go? I just talked to her yesterday and we set up the pick up time and everything. Well, it turns out that driving to the ferry, Mama thought, oh no, she's coming in to Victoria and I'm going to Nanaimo. So she pulled off the freeway and thought about it and thought about the time I said I was leaving and when I'd get in and decided, yes, I was going to Nanaimo.
Then the ferry was late. That's when she decided she was wrong and I was really going to Victoria. And she started to panic. So she thought she'd call my cell and see where I really was going. But her address book wasn't updated and didn't have my cell number. She figures the address book is so out of date, it doesn't have my phone number either.
So her thought pattern went a little like this:
Hmmm...well, if I don't have the cell number, I'll call Shannon's mom and get it. Hmmmm...Shannon's mom isn't home. I'll call her aunt at work and get it and if she doesn't have it, I'll make her aunt call her dad and get it from him and call me back.
So...my aunt had my number and Mama managed to reach me and relax.
But not before she left a crazy message that went something like this on my mom's answering machine:
Hello, are you there? are you there? are you there? If you're there pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. PICK UP THE PHONE! HELLO? HELLO?
So of course, my mom comes home and wonders WHAT is going on. She calls Mama who has a car phone which only works when the car is turned on. So she calls me and my phone is conveniently locked in the trunk and we're in the Tim Hortons parking lot asking some poor man how to find the Cadillac dealership so that we can get the broken buttons looked at. So Mama opens the trunk for me, then gets in the car, turns it on, and puts it in gear which automatically locks the door. And because the buttons are broken, she has to turn the car off and use the remote to let me in.
AAAAAAaaaaaaHHHHHhhhhhh drama. In the end, the broken buttons just have a short and the necessary piece is somewhere in Ontario and won't arrive until Wednesday, but for now, whacking it with the cane seems to fix the short, so off we go to Cobble Hill.
That was the beginning of my weekend...nothing quite so entertaining happened the rest of the weekend, but it was quite the start to the weekend! I had a very interesting visit with Mama, learned some interesting stuff about when they moved to Vancouver and when they moved to Kelowna and how she first met my grandfather. We watched some of Mama's tapes and read a book called Emotional Blackmail.
The good news is, the insomnia is gone. I don't feel like I did too much, but I'm exhausted.
Maybe that's a good sign.
Oh yeah...and it was sunny on Friday and drizzled a lot on Saturday and rained a lot yesterday and today.
Happy Victoria Day!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
insomniac
The insomniac has returned to drive me nuts. You'd think that being up past midnight two nights in a row and not really even sleeping then AND getting up earlier than usual to go to work would conk me out, but apparently not. I know why people go crazy from not sleeping. IT SUCKS!
I walked blocks and blocks and blocks tonight, so I'm hoping that will be enough to knock me out. I'm going to bed now to try to sleep...I'm sure I'll dream about making pretty web pages since I spent all day learning how to do that.
I walked blocks and blocks and blocks tonight, so I'm hoping that will be enough to knock me out. I'm going to bed now to try to sleep...I'm sure I'll dream about making pretty web pages since I spent all day learning how to do that.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
American citizenship test answers...
Fifer's asked for the answers, so here they are.
1. How many times can a senator be re-elected?
2. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
3. Which president was the first Commander In Chief of the U.S. military?
4. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
5. In what year was the Constitution written?
6. Who has the power to declare war?
7. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
8. Which countries were America's enemies during World War II?
9. Which of the following was not one of the original thirteen states?
10. What country did the US fight during the revolutionary war?
1. How many times can a senator be re-elected?
- 3 times
- 2 times
- No limit
- 4 times
2. In what month is the new President inaugurated?
- November
- December
- January
- February
3. Which president was the first Commander In Chief of the U.S. military?
- George Washington
- Abraham Lincoln
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
4. What is the introduction to the Constitution called?
- The Bill of Rights
- The Declaration of Independence
- The Preamble
- The Unification of the States
5. In what year was the Constitution written?
- 1777
- 1776
- 1787
- 1786
6. Who has the power to declare war?
- Congress
- The Secretary of Defense
- The President
- The American public
7. Who was the main writer of the Declaration of Independence?
- John Adams
- James Monroe
- Thomas Jefferson
- James Madison
8. Which countries were America's enemies during World War II?
- Germany, Russia, and Japan
- Germany, France, and Italy
- Germany, Italy, and Japan
- Germany, Japan, and China
9. Which of the following was not one of the original thirteen states?
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Vermont
- New Hampshire
10. What country did the US fight during the revolutionary war?
- Itself (the North vs the South)
- Germany
- France
- England
more about this Cancerian
Horror of horror, I was in Starbucks today and while I was waiting for my highly caffeinated drink, I was reading the horoscopes...and mine, which I've combed the internet for, said something along the lines of standing up for myself...GOODNESS ME, I need to do that today. Today's the day I have to stand my ground and not be a push over. Easy to say, not so easy to do, but I HAVE to do it...
While trawling the internet, I found this description on the Globe and Mail's astrologist's website. Wow, it's sooooooooo true....well...parts of it...pretty much the second part about the dozen or so empty rooms....that's me alright! And the stocked full kitchen cupboards, that's not exclusively Cancerian, it's actually more a Stewart trait!
One person’s luxury is another person’s necessity and what everyone needs to get them through life depends upon who and what they are. Since astrology provides one of the most reliable insights into individual personalities, needs and desires the following should act as an invaluable guide into precisely what you, personally, cannot get through life without......
.... an invisible and undetectable tracking device which you can attach to your immediate family so that you know where they are every moment of the day - and, especially, the night.
.... a dozen or so empty rooms where you can keep your invaluable collection of holiday postcards, seaside souvenirs, vinyl records, yellowing recipes, one-eared teddy bears, old magazines, AA Milne books, chipped teapots, outdated and outgrown clothes, teenage love letters, discarded toys, hockey sticks, twisted tennis racquets, ancient exercise books, and mementos of long-forgotten friendships, love affairs, holidays.
.... a large supply of canned soup, dried pulses and water purifying tablets in case nuclear war breaks out or a sudden famine strikes.
.... the odd excuse to be wildly extravagant - but not too often.
While trawling the internet, I found this description on the Globe and Mail's astrologist's website. Wow, it's sooooooooo true....well...parts of it...pretty much the second part about the dozen or so empty rooms....that's me alright! And the stocked full kitchen cupboards, that's not exclusively Cancerian, it's actually more a Stewart trait!
One person’s luxury is another person’s necessity and what everyone needs to get them through life depends upon who and what they are. Since astrology provides one of the most reliable insights into individual personalities, needs and desires the following should act as an invaluable guide into precisely what you, personally, cannot get through life without......
