If I didn't know my mum was so straight and narrow, I would've sworn she was on drugs when she was carrying me. I get the most LSD filled dreams (and trust me, I'm not on drugs either. My individual adrenaline and personality is insane enough for some people) that I sometimes feel the Dream Fairy delivered the wrong dreams to me.
Last night I dreamt that we were in a place where if you had taken an aerial shot, it would have looked like pieces of lace, land being part of the "lace" and the holes were bodies of water. Stef and I were swimming from land to land trying to find life, other than ourselves. Suddenly, we heard some human voices and swam toward this very thin piece of land, so thin that it felt like a very small fence, you could only hold onto it. I was quite tired by then and could barely keep myself afloat. That piece of land turned out to be the edge of a huge rushing river.
When I looked over I saw all these people salmon fishing, and the salmon swimming upstream were these massive pre-historic dinosaur type beasts, all larger than a very tall man.
Stefan said I cried out in the middle of the night so he thought I was having a nightmare and tried to comfort me.
Turns out that in my dream, he was trying so hard to see these creatures, he was leaning very heavily on my left side and I felt myself slipping from the edge. What I was actually trying to do was yell, "Get off me, you big baboon!"
This song has been running through my head all week even though it has NOTHING to do with our situation, other than the title. We've been living in Ikea hell for the past week. Stefan keeps saying that he doesn't know why it's also "my" hell since he's been doing all the work. But he doesn't understand that his frustrations and moaning over the project has been grating on my already irritable nerves.
And really, I have no reason to be irritable. After all, this project has been in part, mainly for me and my burgeoning collection of books. I love to buy books. I still go to the library tons but I love to re-read books so I buy books that I know I will want to experience again. Unfortunately, there are a lot of those.
You too can get the look of collagen injected lips without going to the doctor. Guaranteed 100% effective. Look like Angelina Jolie with no financial cost.
Method: Drink beer that has wasp at the the rim without noticing. Feel fluttering against lip, pinch fluttering object, thereby incurring anger of said wasp forcing it to sting your bottom lip, causing swelling. To even out both bottom and top lip, try to get a wasp to sting the other lip at the same time. This is NOT recommended.
Side Effects May Cause: Possible death if allergic (Thank goodness, I was not), Not much attention from husband after he realizes you're not going to die, Serious stinging to the point of seeing stars as lip is very sensitive area, Internal itching (probably from the venom), Jokes about how Stefan and I should not take out our anger on each other physically, Swelling for longer than a day (if you are particularly sensitive to insect bugs like me).
Possible solutions: Ice and Meat Tenderizer (recommended by someone who got bitten a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately it's not something I usually carry in my bag but will give some thought to it for the future).
I got my teeth cleaned today after not going for almost a year. What can I say? I'm the type of person that needs to be harassed repeatedly before I go. It's not that I hate going to the dentist, I just can't be bothered to remember appointments so far ahead in time. I can barely remember my anniversary or birthdays for Pete's sake.
I've never really understood people's fear of dentists. Even as a child I was so fascinated by all the gee gads that dentists have. It also helps that I've always had very nice, funny dentists. I usually lie there and if the appointment is early enough, I can almost fall asleep.
People say it's also because I have never had issues with my teeth. Only three cavities in the 29 years of my life. I can't help but crow over this fact because I am really, really lazy with dental hygiene. I only floss when I remember and I sometimes fall asleep at night without brushing. I hear dentists everywhere gasping with horror.
On the other hand, Stef is every dentist's dream. He brushes all the time and flosses like a maniac. He always has issues with his teeth. He's convinced my dentist is a quack for never finding any problems.
Sometimes, (very rarely) the fates just like to take my side.
Yes, I know it sounds ghetto but we don't have a dishwasher so we still do all our dishes the old fashion way. Up until recently we had a really (in my mind) unsanitary dish rack that did not have proper drainage. I would spend every other day washing the darn thing while muttering under my breathe "Salmonella" or "E-coli." They're the only two deadly food bacterias that I know of.
Finally, I convinced Stefan to splurge on this fancy dandy simplehuman one and I've been happy as a clam since. There's something really soothing and calming to me about hand washing dishes. I think it's because it used to be one of the very first chores I learnt as a child; and I used to make up imaginary games that I was in some dishwashing liquid commercial.
Just a quick post to let you guys know that I am still alive. I've been getting a couple, "I hope you're not dead..." emails. You would think that if I were, Stefan would bother to let people know.
But, it's nice to know people care...
I've just been busy. Every night, I am so bone achingly tired that all I can seem to do is lay prostate on the couch on my big giant pillows and let my brain slowly turn to mush.
Anyway, today I went to see my accountant to give him my tax stuff. I just want to say that he's really such a lovely guy and I enjoy seeing him whenever I do. He works down the hall from where I live so we tend to bump into each other. He's this older, rugged British guy with the typical snaggle teeth (What is up with Brits and their teeth? Don't they have good orthodontists there?) and just the most wonderful personality. He was diagnosed with cancer about six years ago and they had told him that he only had six months to live. He's now in remission and has such a brilliant outlook on life.
