Hands free

I've freed myself from the restrictions of the traditional purse and moved on to something that says "HEY - I'M ALL ABOUT FUNCTION". It's a wallet, it's a camera bag, it holds my lunch AND Evelyn's necessities....."

agua

We are all sick and my throat feels like the desert. Cory and I had NO energy last night to entertain Evelyn, so we went to the mall and let her run around looking at everything.

Her favourite store was Sport Check - where she actually took a pair of children's ski's, sat on top of them, and tried to ride them like a sled. Cory was so excited - but then slightly disappointed when he learned that the smallest size ski boot is a 12. Evelyn is a 5. Now, I can't recall how kid sizes work so I have no solid estimate on how long it will take her to get to a 12 - but looking at the boot, I would say at least 2 years.

At least we'll know what to get her for christmas the year her feet are a size 12.

Shamed by my own hypocrisy

And you can't even see the cowboy boots in this picture.

See http://theroostersbeak.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-rule-of-thumb-when-dressing-baby.html

Well put...

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
~ Edgar Allen Poe~

There's nothing quite as appetizing as this...

So. Cory is upstairs putting Evelyn to bed and I decide to take a moment to download pictures from the new and improved camera. I hear this bang bang bang on the door that makes me kind of afraid to go and look to see who it is - because you know, we have a doorbell and IT didn't ring. SO I peek around the corner and see the neighbour's dog, so figure it's safe to answer the door.

It IS the neighbour. Standing out there, at the god-forsaken hour of 9pm, wielding two zip lock bags in each of which resides a thawed bloody roast.

"Want to buy some meat? A friend of mine got a deal! Catch is...you can't refreeze it".

Ummm yeah. I want to buy some meat. I also want want to spend the next week glued to the toilet with my head in a bucket puking my guts out.

Catching up

It's been a while since I've found the time or the inclination to write anything semi-personal on this blog. The truth is - it's been a crazy few months! We're busy trying to complete (most of) the main floor before Christmas. While there is still a lot of work to do, we can now see it coming together - which is very rewarding. (Maybe next summer we'll do the basement? Or maybe we'll buy a few thousand trees and plant them at the farm? So much to do).

My personal journey to become a complete person continues (as it does, because the moment you stop trying is the moment you become less complete). It's amazing, when you get into the habit, how clearly you can reflect on yourself, your life, your actions, your reactions - and the insight it gives you into other people.

My new job is fantastic. I really enjoy it (for now? that can change so fast). I appreciate the fact that I can walk to work in the morning, have enough to do to keep me busy all day, and get to delve into new avenues of communication.

The weekend flew by as usual. Thanks for the coffee/cake/talk B.

Encounters with nature at work

A few inspired moments I had whilst walking between the two offices....

Getting into the spirit of things...

As usual, we had a spectacular weekend, one thing aside. The wallpaper has beaten my spirit into a sticky and gooey pulp.

A tongue

Evelyn has recently become obsessed with her tongue - seeing how far she can stick it out, touching it, licking her lips, and running it all over her mouth full of teeth.

We are enjoying my favourite season (meaning halloween) and getting 'into' the spookiness of it all.

We have way too many house projects on the go - and I predict another 6 months of hell before we actually get anywhere close to livable.

I am now an employee of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. I am the 'Communication Materials Producer' and this includes everything from website design and copy, advertising, graphic design, promotional materials, information packages, educational materials etc etc etc.

A heart-warming surprise

The best kind of friend is one you've had your whole life.

The trouble with time

It's hard to believe that I can hardly find the time to download my photos, sort through them, publish some, and write about what I've been up to. It's really hard to believe - but that is the way it is.

We spent Thanksgiving in Havelock at Cory's brother/sister-in-laws cottage. The weather WAS the quintessence of an indian summer and permeated this kind of a notion that you never, ever want to leave this place. That you'd like to freeze this moment in time forever, and just relive it again and again.

Evelyn enjoyed the rocky terrain of the Canadian Shield, the ride across the lake in the pontoon and the exploration of the uninhibited island lush with wild cranberries. She was so excited to first hear, and then see the woodpecker causing a ruckus and listening to the crickets later in the evening.

Watching her delight in nature and the opportunity to share it with her family was remarkable. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....quissets...shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" [translation: Shhhhhhh.........crickets....shhhhhhhhhhh].

As an aside, I stayed up too late last night watching part of the Courtney Love biography. What a life she's had. Pretty interesting - and she's got a lot more nerve/courage than I'll ever have. Anyway...it prompted me to google Frances Bean to see what she's been up to...I came across an interview in which she mentioned her love for Mariah Carey. MARIAH CAREY! Oh the humanity. I know. I know - everyone is entitled to their preferences.

Evelyn in the wild, yet again

Millions of peaches...

I like the drop dangling from her chin.

Packing up the past

I've been busy over the last week helping my mom pack and coordinate her move from the house in which she raised her family [the house I grew up in].

I was talking to someone the other day who said she didn't believe in a hell - but rather that hell is life on earth - and in this life, you will pay for your wrongs and be rewarded for your rights accordingly. Really, in a nutshell, the general principle of Karma - you reap what you sew.