.... an invisible and undetectable tracking device which you can attach to your immediate family so that you know where they are every moment of the day - and, especially, the night.
.... a dozen or so empty rooms where you can keep your invaluable collection of holiday postcards, seaside souvenirs, vinyl records, yellowing recipes, one-eared teddy bears, old magazines, AA Milne books, chipped teapots, outdated and outgrown clothes, teenage love letters, discarded toys, hockey sticks, twisted tennis racquets, ancient exercise books, and mementos of long-forgotten friendships, love affairs, holidays.
.... a large supply of canned soup, dried pulses and water purifying tablets in case nuclear war breaks out or a sudden famine strikes.
.... the odd excuse to be wildly extravagant - but not too often.
Monday, May 15, 2006
lunch dilemma
I don't like lunch.
I've never liked lunch.
Even when Mom or Dad made my sandwich, filled a container with canned fruit or yogurt, tossed in an apple and a something else (maybe more fruit or carrot sticks or a granola bar or a banana oat bar or if we were lucky a cookie or something) and a juice into a lunch bag, I didn't like lunch.
Sandwiches are good when they're fresh. As in, I make the sandwich now and I eat it now.
Lunch in the winter is okay now in our microwave equipped non-kitchen, but now that winter is over, I'm not sure what to eat...For a while I was going the leftover route, but I don't really need two big meals a day.
Suggestions?
Impromptu poll: What do *you* take for lunch.
I should clarify - I don't mind weekend lunches when I can make stuff fresh at home...I'm talking working bag lunches here....
I've never liked lunch.
Even when Mom or Dad made my sandwich, filled a container with canned fruit or yogurt, tossed in an apple and a something else (maybe more fruit or carrot sticks or a granola bar or a banana oat bar or if we were lucky a cookie or something) and a juice into a lunch bag, I didn't like lunch.
Sandwiches are good when they're fresh. As in, I make the sandwich now and I eat it now.
Lunch in the winter is okay now in our microwave equipped non-kitchen, but now that winter is over, I'm not sure what to eat...For a while I was going the leftover route, but I don't really need two big meals a day.
Suggestions?
Impromptu poll: What do *you* take for lunch.
I should clarify - I don't mind weekend lunches when I can make stuff fresh at home...I'm talking working bag lunches here....
but I'm happy the way I am...
| You Passed the US Citizenship Test |
 Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct! |
Obviously I retain far too many trivial facts. Or at least facts that don't really apply to me. I know what the opening part of the American Constitution is but I don't know if there is an opening to the Canadian constitution!
But, if the test applied to Canada would I get the answers correct? Maybe, but more likely probably not.
Mother's Day
Apostrophe debate:
Mother's Day
Mothers' Day
Mothers's Day
Personally I can't decide between the first two. The third one is technically correct, but it looks gross. Sounds the same as the other two and means the same as the second one, but looks horrible.
The day in question was yesterday. Being the slow poke that I am, I didn't get my Mom's card or my Grandma's card in the mail in time. And then, as if to prove I'm a total slow poke and I can't remember my own mother, the phone rang and my Mom called ME on Mother's Day. She had just talked to my Grandma and knowing that I was going to visit the family matriarch over the long weekend and she had something she had to tell me right away before she forgot it (must have been really important since I seem to have forgotten it already too!)...
I have decided my Mom is great. Well, I knew that a long time ago, for a while I figured she knew everything about everything. I'd ask a question "Why..." and she'd answer "Because..." and one day she realized I did think she knew everything, but that I also thought the answer to everything was Because. My brain did not compute what came after. Then I was a teenager and well, teenaged girls and mom aren't always the most fun combination. But now, I'm kind of grown up some days and I sort of still think my Mom knows everything. Cause really, who do I call when I need advice...my Mom (or my Dad, cause he also knows everything).
After the phone call from my Mom, we spent the day with Alex's mom and grandma (and brother and dad, but it wasn't *their* day). It was a really nice afternoon and a nice dinner.
Maybe next year I won't be a slow poke and my Mom will get her card on time. Or maybe next year we might be able to have dinner with my Mom on Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day (a day late...see, SLOW POKE) to the mommies out there...
Mother's Day
Mothers' Day
Mothers's Day
Personally I can't decide between the first two. The third one is technically correct, but it looks gross. Sounds the same as the other two and means the same as the second one, but looks horrible.
The day in question was yesterday. Being the slow poke that I am, I didn't get my Mom's card or my Grandma's card in the mail in time. And then, as if to prove I'm a total slow poke and I can't remember my own mother, the phone rang and my Mom called ME on Mother's Day. She had just talked to my Grandma and knowing that I was going to visit the family matriarch over the long weekend and she had something she had to tell me right away before she forgot it (must have been really important since I seem to have forgotten it already too!)...
I have decided my Mom is great. Well, I knew that a long time ago, for a while I figured she knew everything about everything. I'd ask a question "Why..." and she'd answer "Because..." and one day she realized I did think she knew everything, but that I also thought the answer to everything was Because. My brain did not compute what came after. Then I was a teenager and well, teenaged girls and mom aren't always the most fun combination. But now, I'm kind of grown up some days and I sort of still think my Mom knows everything. Cause really, who do I call when I need advice...my Mom (or my Dad, cause he also knows everything).
After the phone call from my Mom, we spent the day with Alex's mom and grandma (and brother and dad, but it wasn't *their* day). It was a really nice afternoon and a nice dinner.
Maybe next year I won't be a slow poke and my Mom will get her card on time. Or maybe next year we might be able to have dinner with my Mom on Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day (a day late...see, SLOW POKE) to the mommies out there...
Sunday, May 14, 2006
three-year-old photographers
Last night Alex and I had dinner with this charming young lady, Avery.
She kindly shared us with her parents and showed us her Baby Einstein videos. And then she found my camera (THANK GOODNESS it's digital!). I have an assortment of lovely photographs like these:
Lots of fingers, toes, floor and ceilings! But then Avery managed to take this one (with a little help from Daddy):
We had a great time. Micah even liked us and was mesmerized by Alex's red hair. It's so great to catch up with friends and little kids are the best! (Fifers, Stacey says hi!)
She kindly shared us with her parents and showed us her Baby Einstein videos. And then she found my camera (THANK GOODNESS it's digital!). I have an assortment of lovely photographs like these:
Lots of fingers, toes, floor and ceilings! But then Avery managed to take this one (with a little help from Daddy):
We had a great time. Micah even liked us and was mesmerized by Alex's red hair. It's so great to catch up with friends and little kids are the best! (Fifers, Stacey says hi!)
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Watermelon Lemonade
MMMmmmm...