I swear, most of the time, I just drop my papers off and we talk for an hour about life. I am pretty organized with my paperwork so he never ever needs to ask too many questions about it. He's always giving me some kernel of witty wisdom. I really hope that if I was ever faced with such adversity, that I would face it with as much positivity.
On a side note, I am a little annoyed that the CCRA's online filing system is down and no one seems to have any idea when it will be fixed. This is the first time I've been so early to file my taxes and what good did it do me?
I cannot believe that it's already Christmas. This time, it really crept up on me. It still sort of doesn't feel like the holidays due to the particularly warm weather and no snow. But my brother Ken is home and we're a complete family once again which makes me very happy.
I hope you guys are having a very enjoyable holiday season as well. Happy Festivus, everyone!
It's a funny industry that I work in. I am often torn by the superficiality of it all and yet I am still in it. I sincerely believe that many of us who are in it and are not "supermodels" (the tiny percentage that are in the world) are constantly grapling with the reality and non-reality of it. I remember living my teenage years here and flicking through magazines, thinking,"Wow! I cannot really relate with any of these rules by which people define beauty by."
And yet, during the times when my company had to hire models, (it was mainly I who was doing this part) that I could be so utterly critical of what I would consider beautiful. In my defense, I always liked to pick girls who people who would not conventionally be consider a "beauty", such as Alex Wek. Yet, I cannot deny that when it comes to someone where their trade is strictly their physical beauty that I am as critical as they come.
Everyone in blogland has been talking about their piles lately. Here are my favourites right now - Lisa's, Louise's and Gracia's. What I want to know is why does everyone's messy piles look so artistic and fun? Mine just looks like one big junk heap.
I've decided to take a blogging break. Life is just way too overwhelming right now. I keep wishing there were 60 hour days. My home is a mess, my workload is endless, my personal life is lacking. I keep making lists and they just give birth to more. I am trying to find some balance in the insanity. I want to be able to cuddle with my cat and lovely husband for longer than 2 minutes.
I am not really sure when I plan to be back. It might be sooner than I think. But hopefully, I'll see you all very soon.
Silence from me. What's going on, you ask? What is NOT going on, should be the better question.
About a month or so ago, I implied how I was going a little mental but I didn't explain why. Call me superstitious but I really don't like talking about "big" decisions until I've actually decided and done the thing I've decided to do. Like my marriage. I feel like if you say anything before, you might actually jinx it.
I was more than half way through my first year of business when I suddenly realized that I had outgrown the space I was working out of. I had basically been fortunate enough to work out of Stefan's office. I was offered a couple of new lines that came highly recommended by friends in the industry and all of sudden, I felt like Alice in Wonderland, grown too big and everything around was tiny.
I had the nicest surprise yesterday. The very lovely Lisa S sent me a very unexpected gift - a tote with a birdie (how did she know that I adore totes and birds?), two mixed CD's (that I am groovin' to right now) and two magnets! Even Mindy got to enjoy in some of the pressies, as you can see here. She just loves tissue paper! There is nothing nicer than coming home to an unexpected package.
It's been nothing but rain for about a week and I am about to go stark raving mad.
Marie, who lives in Vancouver likes to make fun about Torontonians when it comes to rain. She likes to say that we are afraid of the rain. I don't think that we are afraid. We just have less tolerance for it than Vancouverites do.
The good thing about this weather is that I am behind on my paperwork, (as usual!) so nothing like a little Ipoding and random surfing to help pass the time. The thing I hate though is the darkness. I've been trying to work on my Summer masthead and it's hard to feel inspired when it's gloomy outside.
Not that we're really looking, but I like to know what's out there on the market. So every so often, I troll onto the online real estate listings to see what is out there in my world. This is usually what happens.
Me: God! Don't people watch "Sell This House"? At least wash your dishes before letting the real estate guy take pictures!
Me: Hmmm....that's what they call a backyard? It's a vegetable patch!
Me: Why do people need 5 bathrooms and only 3 bedrooms? How does that work?
Me: ooooo....This is a possibility. We would have to fix the kitchen and and bathrooms though, so eighties.... but it'll be a good fixer upper.
Stefan: Karen! Are you not looking at prices again? For $2.8 million, we shouldn't have to fix anything!
OOOPSIES!
That's the gist of the real estate woes that we've been experiencing in Toronto for the past 5 years. With the city expanding so quickly, real estate has just sky rocketed so unless you're willing to do major renovations or live in the suburbs, it's not possible to find a decent small starter home for under $500,000.
We sometimes contemplate living in the suburbs but we really don't think we could do it. If we're going to live in a city, we have to live in the city. We contemplate doing renos like what many of our friends are doing, but I remember just putting the two walls up in our loft and what a pain it was. We're not very handy. Sure, we can build walls but being able to do the plumping, concrete pouring, and wiring? Not a clue. What I want to know is how our friends, who are all mostly young professionals learnt how to do all that? Was there some memo to take classes that we missed?
Our requirements seem simple - an older house with interesting architectural details, some garden space and accessible to the downtown core. I think we'd have better luck winning the lottery. I know at some point, we're going to have to compromise our wants and needs for a home, if we want to live here.