I have discovered this amazingly wonderful recipe for "special lemonade" and it's not special cause it's got vodka in it...
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups watermelon, cut into cubes
Mix the lemonade with three cans of water instead of four. Put the watermelon in the blender or food processor with half a can of water and blend until smooth. Add to the lemonade. Garnish with a slice of watermelon or a strawberry.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....sooooooooooo good.
I also made watermelon ice cubes for it which are super pretty. Just cube some watermelon. Freeze it in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When it's frozen, toss it in a freezer bag and use as necessary.
SUMMER IS HERE!!!!!!!!
Now that I have my super delicious lemonade recipe, Alex and I are off to make our first grown up purchase...patio furniture so that we can enjoy the lemonade on the deck.
I have discovered this amazingly wonderful recipe for "special lemonade" and it's not special cause it's got vodka in it...
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 cups watermelon, cut into cubes
Mix the lemonade with three cans of water instead of four. Put the watermelon in the blender or food processor with half a can of water and blend until smooth. Add to the lemonade. Garnish with a slice of watermelon or a strawberry.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....sooooooooooo good.
I also made watermelon ice cubes for it which are super pretty. Just cube some watermelon. Freeze it in a single layer on a cookie sheet. When it's frozen, toss it in a freezer bag and use as necessary.
SUMMER IS HERE!!!!!!!!
Now that I have my super delicious lemonade recipe, Alex and I are off to make our first grown up purchase...patio furniture so that we can enjoy the lemonade on the deck.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Trivial Pursuit Night!!!
Yay! Trivial Pursuit Night was last night. Due to a variety of circumstances, including a whole lot of spring illness, there were only four of us, but we had fun! We also had a few really easy questions, a few really hard ones and some that just had us shaking our heads. We were playing the GenusII edition circa 1982 and there were a lot of questions like this *WILL* happen in 1992. It is also not so politically correct and when Kelsey got a question about which Indian wrote some poem or book of poetry or something, she answered with an Indian, from India, not thinking that the game was asking for the name of a First Nations poet. We also decided that the grammar in some of the GenusII questions was a little dodgy. Oh, and the questions are full of extra "clues." And of course I can't remember any of them, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
$500 - Why this goal shouldn't exist
Alex and I signed up for the Relay for Life this year and when you sign up you have to put in a goal amount that you'd like to collect in pledges.
I'm all for goals, just not this one...
It makes sense to me that you should set goals for weight you'd like to gain or lose (yes, some people WANT to gain weight), money you'd like to save for a house, furniture, RRSP, trip or just because you want to save it, number of times a week you want to go to the gym, number of kilometres you want to run, number of runs you want to do in a week etc etc etc
But I don't want to set a goal for the amount of money I want to raise. Because I want to raise as much as I possibly can without making people feel like they MUST contribute to the cause, whatever the cause is. In this case, the Canadian Cancer Society is the cause and it's one I definitely believe in. I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected in some way by cancer, so it's a big cause for a lot of people.
BUT...some people have already donated this year, some people decide at the beginning of the year what they want to donate to and this isn't one of those things, some people aren't able to make donations and there are a million other reasons why people choose to donate or not to donate...
I dunno, I kind of feel like having a goal on there could do a few things...make people stop donating when they reach my goal (not likely if this is a cause they really believe in) or make people wonder if their donation is "enough." As far as I'm concerned any donation is enough, because it means there is more money there than there was before, no matter if it's $1 or $1 million.
Aw gee...I'm in a ranting mode...must be whatever it is that has me under the weather (Alex made me stay home today to rest).
But anyway, I've had a number of people come back to me with donations for the Relay for Life and I totally appreciate that! Last year I was happy to do it because I felt it was a good cause, but this year, well, it's become personal and that makes those donations (ALL of them regardless of size) so much more important and special to me.
Thanks guys!
Addendum (Saturday, May 13)
Okay...so I didn't finish my rant and I didn't really explain it...I got a "You're half-way to your goal" email from the Canadian Cancer Society and that made me grumpy. And thinking about it, my goal isn't in dollars...it's in the number of people who get cured. And the people who never have to have cancer because research has figured out how to cure it and prevent it and all that. So my goal isn't money, it's getting rid of cancer entirely.
I'm all for goals, just not this one...
It makes sense to me that you should set goals for weight you'd like to gain or lose (yes, some people WANT to gain weight), money you'd like to save for a house, furniture, RRSP, trip or just because you want to save it, number of times a week you want to go to the gym, number of kilometres you want to run, number of runs you want to do in a week etc etc etc
But I don't want to set a goal for the amount of money I want to raise. Because I want to raise as much as I possibly can without making people feel like they MUST contribute to the cause, whatever the cause is. In this case, the Canadian Cancer Society is the cause and it's one I definitely believe in. I don't know anyone who hasn't been affected in some way by cancer, so it's a big cause for a lot of people.
BUT...some people have already donated this year, some people decide at the beginning of the year what they want to donate to and this isn't one of those things, some people aren't able to make donations and there are a million other reasons why people choose to donate or not to donate...
I dunno, I kind of feel like having a goal on there could do a few things...make people stop donating when they reach my goal (not likely if this is a cause they really believe in) or make people wonder if their donation is "enough." As far as I'm concerned any donation is enough, because it means there is more money there than there was before, no matter if it's $1 or $1 million.
Aw gee...I'm in a ranting mode...must be whatever it is that has me under the weather (Alex made me stay home today to rest).
But anyway, I've had a number of people come back to me with donations for the Relay for Life and I totally appreciate that! Last year I was happy to do it because I felt it was a good cause, but this year, well, it's become personal and that makes those donations (ALL of them regardless of size) so much more important and special to me.
Thanks guys!
Addendum (Saturday, May 13)
Okay...so I didn't finish my rant and I didn't really explain it...I got a "You're half-way to your goal" email from the Canadian Cancer Society and that made me grumpy. And thinking about it, my goal isn't in dollars...it's in the number of people who get cured. And the people who never have to have cancer because research has figured out how to cure it and prevent it and all that. So my goal isn't money, it's getting rid of cancer entirely.
My eyes are brown...
except that they think I'm 80% American, they keep getting things right...
poo brown eyes, that's me! wisdom, I dunno...
poo brown eyes, that's me! wisdom, I dunno...
Your Eyes Should Be Brown |
 Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart |
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Edna's coming back! Edna's coming back!
I met Edna in London five years ago. I was actually the one they sent to the airport to meet Edna when she arrived in London. After lunch with Megan and Sarah, I managed to convince them they had nothing better to do with their day off than come to Heathrow with me to meet the new girl.
We got to Heathrow and her plane was just arriving. A bazillion people got off the plane all at once. Then the people started to trickle off the plane. There were still tons of people hanging around at the arrivals gate, including a few media-type people with TV cameras.
Then the Mexican football team got off the plane, complete with an entourage. Hence the cameras.
But still no Edna.
We waited. And waited. And I was glad Megan and Sarah were with me, because I needed the company. I was just on the phone calling Pax Lodge to see if they'd heard from her or what the next step should be when this girl with a ton of luggage comes out of security...
It was Edna! A TON OF LUGGAGE!
The first thing she did was call her mom (what a good girl!) and then we took her home to Pax Lodge.
Edna was crazy...she made me laugh hysterically on more than one occasion. She met my parents when they came to visit and nearly knocked my Mom over giving her a hug. She was great. And then she went back to Mexico.
But...she came to visit last summer. We had a super time eating sushi, visiting the rainy Okanagan and hanging out. I figured it might be a while until I next saw her...but no. She's coming for a week in July! YAY!!!
see...I do know how not to complain!
We got to Heathrow and her plane was just arriving. A bazillion people got off the plane all at once. Then the people started to trickle off the plane. There were still tons of people hanging around at the arrivals gate, including a few media-type people with TV cameras.
Then the Mexican football team got off the plane, complete with an entourage. Hence the cameras.
But still no Edna.
We waited. And waited. And I was glad Megan and Sarah were with me, because I needed the company. I was just on the phone calling Pax Lodge to see if they'd heard from her or what the next step should be when this girl with a ton of luggage comes out of security...
It was Edna! A TON OF LUGGAGE!
The first thing she did was call her mom (what a good girl!) and then we took her home to Pax Lodge.
Edna was crazy...she made me laugh hysterically on more than one occasion. She met my parents when they came to visit and nearly knocked my Mom over giving her a hug. She was great. And then she went back to Mexico.
But...she came to visit last summer. We had a super time eating sushi, visiting the rainy Okanagan and hanging out. I figured it might be a while until I next saw her...but no. She's coming for a week in July! YAY!!!
see...I do know how not to complain!
hot water...please...
This morning I woke up a few minutes later than I had planned, grumpy with a lack-of-sleep-headache, having suffered from some insanely frustrating insomnia last night, but I had a plan in mind for how I was going to get out of the house on time.
One of the first things I was going to do was take a nice warm shower...so that's what I did...but in the time it took for me to get in, get wet and start with the shampooing, well, the water went cold. Really cold. Iceberg cold. Not the cold where you can tolerate it long enough to rinse off. Evil cold. Somehow, I got most of the soap out of my hair and then took my now headachy, freezing cold body (seems my feet were particularly ice cube like) back to bed to wait for the water to heat up.
This cold water thing is not a new thing. It only happens when there is somewhere important to go that requires cleanliness...like work, Sunday morning Girl Guide meetings, lunch with Alex's family, social events...you know, places where you should smell clean. It doesn't happen on Sunday morning when I don't have anything else planned for the day and could hang out and wait for the water to heat up.
Normally about half an hour does the trick. This morning half an hour put a crimp in my plans, but it would have been okay. But no, it took almost an hour!!!!!!! Gotta call the landlady and let her know about this...I couldn't even forgo the shower this morning...I still had remnants of shampoo in my hair.
But I got to work...showered and clean.
Geeze...I'm a big whiner...the last three days, it's all been whinge whinge whinge...but really, I shouldn't be whining. I figure it's all pretty good in my world right now. Even though it feels like half the world is moving away, well, at least I got to hang out with them in Vancouver for a while. And even though I moan and complain about the bus, moaning and complaining about it means at least two things - I have a job that I have to get to and I have the option of taking the bus. And even though I had no hot water this morning, at least I normally have hot water and hey, I have running water, so that makes things even better!
note to self: STOP WHINING!!!
One of the first things I was going to do was take a nice warm shower...so that's what I did...but in the time it took for me to get in, get wet and start with the shampooing, well, the water went cold. Really cold. Iceberg cold. Not the cold where you can tolerate it long enough to rinse off. Evil cold. Somehow, I got most of the soap out of my hair and then took my now headachy, freezing cold body (seems my feet were particularly ice cube like) back to bed to wait for the water to heat up.
This cold water thing is not a new thing. It only happens when there is somewhere important to go that requires cleanliness...like work, Sunday morning Girl Guide meetings, lunch with Alex's family, social events...you know, places where you should smell clean. It doesn't happen on Sunday morning when I don't have anything else planned for the day and could hang out and wait for the water to heat up.
Normally about half an hour does the trick. This morning half an hour put a crimp in my plans, but it would have been okay. But no, it took almost an hour!!!!!!! Gotta call the landlady and let her know about this...I couldn't even forgo the shower this morning...I still had remnants of shampoo in my hair.
But I got to work...showered and clean.
Geeze...I'm a big whiner...the last three days, it's all been whinge whinge whinge...but really, I shouldn't be whining. I figure it's all pretty good in my world right now. Even though it feels like half the world is moving away, well, at least I got to hang out with them in Vancouver for a while. And even though I moan and complain about the bus, moaning and complaining about it means at least two things - I have a job that I have to get to and I have the option of taking the bus. And even though I had no hot water this morning, at least I normally have hot water and hey, I have running water, so that makes things even better!
note to self: STOP WHINING!!!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
How American Am I? (but I'm not!!)
I wish they had an Average Canadian one...I wonder if spending two years down there at boarding school had any effect on my rating. (and by the way, Affirmative Action bugs me)
| You Are 80% "Average American" |
 You are average because you live within three miles of McDonalds. You are not average since you don't think affirmative action is necessary. |
Riding the bus irks me!
It drives me crazy...and I have to ride it everyday....
Some of the things that drive me nuts:
1. Some stops people line up and other stops they don't. That doesn't bother me. I can figure out which stop is a line up stop and which stop is a free-for-all-cram-on-the-bus-in-a-great-big-bunch stop. And actually I don't prefer one over the other. What drives me nuts is when people ignore the obvious line up (hello, it's about 30 people long, how did you miss it) and try to cram their way on the bus.
2. People who try to push their way onto the bus when a wheelchair or stroller is obviously trying to get off.
3. People who are way back there in the bus and have to even pass the other door to get to the front door to get off the bus, even though the signs say, USE THE BACK DOORS.