Right now, my ideal home is this -
A converted, 12th century fort in Italy. Stefan says it'll be hard considering we don't speak Italian and have no idea of what we would do for work but I say, if you're gonna dream, you gotta dream big....
I know, I've been so quiet lately. I haven't been inspired to write lately because I've actually been feeling a little off. You know when you feel like you're coming down with something, and then you don't but you actually don't feel yourself? That's how I've been feeling for the past two weeks and really I just wish I would get a big, bad cold and get it over with instead of having this niggling feeling of sickness hanging over me.
So, here is a small catch up on what's been on my mind -
Lovely Lisa is back online! I've really missed her thoughts, drawings and pictures these past few weeks.
Maria and Abigail have been travelling and there is something that I simply love about photos taken from the plane. It's got me thinking that I haven't been on a trip since our wedding-moon and I am simply itching to get on a plane.
I've gotten some lovely things in the mail - My CD swap by Carly and a random box from my original box-buddy Marie! Stefan doesn't know why Marie and I are so obsessed with totes. It's because they carry lots of goodies!
Meredith needs to get over McDreamy since Chris O'Donnell is WAY hotter. Is it me or is she looking skinnier than ever? I don't like it.
I sometimes forget that Toronto is really such an awesome city. Last weekend, we drove around High Park, a wilder, untamed version of Central Park in NY and re-found the mini zoo. I also took lots of pictures of trees, a mild obsession that I have. You can view the rest of them here.
Mindy is finally eating raw food without any of her canned food! Yippee! Still no weight loss but I am happy. Now if only she could stop running away when I am trying to brush her teeth.
There are definitely downfalls to working for oneself. The biggest one for me is doing bookeeping. It's just so tedius and boring and because I hate it, I usually put it off until the receipt box is completely full. Then, because I've been so slack, I cry over all these tiny receipts that have no shop names, dates etc because I can't remember what they were for.
I know, I bring it all upon myself.
The weird thing is that I am actually quite fascinated by numbers. Stef knows that my internal nerd loves to read about the mysteries of math theorems. I just don't like these numbers.
It doesn't help that it's so sunny out and I find myself looking longingly out the window.
So, I have been wedding ring-less for the past couple of weeks. Before we left for our weddingmoon, I had noticed that one of the diamonds on my ring was set a little off from the rest. So now it's at the jeweller being fixed.
I never thought that it would affect me so much but it really has. I feel a little weird and lost without it. I keep seeing (or maybe in my head I am seeing this) women look at me as I hold the hands with this married man. They probably think I'm a complete floozy!
Been thinking about the whole phenomenon of MySpace and for me, I find that I have to go through so much STUFF to find the content that interests me. That in itself makes it hard for me to get into it. However, I did sign up for it because so many people I know are on it and I didn't think you could read stuff unless you signed up.
The weird thing is some people have 4 MySpace accounts and a Blogger/Blogspot type account too. How do people find the time to update them all? I am having a hard enough time keeping this one updated as it is.
It reminds me of happy things and if joy was a colour, I would colour it orange.
I love the scent of orange peels, tangerines at Christmas time, sunsets, sunrise, fall, pumpkins. Freshly squeezed orange, clementine and tangerine juice, all mixed together with a bit of lemon is liquid sunshine to me.
Pictures -
Sunset view from our room when we were in Negril, Jamaica.
Orange books and a flower pin that I've never used but still love.
My "George Constanza" orange wallet --- It's busting out and I need a new one.
A condo going up near where we live.
My Christmas present from Stefan -- Eddie!
Fall foliage - taken the day after we got engaged.
I am really enjoying this exercise. What are the colours for next week? Anyone?
Pictures -
I love signs on walls!
A rusting vintage truck in the Distillery district.
Our dishes, the big bowls are for noodle soup.
Some of our cooking utensils.
Rocks in a flower bed.
Green is actually one of my favourite colours. There is something so fresh and spring like about it. For the past year, I've been a little obsessed with wearing green and orange, prompting my girlfriend Marie to often ask whether I am more "Stem" or more "Pumpkin."
Pictures -
Mindy, with her green eyes on our green floral duvet cover that Aunty Marie bought.
I can't eat bananas unless they're a little green, is that weird?
Sauteed spinach with shalots -- yum!
Green apple dish washing detergent.
I wish there was more green in my world right now. We got snow today. Yes, snow in April. Welcome to Canada.
Oh, I hate to be so "Woe is me!" but man, am I beat -- road trips, long hours, school. The glamourous life of being self-employed.
I know, I know. It's all going to pay off in the end but I am saying this out loud right now, I'm no martyr to work. If I won the lottery, I'd be off to the South of France, buying a century old farmhouse, fixing it up, learning how to really craft, write and cooking fabulous food for friends. Oh, the dream....
Here are other thoughts that are occupying my mind right now -
I saw more road kill and it makes me sad. Because when you think about it, it must mean that we have taken over their native habitat and they have nowhere to go.
Lisa is SUCH a food tease! She describes in detail about the lovely food she ate at Crustacean, BUT NO PICTURES! What's going on here?
I am beyond tired of this winter weather. Where is Spring?
I need to work on my bedside manners. Stefan wakes me up every morning with a sweet,"Good morning, gorgeous!" or "Where are my beautiful brown eyes" whilst I wake him up with a,"Don't make me ask you again!" In my defense, it takes me just one try to wake me up and it takes several with Stef. Still....