4. Bus drivers who honk and yell at anything that moves on the street. Buses are not the only vehicles on the street!
5. Bus drivers who are idiots and make me fall over...like the one who drove the 22 that I took one dark, rainy night. I got on the bus. It was slippery from the rain. I reached out to hold onto a grab bar and the driver jammed on the accelerator and then slammed on the brakes 15 metres later. Because the light was red. The light had been red since I got on the bus. My hand hadn't quite made it to the grab bar. I felt my legs fly out in front of me. I felt like I was lying in the air. Then my head (and body) made hard and sudden contact with the floor. Then there was yelling. Lots of yelling and then the bus was moving and then it stopped suddenly again. The yelling was all the passengers who saw what happened telling the bus driver exactly what they thought of him. The sudden stop was him checking to see if I had died. Just as I started to get up and regain my balance, zoom, he was off again and I was teetering, but some little old lady grabbed my elbow and pulled me into the seat. Yeah. I'm not kidding. Stupid bus driver.
6. People who don't take their gi-normous backpacks that are almost as big as they are off when the bus is crowded. These are the same people who forget they are wider from front to back than usual and try to decapitate people with said bags.
7. People who eat stinky food like salami or bananas on the bus.
8. People who yell loudly into their cell phones. I don't care what you're having for dinner, who got lucky last night, what minor drama played out at work this morning or what was in the baby's diaper. If you must talk on your cell phone, use your inside voice. I don't care about your life, I don't care that you have a cell phone. I have one too. I usually choose not to use it on the bus.
9. People who attack bus drivers because they think they shouldn't have to pay full fare. Pay full fare and get over it. Our transit prices aren't that bad. Have you ever been to London or Sydney? Be nice to the bus drivers. Seriously.
But I will continue to take the bus...for the time being anyway...because there are only three alternatives: walk, ride a bike or drive. Walking would be okay but would likely take two hours because of the evil hill. I don't have a bike. I don't have a car. I don't like driving, I don't like parking and I certainly don't like $1.195 for a litre of gas. At that price, I'd have to take out a second mortgage to pay for my commute. And it's a short one. And I don't have a first mortgage so I'm out of luck on the second one. But Translink will drive me where I need to go, I don't have to find parking, they just drop me off and they even fill up the tank when necessary...
Some of the things that drive me nuts:
1. Some stops people line up and other stops they don't. That doesn't bother me. I can figure out which stop is a line up stop and which stop is a free-for-all-cram-on-the-bus-in-a-great-big-bunch stop. And actually I don't prefer one over the other. What drives me nuts is when people ignore the obvious line up (hello, it's about 30 people long, how did you miss it) and try to cram their way on the bus.
2. People who try to push their way onto the bus when a wheelchair or stroller is obviously trying to get off.
3. People who are way back there in the bus and have to even pass the other door to get to the front door to get off the bus, even though the signs say, USE THE BACK DOORS.
4. Bus drivers who honk and yell at anything that moves on the street. Buses are not the only vehicles on the street!
5. Bus drivers who are idiots and make me fall over...like the one who drove the 22 that I took one dark, rainy night. I got on the bus. It was slippery from the rain. I reached out to hold onto a grab bar and the driver jammed on the accelerator and then slammed on the brakes 15 metres later. Because the light was red. The light had been red since I got on the bus. My hand hadn't quite made it to the grab bar. I felt my legs fly out in front of me. I felt like I was lying in the air. Then my head (and body) made hard and sudden contact with the floor. Then there was yelling. Lots of yelling and then the bus was moving and then it stopped suddenly again. The yelling was all the passengers who saw what happened telling the bus driver exactly what they thought of him. The sudden stop was him checking to see if I had died. Just as I started to get up and regain my balance, zoom, he was off again and I was teetering, but some little old lady grabbed my elbow and pulled me into the seat. Yeah. I'm not kidding. Stupid bus driver.
6. People who don't take their gi-normous backpacks that are almost as big as they are off when the bus is crowded. These are the same people who forget they are wider from front to back than usual and try to decapitate people with said bags.
7. People who eat stinky food like salami or bananas on the bus.
8. People who yell loudly into their cell phones. I don't care what you're having for dinner, who got lucky last night, what minor drama played out at work this morning or what was in the baby's diaper. If you must talk on your cell phone, use your inside voice. I don't care about your life, I don't care that you have a cell phone. I have one too. I usually choose not to use it on the bus.
9. People who attack bus drivers because they think they shouldn't have to pay full fare. Pay full fare and get over it. Our transit prices aren't that bad. Have you ever been to London or Sydney? Be nice to the bus drivers. Seriously.
But I will continue to take the bus...for the time being anyway...because there are only three alternatives: walk, ride a bike or drive. Walking would be okay but would likely take two hours because of the evil hill. I don't have a bike. I don't have a car. I don't like driving, I don't like parking and I certainly don't like $1.195 for a litre of gas. At that price, I'd have to take out a second mortgage to pay for my commute. And it's a short one. And I don't have a first mortgage so I'm out of luck on the second one. But Translink will drive me where I need to go, I don't have to find parking, they just drop me off and they even fill up the tank when necessary...
Monday, May 08, 2006
Time flying and things changing...
Time is moving way to quickly. I have been going back and forth on email with my friend Stacey and we have come to the following conclusions:
1. we last saw each other when she was pregnant
2. she didn't know anything about Alex
3. it doesn't feel like almost 18 months since we saw each other....but it is!
4. that's too long between visits
So we're trying to figure out a time that is "mutually convenient" and I'm looking at my calendar and I just don't know when I became a social butterfly...cause as we all know, I am a homebody. It would be nice to see both Aaron and Stacey and their kids before their kids graduate from university!
So yeah, time flies like crazy and I'm not sure how much I like that. It would be nice if life slowed down a bit so that I could really truly enjoy every second of it and maybe get eight hours of sleep every night too.
As part of the things changing in my life, I've decided to slow down. So...the calendar comes out and when there are more than two Girl Guides nights in a week on the calendar, there are no more Girl Guide events that week. Unless it's a really special event or something like that. Or if it's a camp. Cause I'm going to camp this summer and it's a week long and somehow I don't think it would go over so well if after the second day I said to everyone, well, I'm here, but I'm no longer doing Girl Guide stuff...sorry...yeah...not so helpful!
And things changing...well...there are more and more and more of those things every day it seems. My other friend Stacey finally convinced me to go to the gym with her and I liked it (I CAN'T believe I just said I *LIKE* the gym). Roslyn is leaving Vancouver and, thus, the blue house. Alex is moving into the blue house. Kelsey is abandoning me to move back to K-town. Anne is going back to Ontario...and the list goes on and on. I guess I shouldn't complain. Saying goodbye to three people sucks, but there are these three amazing things, letters, telephones and the internet, so while they won't be in Vancouver anymore, at least they won't be somewhere totally inaccessible!
Okay...if that isn't a Monday morning ramble, then I don't know what is!
Enough already!
1. we last saw each other when she was pregnant
2. she didn't know anything about Alex
3. it doesn't feel like almost 18 months since we saw each other....but it is!
4. that's too long between visits
So we're trying to figure out a time that is "mutually convenient" and I'm looking at my calendar and I just don't know when I became a social butterfly...cause as we all know, I am a homebody. It would be nice to see both Aaron and Stacey and their kids before their kids graduate from university!
So yeah, time flies like crazy and I'm not sure how much I like that. It would be nice if life slowed down a bit so that I could really truly enjoy every second of it and maybe get eight hours of sleep every night too.
As part of the things changing in my life, I've decided to slow down. So...the calendar comes out and when there are more than two Girl Guides nights in a week on the calendar, there are no more Girl Guide events that week. Unless it's a really special event or something like that. Or if it's a camp. Cause I'm going to camp this summer and it's a week long and somehow I don't think it would go over so well if after the second day I said to everyone, well, I'm here, but I'm no longer doing Girl Guide stuff...sorry...yeah...not so helpful!
And things changing...well...there are more and more and more of those things every day it seems. My other friend Stacey finally convinced me to go to the gym with her and I liked it (I CAN'T believe I just said I *LIKE* the gym). Roslyn is leaving Vancouver and, thus, the blue house. Alex is moving into the blue house. Kelsey is abandoning me to move back to K-town. Anne is going back to Ontario...and the list goes on and on. I guess I shouldn't complain. Saying goodbye to three people sucks, but there are these three amazing things, letters, telephones and the internet, so while they won't be in Vancouver anymore, at least they won't be somewhere totally inaccessible!
Okay...if that isn't a Monday morning ramble, then I don't know what is!
Enough already!
Friday, May 05, 2006
more about the census
Okay...so punk told me about Count Me Out. I'm a little bothered that those guys down there are looking after our census information...
Other fun stuff included in the "BIG" version of the census:
Is this dwelling in need of any repairs?
Do not include desirable remodelling or additions.
Other fun stuff included in the "BIG" version of the census:
Is this dwelling in need of any repairs?
Do not include desirable remodelling or additions.
- No, only regular maintenance is needed (painting, furnace cleaning, etc.)
- Yes, minor repairs are needed (missing or loose floor tiles, bricks or shingles, defective steps, railing or siding, etc.)
- Yes, major repairs are needed (defective plumbing or electrical wiring, structural repairs to walls, floors or ceilings, etc.)
(a) How many rooms are there in this dwelling?
Include kitchen, bedrooms, finished rooms in attic or basement, etc.
Do not count bathrooms, halls, vestibules and rooms used solely for business purposes.
______ Number of rooms
(b) How many of these rooms are bedrooms?
______ Number of bedrooms
Other questions include things like annual income, who pays the rent, who pays the utilities, who pays the mortgage. All kinds of language questions, all kinds of employment and education questions - how many hours you worked, what kind of education institution you attended since September 2005, how many weeks of paid work you had in 2005. Pretty much everything except what you ate for dinner!
census time
So...it's census year. The big bad package came in the mail to be completed by May 16.
And there are some interesting questions on there...like how many hours you spend doing household chores in a week...eye opener! It really is! I counted and I can't believe it's 15-29...that's a few hours a day (it's actually not as bad as it seems because you're supposed to:
"...Report all time spent on each activity, even if two or more activities took place at the same time."
So multitasking gets double/triple/quadruple counted...but even still, I'd be in that same bracket...imagine what happens if you have kids and you're a super multitasker - I bet you'd get to fill in the 60 hours or more...which just seems like so much...and there's a separate questions for hours of unpaid child care you do in a week!
Good thing there isn't a question about daydreaming...
And there are some interesting questions on there...like how many hours you spend doing household chores in a week...eye opener! It really is! I counted and I can't believe it's 15-29...that's a few hours a day (it's actually not as bad as it seems because you're supposed to:
"...Report all time spent on each activity, even if two or more activities took place at the same time."
So multitasking gets double/triple/quadruple counted...but even still, I'd be in that same bracket...imagine what happens if you have kids and you're a super multitasker - I bet you'd get to fill in the 60 hours or more...which just seems like so much...and there's a separate questions for hours of unpaid child care you do in a week!
Good thing there isn't a question about daydreaming...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Angel Walk
Last night I finally finished Angel Walk. It was one of those books that I started forever and day ago...more than once actually, but it 
lived at my parents' house, so I would never finish it because I'd forget to take it home with me.
So at Christmas I took it home with me. And proceeded to read all kinds of other books in between, but in the last few weeks it has become my before bed book.
I inherited a liking for books about World War II from my mom. Don't ask me why - I think it was a horrific war, but books about WWII, non-fiction and fiction, have a bizarre attraction for me. So this book and it's back and forth between lake country Ontario, which reminds me in a small way of the lakes I grew up with, London and other parts of Europe was definitely appealing.
It was good. I enjoyed it. And now it's done. And that's okay. There wasn't anymore to write about, there were no more secrets to uncover, although the last secret, the one that Tyke tells us, seems totally out of place and almost unnecessary.
But anyway...
In answer to that favourite question: Would you recommend it?
YES...but only to the right person...not everyone likes frustrating love stories, war and abandoned children.
lived at my parents' house, so I would never finish it because I'd forget to take it home with me.So at Christmas I took it home with me. And proceeded to read all kinds of other books in between, but in the last few weeks it has become my before bed book.
I inherited a liking for books about World War II from my mom. Don't ask me why - I think it was a horrific war, but books about WWII, non-fiction and fiction, have a bizarre attraction for me. So this book and it's back and forth between lake country Ontario, which reminds me in a small way of the lakes I grew up with, London and other parts of Europe was definitely appealing.
It was good. I enjoyed it. And now it's done. And that's okay. There wasn't anymore to write about, there were no more secrets to uncover, although the last secret, the one that Tyke tells us, seems totally out of place and almost unnecessary.
But anyway...
In answer to that favourite question: Would you recommend it?
YES...but only to the right person...not everyone likes frustrating love stories, war and abandoned children.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
The Book Diet
I'm on a book diet. Truthfully, I've been on a book diet for about six or seven years, but I just can't stick to it. The book diet started out something like this:
1. If something came out that I HAD to have (in recent years this applies to Harry Potter)
2. Gifts were okay
3. I could buy books if I had a gift card/gift certificate
4. While travelling, if I found myself bookless, I could purchase ONE book at a time. Unless the book was super exceptional, it should be left with someone I stayed with, a fellow traveller or even in the seat pocket on the bus/train/airplane for someone else to read
So...the book diet worked very well for the first few years when I was travelling a lot and living in London. Then Anne came to visit from Aberdeen. I had been great about not buying books because they'd be a pain to transport back across the ocean and there was a decent library of books that were mostly left behind when people continued on their travels, so I had no problem finding reading material.