My oldest friend, Mae Fong called yesterday and it's so great to know that even though we're miles apart and so much time has passed, we can still click. It's like we've never been apart. I always say it's all because she's been there since I came home from the hospital after my mum gave birth to me.
As many of you know, we've been griping about our bed and we finally got one as a wedding present from Stefan's big bro, Nick. It's amazing what a big difference a queen size bed makes when you've been sleeping on a double for years. I feel like Stefan is like on the other side of the world and I must say I kind of miss our bed fights over more space.
Mav totally made my day! Look at the gorgeous cards she made for Stefan and I. I almost don't want to use them but I had specifically gotten them for "Thank You" cards for our wedding presents. Guess, I gotta get on that. She also sent me some of her limited Geese cards and they are SO gorgeous. You should buy some if you don't already have them.
Once upon a time, before we started dating, Stefan had a beautiful glass fishbowl. It was quite large and contained three goldfish, named after his then roommates and himself.
"Paulo" was the fish with a big hairy mole after his Portuguese namesake, "Stefan" was the beautiful albino fish and "Tom" was the grumpy, fat fish. As legend goes, "Paulo" and "Tom" killed "Stefan" because it was too beautiful, Paulo then killed himself out of boredom and "Tom" was left. Two sets of roommates and four years later, "Tom" still happily swum around the fishbowl. Stefan was convinced that he had the record for the longest living $2.99 goldfish.
Here I am on a lovely sunny (!) winter afternoon, working. Don't you all wish that we had jobs where we could say,"Nice day!! Well, see you all later!!"
Since, this is not possible, here are the things that I am thinking about -
Mindy really might be the most beautiful girl in the world.
Remember the colour Vamp by Chanel? I completely forgot how much I love this colour. I know the current trend is to wear black nail polish but I just can't wear black without feeling like it's Halloween. I'm just not chic enough. This will have to do. Chanel renamed this rouge noir. Sounds so much more sophisticated than Vamp.
I love my husband of almost a month. We're almost always laughing....at nothing in particular.
I love Paul and Jen's annual bowling birthday bash -- even though I may possibly be the worst bowler in the world. It's weird because I am a really competitive person but, because I am so bad at bowling, I can't possibly compete. For some reason, I really like just doing something without any pressure...
I really, really want to be the billion-song uploader for iTunes. Only so that I can have all that new technology (Asian yearnings and all...) plus that gift certificate for MUSIC!!!
I hate the tupperware cabinet. We can never seem to keep it in order. Every time I have to put the tupperware away, I always just open the cabinet door, toss the item in and slam it shut really quickly.
Friends have suggested buying me this popular-infomercial tupperware holders but the only problem with that is that it's only made for one type of tupperware and we have a variety of them - big ones, little ones, square ones, rectangular ones...all kinds.
What I really need is for my friend Marie to come back and reorganize it for me.
Ah, nothing like an Election Day to start the week.
It will be a very tight race I think. It was a very hard decision for me because frankly none of the parties truly represent me, so the next course of action was to pick the one that is closest. But then, I think that we're so lucky not to just have a two party system form of government. Because in that case, either party can be extreme on either side.
I understand the process of voting is tedious. You have to wait in long lines, people have to take the time to verify who you are but we are so lucky to even be able to do this. There are so many disenfranchised people out there in the world with no voice to speak out for what they want. As much as it can seem annoying at times, the stupid ads and the false promises, I still am proud and grateful that I can do this.
Regardless, whatever the outcome, I think it will still make me unhappy unless some completely dramatic changes are made. But I know that at least I made a choice. Don't not vote and then complain about problems after. Be responsible. After all, a single whisper added to a thousand others becomes a deafening roar. Don't waste your whisper.
Nothing really beats the feeling of a fresh new haircut.
I was feeling a little scraggly and down and we all know that is no way to feel for the holidays. I really wish that I had taken a before picture but here is the after.
The best part about my haircut? I got it just by walking down the hall wearing loungewear and socks!
We live in a work/live loft so many of our neighbours have their own businesses. Kelly, the guy who cuts my hair is not only a brilliant hairdresser but also musician and photographer. It's quite unfair that someone can have so many talents at the same time.
Oh, and I have officially divorced my other hairdresser and jumped into bed with this one. I wonder what the proper etiquette is for hairdresser divorce? Unfortunately for Stefan, he still goes to my previous hairdresser so I think I will leave it for him to explain the situation if she should ever ask.
Stefan had the apartment first before we decided to live together. Granted, I helped pick everything out in the apartment BUT I had no idea that I would eventually live here too. So, the place is very much a reflection of Stefan's style and not so much mine. Stefan's tastes runs to Eames chairs, very clean lines, wood and steel. I tend to be more quirky. I like the mix of random finds, fabrics and vintage charm.
Envy is an ugly, green eyed monster that will not let you go. I believe there are two types of envy. The bad one that makes you do terrible things in the name of spite and the good one that makes you admire someone else's ability and wish you could have even an iota of it.
I am gripped again by creative envy. There are simply so many talented creative people out there in the world. Why, o why if I am so fascinated by it, could I not even be given an ounce of that ability? Perhaps that is why my job is to promote creative talent.
I have no idea when this started but I have a great affinity for unusual socks and monkeys. It's actually really funny because now all my friends tend to send me at least a pair of socks whenever they find one. Just the other day I received a letter from my friend, Mae Fong. In the letter was a very short note and a pair of socks. I simply had to laugh because it seemed so weird that she shipped one pair of socks all the way across the world. And yet it was so touching and it made my day.
Hockey again. I went to my very first NHL hockey game tonight. I have to admit that watching the game live makes all the difference in the world to someone who doesn't usually give a shit.
The question of the day is, who do you think gets more free fucks? Hockey players or basketball players? I ask because we have two professional teams.
I personally think that basketball players do. First of all, hockey players smell like fermenting sweat, or at least after a game and they have no teeth. I'd take my chances with the dribblers of the court any time over that.
I am one of those people who have never minded going to the dentist. In fact, I prefer it much more than going to the doctor. Doctors are always giving shots or taking blood from me. I could have a broken finger and they would still want to take blood. It's all got something to do with my "good veins." Doctors always get their trainees to have a go at them and I am always the guinea pig.
Every bloody muscle hurts. It hurts when I walk, it hurts when I lie down, it hurts when I lift my arms and when my feet touch the ground. My muscles are in muscle hell. Somehow, I got roped into playing Dodgeball on Saturday. Yup, you know that game played by grade school kids and then made popular by the Ben Stiller-Vince Vaughn movie of the same name. We went and played 6 hours of adult dodgeball.
Lately, I haven't had the time to smell the roses. It's been a really busy time for me, and honestly, all this mild weather has had me internally freaking. Global warming! Impending Doom!
Today, I noticed the Fall colours for the first time and by golly, nature is pretty damn beautiful when you take the time to notice it. We had been walking along Yorkville and people already seemed so caught up in the whole holiday shopping season. I wanted to say,"Don't you feel the warmth? Do you not see the afternoon sun shining through the leaves?"
But I am just as guilty for not taking life for what it can offer. I am always so caught up in the moments of work and stress. I have to remind myself that life will always have those moments and there are some moments that you can never get back.
Fall is actually one of my favourite seasons. I love the changing colours of the leaves. I love only being able to wear only a jean jacket and a scarf. We often don't get a real Fall here in Ontario. Things too quickly turns to cold and snow. The leaves just become a soggy muck that you wish were gone, and you secretly curse those people who couldn't be bothered to rake them up.
But today, Stefan and I strolled along the university campus, enjoying the weather, ran around the park, kicking up the leaves (me, not Stef) and just loving life. A perfect Fall afternoon.
Stefan: Please don't be mad.
Me: What happened?
Stefan: They only had one car left at the rental place.
Me: NO!!! Don't tell me...
Stefan: I'm sorry! I asked four times.
Me: Oh My God! I'll take anything else. A minivan, anything....
Sometimes certain people read my blog when I don't really expect them to. For instance, my parents, my brothers, my girlfriend's sixteen year old sister!
Anyway, I do realize that sometimes I talk about things that perhaps the people listed above should not really be exposed to but at the same time, this is blog is about me. I need to be able to speak about whatever I want without any fear of serious censorship.
However, I do admit that the last entry about acronyms was not really kid or parent friendly. So, I apologize to my brothers (who had a heart attack thinking about their mama reading about blow jobs) and to Marie (whose delicious little kid sister got exposed to what Marie didn't really want her to be exposed to. Please! Jenna is SIXTEEN! She already knows this happens) Maybe they should not have gotten the info from me, but that is neither here nor there.
So, all I can say is that the next time there is a warning or disclaimer, just do your best and use your discretion.
Every so often I envy the young their youth. I think it's because we live so close to the University of Toronto campus and many times, people mistake me to be a student. There are many things I miss about being college age like; not paying taxes, being able to drink like a fish with the mildest hangover the morning after, making dating mistakes and having a very carefree attitude to the world at large.
Tonight, I am reminded how much I like being the age I am. I am helping my friend Grace with her homework. I offered because she's attending the same program that I did. As she works on her fashion storyboard, I am grateful that I will never have to work on another story board or smell the sickening, toxic, scent of rubber cement after this night.
So you see? There are always benefits in whatever age you are.
I am a bit of a mad scientist. Or at least, that is what Stefan calls me.
I go through phases of being guilty about various different things - wasting water, pouring poisonous liquids that are in many of our basic cleaning fluids into the local ecosystem etc. These phases have spawned the homemade cleaning solutions, homemade fruit fly killers and -- the worst homemade experiment -- making homemade laundry detergent. DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS IF YOU ARE AN IMPATIENT PERSON.
This entry is probably going to get my Canadian citizenship revoked, but since I vowed that I would write what I think despite any unseen criticism, I should be honest - I don't like hockey. I know it's our national past time and people in this country are mad for it, but I personally find it quite boring. I couldn't really write this entry before because everyone said that I should not judge the game without seeing it in person.