But then Anne came. And around that time I decided I needed to read Chocolat. Anne is as obsessed with books as I am (maybe even more obsessed). Anne needed a book for the really long train ride back to Aberdeen.
So we went to Waterstones. Anne was looking for something in particular that we didn't find there. So we went to Charing Cross Road, home of multiple wonderful used bookstores, specialty bookstores and regular bookstores. And that was the beginning of the end.
I was already in possession of my copy of Chocolat but somehow, we got on the 24 bus back home and I had about 8 books in my bag. And I kept buying them. But I kept telling myself that I'd leave them for the Pax Lodge library and it would be okay.
But then...well...a week before I came back to Canada, Megan came to stay overnight on her way back from Denmark and she offered to take an extra bag home for me. So I gave her a 40 lb backpack that was almost entirely BOOKS. More books.
See...the book collecting needed to be curbed!
So...the book diet is kind of working these days. I try not to go into bookstores anymore because I'm not entirely sure I could restrain myself. The thing about the book diet is that you don't actually lose books...and in the end, once I've read all those unread books, I'll actually get to start "gaining" books again!!!
EDIT FEBRUARY 3, 2009: The link to the Pax Lodge library no longer works. The Pax Lodge library is now the "Our World Lounge"
- I am an obsessive book buyer
- People give me books/bookstore gift cards for my birthday/Christmas etc
- I have a giant bookcase that is full of books and there are books in various other places through the house plus books in boxes and not in boxes at my parents' house
- I looked at all the books I have and realized there were quite a few I had never opened. This was a long time ago, just before I graduated from university, and I didn't really have time to read anything other than my course material and sometimes even that was too much
- There is a small fortune tied up in books in my house
- I am also an obsessive book keeper (one who keeps books as opposed to a bookkeeper). Unless it's horrible, I won't get rid of it
1. If something came out that I HAD to have (in recent years this applies to Harry Potter)
2. Gifts were okay
3. I could buy books if I had a gift card/gift certificate
4. While travelling, if I found myself bookless, I could purchase ONE book at a time. Unless the book was super exceptional, it should be left with someone I stayed with, a fellow traveller or even in the seat pocket on the bus/train/airplane for someone else to read
So...the book diet worked very well for the first few years when I was travelling a lot and living in London. Then Anne came to visit from Aberdeen. I had been great about not buying books because they'd be a pain to transport back across the ocean and there was a decent library of books that were mostly left behind when people continued on their travels, so I had no problem finding reading material.
But then Anne came. And around that time I decided I needed to read Chocolat. Anne is as obsessed with books as I am (maybe even more obsessed). Anne needed a book for the really long train ride back to Aberdeen.
So we went to Waterstones. Anne was looking for something in particular that we didn't find there. So we went to Charing Cross Road, home of multiple wonderful used bookstores, specialty bookstores and regular bookstores. And that was the beginning of the end.
I was already in possession of my copy of Chocolat but somehow, we got on the 24 bus back home and I had about 8 books in my bag. And I kept buying them. But I kept telling myself that I'd leave them for the Pax Lodge library and it would be okay.
But then...well...a week before I came back to Canada, Megan came to stay overnight on her way back from Denmark and she offered to take an extra bag home for me. So I gave her a 40 lb backpack that was almost entirely BOOKS. More books.
See...the book collecting needed to be curbed!
So...the book diet is kind of working these days. I try not to go into bookstores anymore because I'm not entirely sure I could restrain myself. The thing about the book diet is that you don't actually lose books...and in the end, once I've read all those unread books, I'll actually get to start "gaining" books again!!!
EDIT FEBRUARY 3, 2009: The link to the Pax Lodge library no longer works. The Pax Lodge library is now the "Our World Lounge"
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Oddly enough...I am a Cancer...
so I guess I fit with the great big astrological plan for me! What a cute little crabby too!! And yes...I do like home. If you know me, you know there isn't anywhere I'd rather be...and family, well...yeah, I guess you could say my family is a little, teensey, tiny bit important to me...
More about Cancerians:
Cancer, the fourth Sign of the Zodiac, is all about home. Those born under this Sign are 'roots' kinds of people and take great pleasure in the comforts of home and family.
Cancers are maternal, domestic and love to nurture others. More than likely, their family will be large, too -- the more, the merrier! Cancers will certainly be merry if their home life is serene and harmonious.
Traditions are upheld with great zest in a Cancer's household, since these folks prize family history and love communal activities. They also tend to be patriotic, waving the flag whenever possible.
A Cancer's good memory is the basis for stories told around the dinner table, and don't be surprised if these folks get emotional about things. Those born under this Sign wear their heart on their sleeve, which is just fine by them.
The mascot of Cancerians is the Crab, and much like this shelled little critter, Cancerians are quick to retreat into their shells if it suits their mood. No wonder these folks are called crabby! For Cancer, it's not that big of a deal, though, since they consider this 'shell' a second home (and they do love home).
The flip side of this hiding is that shell-bound Crabs are often quite moody. Further, in keeping with their difficulty in sharing their innermost feelings, it can become a Herculean task to pry a Crab out of its secret hiding place. What to do? Give the Crab time -- eventually these folks will come out to play again. When they do, they'll be the first to say so, in keeping with the Cardinal Quality attached to this Sign.
It's said that Crabs are first to laugh and first to cry, so you can bet they'll fill you in. That shell, by the way, isn't the only tough thing about Crabs.
These folks are tenacious and strong-willed and like to get their way. If their well-documented kindness and gentleness doesn't do the trick, however, they're not above using emotional manipulation to make things happen. If that still doesn't work, they'll just go back to their shell and sulk, or find a way to get back at the source of their pain, since Crabs can be rather vindictive.
That said, any self-respecting Crab would tell you that they are ultimately motivated by protecting their home and loved ones, a most noble goal.
You Should Be A Cancer |
 What's good about you: you're incredibly kind, caring, and generous What's bad about you: you can be too moody and impossible to understand In love: you enjoy wining and dining the object of your affection In friendship, you're: likely to depend on other friends for emotional support Your ideal job: historian, marine biologist, or religious figure Your sense of fashion: you dress to match your mood You like to pig out on: classic home cooked meals, like mac and cheese |
More about Cancerians:
Cancer, the fourth Sign of the Zodiac, is all about home. Those born under this Sign are 'roots' kinds of people and take great pleasure in the comforts of home and family.
Cancers are maternal, domestic and love to nurture others. More than likely, their family will be large, too -- the more, the merrier! Cancers will certainly be merry if their home life is serene and harmonious.