Fall has finally descended in my time zone. After weeks of bemoaning over the ridiculousness of warm weather in October to friends in the Western Canadian Hemisphere, I have only received my comeupance. I really don't mind the cold. Fall is, in fact, my favourite dressing season. Layering sweaters over tees, wearing scarfs, gloves and boots? So many choices! So little time!
My only true complaint is that our apartment has reverted into an ice box. I think it's really sadistic that landlords don't legally have to turn on the heat until the end of this month. Until they are, I'll be keeping fairly close to Stefan-the-human-heater.
Journals are very intriguing things. They capture one's thoughts and hopes, they allow us to pour endless streams of consciousness onto paper and are the ultimate, silent, unjudging friend. They have been around for as long as the written word has existed and from many of them, we have learnt about the lives of those who have gone before us. That being said, do journals contain the ultimate truths about its author?
What is it about boys and domesticity? It's true what they say that the boys just sucker you in to be their girlfriends, but in reality are simply looking for replacements for their mothers. Take Stefan for instance. I think that at some point in his life, he was independent and could very well take care of himself. I know that he fed himself and also me occasionally with home cooked meals. I made the mistake of showing him that I was better at it than he was.
It's true what they say about Ontarians, we will hold on to the last days of summer like a dertermined three-year-old holding on to their favourite grubby toy. It may be freezing, but as long as the sun is shinning, we will grit our teeth and walk to work in our flip flops. Maybe it's because summer always seems to come so late to us — in comparison to Vancouver, for instance. We forget how disgusting, sweaty and smoggy our summers really are.
What is it about the Prairies that makes the air here so darn dry? I swear that I go through tubes of lotion every time I am here and I am still crackly as paper.
So, watching this totally random show on TLC about female body builders and I really, really don't get this sport. All these women look and sound completely like men with boob jobs and wigs. What do you suppose is the fascination with this?
I am a big fan of plain speaking. I just think that we tend to spend so much time trying to come up with euphemisms for things when we should just say what we think, then we can avoid the whole "broken telephone" problem.
Stefan made me download Skype before he left and it really is a great tool for people who don't have a home phone like me. It's an online internet phone and from user to user, the service is free. I think there are a bunch of other perks as well but I haven't bothered to find out.
The best part is that I get to call my bro in NY without the outrageous long distance rates. My brothers and I are doing the nerdiest thing right now. We're all on a conference call with one another but simultaneously IMing one another. It sounds weird but at the same time, it's nice to feel like we're in the same room.
So, Stefan's been at this Aussie Rules Footy thing for about eleven years now and it's something he really enjoys. For the last five years that we've been together, it's also become an important part of my life. I've been to almost every game that he has played on including his International tournaments.
So, it's not completely out of the ordinary that I also know other players on other teams. There is one particular other team where I know and am friendly with most of the players. For the past month, every time I ask one of the guys how their girlfriends are, they look a little sheepish and tell me that they've broken up! How odd!
Is there something in the gatorade that the team is drinking?
For some reason, I was sure that I had pre-ordered the latest Harry Potter book but obviously, I didn't because it's not here. Either that or Amazon.com just royally screwed me over. I should really try to look through my old credit card receipts just to double check but I really cannot be bothered.
My brother is so freaking anal. He has refolded his new sheets about 10 times already and they still don't look right to him. He said," Can you imagine what it would be like working for me?"
"I would hate it."
"Me too. I make people change their fonts in their reports if I don't think it's pretty enough."
Sheesh, Ken! You work at a bank. Why the heck does it need to be pretty? I thought I was anal. I guess analness just runs in the family.
Gah! The finger is totally festering and pussy now. Joy, o joy.
So, here I am at my brother's place in Hobokken, New Jersey. We haven't seen each other in months and here we are completely ignoring one another while surfing the net and throwing flippant, sarcastic and caustic comments to one another. Now, he's just watching DVDs that he has and forwarding them to his favourite scene and then goes to the next one. I am surrounded by weirdos. Does that mean I am a weirdo?
Somehow, on my way to NY, I managed to rip off an inch of skin off my pointing finger of my right hand. My co-workers were teasing me when I told them that I needed to stop by a new Duane Reade. I always tend to forget the most mundane things and tend to end up there.
But really, I had to change my bandaid twice during an hour flight and I am thinking, that's not so normal, right? So, I decided to try the liquid bandaid stuff because I know the open wound needs to breathe and get nature's bandaid (aka a scab) but it hurt when something touched it.
Anyways, the disclaimer said “No sting” and let me tell you, it bloody well stung!! So now the skin around the wound is puckered and waterproofed but I am not so sure about the actual wound as it's still bloody stinging so I'm not really letting anything near it. If it still hurts tomorrow, I am just slapping an old school band aid on it and living with it for the rest of my life because I AM A BIG WIMP.
Yes! It is finally Thursday, which means it is one day closer to Friday, which means that I can finally have some respite from WORK! I don't know why but I am a consumate workoholic. I honestly think that I was raging Catholic in my former life as I have this weird guilt complex, or so that is what my Catholic friends keep telling me. Once again, I am caught in the vicious cycle of working extra hours doing things that I think will make a difference and really it doesn't because no one is there to see it, so no one knows.
So, I managed to get back just in time for the long weekend. New York is always fun but is not so much fun when experiencing the heat wave that we have been having right now. Your feet get disgusting and dirty and the rain just brings up the wonderful odour of tar, crap and garbage. But then, there are are wonderful things like Forever 21 where you can find a totally cute skirt for $12.
I have been deprived of internet for almost four days and it has been KILLING me. Don't you know that I need an outlet for my overactive brain? I have to say that for some reason, this has been the worst planned trip on my part ever in terms of packing. People who know me know that this is an anomally as I am super anal when it comes to packing for travel trips. Obviously, my Alzheimer's seems to be kicking in. This is what I forgot to do - check the weather network and it has been freezing here in the prairies, pack any long sleeve tops so have been freezing my butt off as all stores seem to only sell tank tops now, any closed toe shoes so have been walking around with blue toes in flip flops, (problem rectified in Calgary), charger for phone and camera.
I love lazy Saturday afternoons. There is nothing that quite beats it. I am trying to make the most of it until my next road trip which will be on Monday. But as always, there are always chores to do and the big one this weekend was putting up the dreaded air conditioning system.
I am always in awe of those spelling bee kids. Do you know how vast the English language is? The average human being only uses something like 1/200th of its entirety in the average lifetime. To have to learn all those words, it simply boggles the mind. The thing is the kids who usually wins those look like nerds but the truth is, they probably are. And please don't think that I am mocking them, because I am so not. I would have given anything to have had a giant nerd brain when I was younger.
Now that I am older, I have simply given up the nerd dream and hope that I can sucker my progeny into being one. And in case, you're wondering,
Main Entry: sphyg·mo·ma·nom·e·ter
Pronunciation: "sfig-mO-m&-'nä-m&-t&r
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek sphygmos pulse (from sphyzein to throb) +
International Scientific Vocabulary manometer
: an instrument for measuring blood pressure and especially arterial
I am not really sure why we Canadians celebrate Queen Victoria Day when most Canadians don't even remember who she is. However, I am always glad for a long weekend so I am definitely not going to complain. And in our own way, we've made the holiday our own. 2-4 being the amount of beer in a case(a truly Canadian thing) and for Ontarians, the official opening of cottage season.
Will the rain never cease its torment? It has been raining for what feels to be forever to me. Before I left for my trip out west it had been raining steadily for two weeks. While I was out west, it rained in every city that I hit and now more. It's enough to drive a person insane.
I have been on a whirlwind tour of the western part of our country and for those of you who don't live in Canada, it's a big ass country. It takes a long time to get from one place to another. In the time that it takes me to fly to Vancouver, it takes almost the same amount of time to go to London, England. New things I have discovered on this trip -
I meant to post this awhile ago but ya know, I'm busy, so I get a little slack when I have to fix the photos. Whenever it's a sunny Saturday, Stef and I like to go to Kensington. It's the one place in Toronto that never seems to really change and the vibe is still very hippie and chilled out. I like to think that I am supporting local small businesses....This photo diary is for Miss Marie, who thinks I am super predictable and am always in Kensington Market whenever she decides to call.
Do you sense that sometimes men think that they are on some sort of higher moral ground because they think women are on some kind of hormonal roller-coaster? I hate that! I hate it when Stef sometimes looks at me and you know he's thinking in his head, "Oh, it's her PMSing!" He's not dumb enough to say it but I know he's thinking it. My brothers used to do it all the time as well and it used to drive me insane.
Have I mentioned yet that the boiler in my building had a melt down today? I have to say that I have a lot of admiration for the people of the past who had to boil and haul their water to clean themselves and their homes. For some reason, I decided to clean today and once my mind is made up, there is no turning back. So I have been boiling water all night to wash dishes, then to mop the floor and finally to take a bath as I can't go to bed sweaty. I really should unmake my mind once in awhile....
Just was doing my daily reading of Dooce, and people if you don't already read this site, you really are missing out on one of the more enjoyable, unbelievable witty, stomach clenching funny, resoundingly real writing out there. Anyways, Heather is who truly inspired me to start writing this blog. (Sorry Michelle for not being your blog child. But you did help give one of the final kicks in the arse to get to it!!) Her entry today just really shows how Jon, her husband, is perhaps the only man who knows the meaning of true love. I asked Stef whether he had read the entry and whether he would do the same for me. He answered succintly, "Yes" and "I don't love you that much." HAH! He's been downgraded from Saint to Leprechaun.
I think I should have a category just for things that I pick up from the gym. After a very long hiatus from the gym, I dragged my sorry butt back there. As you all know, I have a love-hate relationship with the place but, eh, I have to pretend to care about getting fit before bikini season -- before doing what I always do, which is to say "screw it!"
Does anyone else do this? Stef and I are always frantically cleaning before the cleaning lady comes. For some reason our apartment will always pretty much stay spotless until the night before she is due, and then it will look like a bomb decided to explode right in the middle. Usually Stef has to do the Tuesday morning clean and he usually complains long and hard about it. However, he's leaving early tomorrow morning for some promotion thing for Aussie Rules Football (watch breakfast television tomorrow! You might catch him!) so we have to do the cleaning tonight. But I always wonder why we have to clean before the cleaning lady does the rest of the cleaning?