Traditions are upheld with great zest in a Cancer's household, since these folks prize family history and love communal activities. They also tend to be patriotic, waving the flag whenever possible.
A Cancer's good memory is the basis for stories told around the dinner table, and don't be surprised if these folks get emotional about things. Those born under this Sign wear their heart on their sleeve, which is just fine by them.
The mascot of Cancerians is the Crab, and much like this shelled little critter, Cancerians are quick to retreat into their shells if it suits their mood. No wonder these folks are called crabby! For Cancer, it's not that big of a deal, though, since they consider this 'shell' a second home (and they do love home).
The flip side of this hiding is that shell-bound Crabs are often quite moody. Further, in keeping with their difficulty in sharing their innermost feelings, it can become a Herculean task to pry a Crab out of its secret hiding place. What to do? Give the Crab time -- eventually these folks will come out to play again. When they do, they'll be the first to say so, in keeping with the Cardinal Quality attached to this Sign.
It's said that Crabs are first to laugh and first to cry, so you can bet they'll fill you in. That shell, by the way, isn't the only tough thing about Crabs.
These folks are tenacious and strong-willed and like to get their way. If their well-documented kindness and gentleness doesn't do the trick, however, they're not above using emotional manipulation to make things happen. If that still doesn't work, they'll just go back to their shell and sulk, or find a way to get back at the source of their pain, since Crabs can be rather vindictive.
That said, any self-respecting Crab would tell you that they are ultimately motivated by protecting their home and loved ones, a most noble goal.
Monday, May 01, 2006
Birthday for Fifers
May Day = Fiona's birthday...
It's hard to believe, but I have known Fiona for 22 years (there's no way I'm that old...by "that old" I mean 22!)...I'm not sure when or how we met. Fiona often tells me that I have a scary memory for detail, but that's one detail I cannot remember at all. Some people (our moms) think maybe we met at French Summer Camp or Brownies or maybe just randomly on the playground...My first two memories of Fiona are vague - I don't know which one came first. One is of talking to her on the playground and the other is of a Brownie meeting where all three groups got together to meet (we were in different groups). In both memories, I feel like I must have known her for a while. I definitely met Fiona sometime in the fall of Grade Two. Only, I was still in Grade One. I changed schools that year so that I could go into French Immersion, but it meant I was two years behind my classmates. Seven is an okay age to acquire a new language, so the school's solution was to put me back in Grade One for part of the year and then after Christmas move me to Grade Two. Fiona was most certainly in my Grade Two class. Because Grade One was a portable and Grade Two was in the school and the portable had hooks, but the school had lockers and lockers were given out at the beginning of the year and there were never quite enough to go around anyway, I had to share a locker and I am almost positive I shared with Fiona. And if we didn't share, well, my locker was really close to hers.
Blah blah blah...it's Fiona's birthday and that up there became about me somehow.
So, Grade Two was the cementing of our friendship and even though sometimes we fought, sometimes we didn't like each other, sometimes one (or both) of us would wish the other would just GO AWAY, somehow we stayed friends through elementary school, Guides, hormones, high school, Pathfinders, sleepovers, Bronze/Silver/Gold Camps for Canada Cords, my disappearance to boarding school, and living together (!) for two years even though we said we'd never ever ever live together. I can safely say Fiona is one of my very best friends, we've shared secrets (important ones and ones that just seemed important at the time), she knows most, if not all of my secrets, she has seen me laugh so hard my face turned red and I couldn't stand up, she's seen me cry about important stuff and not so important stuff, she's seen the after effects of too much cat hair and not enough sleep (boy, I get crabby!), she's seen me and my sisters behave like evil siblings, she (and D-Man) became our honourary siblings even though they knew how we could behave, although we've since grown up and are nice to each other...anyway, I could go on and on and on and on when really, besides announcing to the world how great I think she is, I'm just really trying to say:
Happy Birthday Fifi!!!
It's hard to believe, but I have known Fiona for 22 years (there's no way I'm that old...by "that old" I mean 22!)...I'm not sure when or how we met. Fiona often tells me that I have a scary memory for detail, but that's one detail I cannot remember at all. Some people (our moms) think maybe we met at French Summer Camp or Brownies or maybe just randomly on the playground...My first two memories of Fiona are vague - I don't know which one came first. One is of talking to her on the playground and the other is of a Brownie meeting where all three groups got together to meet (we were in different groups). In both memories, I feel like I must have known her for a while. I definitely met Fiona sometime in the fall of Grade Two. Only, I was still in Grade One. I changed schools that year so that I could go into French Immersion, but it meant I was two years behind my classmates. Seven is an okay age to acquire a new language, so the school's solution was to put me back in Grade One for part of the year and then after Christmas move me to Grade Two. Fiona was most certainly in my Grade Two class. Because Grade One was a portable and Grade Two was in the school and the portable had hooks, but the school had lockers and lockers were given out at the beginning of the year and there were never quite enough to go around anyway, I had to share a locker and I am almost positive I shared with Fiona. And if we didn't share, well, my locker was really close to hers.
Blah blah blah...it's Fiona's birthday and that up there became about me somehow.
So, Grade Two was the cementing of our friendship and even though sometimes we fought, sometimes we didn't like each other, sometimes one (or both) of us would wish the other would just GO AWAY, somehow we stayed friends through elementary school, Guides, hormones, high school, Pathfinders, sleepovers, Bronze/Silver/Gold Camps for Canada Cords, my disappearance to boarding school, and living together (!) for two years even though we said we'd never ever ever live together. I can safely say Fiona is one of my very best friends, we've shared secrets (important ones and ones that just seemed important at the time), she knows most, if not all of my secrets, she has seen me laugh so hard my face turned red and I couldn't stand up, she's seen me cry about important stuff and not so important stuff, she's seen the after effects of too much cat hair and not enough sleep (boy, I get crabby!), she's seen me and my sisters behave like evil siblings, she (and D-Man) became our honourary siblings even though they knew how we could behave, although we've since grown up and are nice to each other...anyway, I could go on and on and on and on when really, besides announcing to the world how great I think she is, I'm just really trying to say:
Happy Birthday Fifi!!!
Who has seen the wind?
Okay, so maybe I haven't seen the wind, but today I really feel like maybe I have! I don't know what's going on out there, but as I wandered to work (well, fought my way to work with my eyes mostly closed), I thought, someone out there doesn't want me to work today. The fact that I am putting so much effort into my morning march is definite proof that I should head home to bed! I really believe I'd be blind if I hadn't been wearing my glasses...debris EVERYWHERE!!! It's so deceptive because it's so nice when I look out my window...but I almost get swept to sea when I go out the door!!!
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