There are things that can happen when you tend to travel a lot for your work, these are some of the things that can apply - (a) you could be a complete pig when you come home because all you to do is to toss your discarded clothing around (b) you could come to the realization that it really isn't any point that you signed your donor card as you're really slowly turning into an alcoholic and your liver dooesn't mean shit in the long term of things, (c) you could spend a lot of money that you don't really have on things you don't really need but really, really want, (d) you could have some of the most amazing meals in the world and still realize that your mama's is always gonna be way better than anyone else's, (e) you could realize that no matter where you go or how fun it is, that you will always want to be in your own bed, next to your lover and be able to call your friends at random times or (f) all of the above.
I think that the word "motherfucker" could be the very best word invented in the history of the English language. Whoever came up with it was a veritable genius. When you're frustrated, or angry and no other words can describe how you feel, those two little words can just express so many different things. Try it! Say it softly or loudly or with agression or moroseness and those words convey a multitude of feelings!
Unless you're at work and you're not allowed to swear, then the word "Mother-Truker" makes a good replacement.
Ok - admit it. You have a list and so does your partner. This is one of my favourite things to ask people when I have just started to get to know them. It's always surprising what is on a person's list and it can show a different perspective of that person.
Yesterday, I had a session with a personal trainer for the very first time in my life. No, I did not turn all "diva" all of a sudden; it just so happens with my membership you get a free initial consultation for an hour. I never ever took up on the offer until now, a whole year later, when I decided that spin simply wasn't enough and I was getting bored with my routine.
I don't really care how "out" and ugly Uggs are. The thing is I live in Canada, Eastern Canada, where we get a lot of snow. Yesterday I witnessed all these women trying to maneuver their way through all the gross, deep, disgusting slush in their fashion boots and I just felt so bad for their poor, cold, wet feet! I wanted to say - Lady! We live in Canada! Get some snow boots already! I know the new thing are mukluks but really I think the swingy balls of fur would drive me mad. I have had dry feet all winter thanks to my ugly unfashionable Uggs. And I honestly feel it'll be like the pashmina for me, as long as there is a purpose, I'll keep wearing them. But ladies, please don't wear your Uggs in the summer with your minis, that just looks ridiculous.
This is a piece of advice to you ladies, and gents dating gents out there. (And I know you're probably thinking that I'm too young/unqualified/untried to be dispensing advice, but believe me, this advice is really just common sense.) When you are dating a guy and you are thinking in terms of a long term commitment, just be sure that you like at least 75% of his character/traits/habits, because you are NEVER, I repeat, NEVER, EVER, EVER going to change him.
I have to warn everyone RIGHT NOW that this is a going to be a long, convulated example of me having verbal diarrhea and if you're not interested, then just don't read this.
So, in a fit of insanity I went to the gym today at 6:30 am. It all has to do with a promise that I made to myself about how my chic-chic poo poo gym costs me so much money and I have to go to the gym at least three times a week to make it worth my money. But with me travelling so much, I felt like I needed to make up for lost time or whatever.
So according to CNN, LeTourneau, the teacher who was accused and convicted of statutory rape of her former student is finally marrying him. I am not sure what to say of the whole thing. I mean, what she did was wrong and she has paid her debt to society and, here they are, after all these years, together. And so I think to myself, who am I to judge and yet, a part of me still feels that the whole thing is so wrong.
I am in Van City for the week. Can someone tell me why they say it rains here all the time because it really has never rained once when I am here. And I am here quite a lot. I always think I would like to live here but then I would miss my friends and the little life I have made for myself in Toronto. But if you ever offered me to live in some small farm in France or Italy or any of the sunnier nations in Europe, I would be there in a flash!
I often wonder whether they put stuff into lip balm that makes it so addictive. I mean, I always have to have it on or my lips get so chapped. Every bag, jacket, coat I have — even pants, anything that has a pocket — always has lip balm because I am so afraid of not having moisturized lips. Stefan is forever rescuing some errant chapstick from the dryer. Anyways, today for some reason I couldn't find any in any pockets! So I had to brave the freaking cold today to get me some chapstick. I obviously need help.
I have a problem. They just opened a mega Shoppers Drug Mart three blocks away from me and I am there EVERY day! If you don't know what a Shoppers Drug Mart is, it's one of those super pharmacies that carry everything you need and do not need.
Someone at work has been sick with a really bad cold all week last week and I have been valiantly fighting it off with you know, the usual vitamin C and all that good stuff. Anyways, I lost the good fight - I am so sick today. In fact, I think this is the worst cold I have had in a very long time. I think it might possibly even be the flu. Anyways, I have two things to say - does anyone know if Kleenex sells their stock to the public, (cos I wanna buy some)and spend the extra money buying the expensive 3 ply Kleenex with lotion. I have gone through 3 boxes and I still have skin on my nose. Miracle.
Ugh, so I had my G2 exit test this morning (for those who do not know, Ontario now has graduated licensing so it takes 2 years and 2 tests to get your full license) and I failed....
I have often been accused of not sharing and I have to tell you that I quite resent that accusation. I do share, I just don't share certain things, blame it on the "youngest child" syndrome where I've had to share practically everything all my life.