I guess I need to accpet that each individual is responsible for one's own life. And that I can't fix people - especially those who aren't fully ready to admit to themselves that they are broken.

It's a damn good thing...

...that my mom smokes menthol. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have smoked yesterday.

So hard to say no to cheap chocolate

I am sitting here at my desk waiting for some feedback before I can continue with work. All I can think about are the 50 cent chocolate bars in the office kitchen, and why there is no 'cent' symbol on my keyboard. I realize these days, most things cost at least ONE $, and that the 'cent' key probably wouldn't be used all that often, but come on, it just doesn't LOOK the same when I spell out 'cent'.

Apparantly there IS a keyboard shortcut for 'cent' but it isn't working for me.

So - today I hate that fact that I don't have access to a 'cent' symbol, and the fact that a lot of people abuse IM acronyms to the point of ridiculous. Because I mean...really, if you laughed your ass off that many times in the span of one IM conversation you'd be so busy trying to put it back on, you wouldn't have time to type.

Thanks Opal

Evelyn is only now fully appreciative of her one toothed, short armed, extra soft monster friend. She likes to show him that she has more teeth than he does.

Thanks Opal for a friendly pal to cuddle with.

Flashback

When I was 15 or 16 years old my father quit drinking. To aid him in the process, he consumed substantial amounts of red kool-aid (sugar helps combat withdrawal symptoms). One day, while mixing up a fresh batch, I was looking at the back of the kool-aid package. There, right in front of my eyes, was an offer to good to resist. If I could collect 1200 Kool-aid points, I could send away for a free Super-Grover wrist watch. Given the amount of Kool-aid being consumed in our home, I figured I could collect the points in no time. Well I diligently cut out the UPC codes and stored them in an envelope until the very fine day my points totaled the correct amount. I sent in my order, and came home each day in great anticipation of my Super-Grover wrist watch.

3 months went by and I hadn't heard anything.

I called the 1.800 number on the back of the package, and, after much discussion, was told there were no more Super-Grover wrist watches to be had. I was sent a consolation gift of a red plastic smiling Kool-aid Pitcher and 4 glasses.

Yes, I know I was a teenager and too old to want a Super-Grover wrist watch. But I really did want it.

You do it to yourself, you do.

- JUST Radiohead -

And carpet removal begins. We still have to do Evelyn's room, the stairwell, and half the living room. While this marks a very exciting milestone in our home renovations - it also opens up a new world of projects. We now need to patch a few areas of hardwood, and find 5 or 6 oversized iron vent covers/grilles for the floor. We also need to remove the ugly wall unit that came with the house from the living room, and repair/paint that wall. Then, we can put up the baseboards/trim throughout most of the main floor (there were CARPET, yes, I said carpet, baseboards when we moved in).

OH - and Cory still needs to finish taking down the old partial fence, and fix the landscaping to the side of the driveway.

Crash and burn

Well, I was editing my last post and blogger crashed and I lost it. I was going to repeat it, but then saw Megan's questionairre and thought I should take a look at myself:

A Little Bit About Me
1.MY FAVORITE BREAKFAST IS? Feta-spinach omlette
2. THE MOVIE I'VE WATCHED MOST? While I haven't watched it in years, I'd have to confess to Dirty Dancing.
3. SPEND MY LEISURE TIME WITH? Leisure time? What is this thing they call leisure time?
4. IF I COULD HAVE ANY CAR IN THE WORLD,WHAT WOULD IT BE? A black Landrover
5.FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD CHORE? Ummmm. Yaaaaaaaa.
6. WHEN I WAS A KID I DREAMED OF BECOMING? A mobster.
7. FAVORITE COLORS? Depends on it's use. Black for clothes....
9. WHEN I DIE, I'D RATHER BE CREMATED OR BURIED? Cremated
10. IF I COULD REPEAT UNIVERSITY, I'D TAKE? the same.
11. THINGS I CAN'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT? A hat.
12. FIRST THING I BOUGHT WITH MY FIRSTSALARY? My first pair of purple, eight-hole Docs.
13. I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS? Protector of justice, advocate of improvement.
14. IF A BOOK WAS MADE INTO A MOVIE,WOULD YOU STILL BOTHER TO READ THE BOOK? The question should be would I bother to see the movie. Most often, the answer is NO.
15. SPECIALTY IN COOKING? I dunno - I make pretty much anything and it tastes gooooooood.
16. FIRST CRUSH? Joe Piazo, grade 2.
17. FAVORITE HANG-OUT? Key West.
18. BEST PLACE TO SHOP? Winners.
19. DO YOU LIKE TO WATCH PLAYS? If they are under 2 hours.
20. FAVORITE PLACE IN YOUR HOUSE? Evelyn's room.
21. BEST GIFT YOU'VE GIVEN? My time, to my family and friends.
22. WEIRDEST GIFT YOU RECEIVED? Cory. HA HA HA HA.
23. GIFT THAT YOU WANT TO RECEIVE AS OF THIS MOMENT? 3 weeks in a remote location.
24. WHAT TIME IS IT? 11:15 A.M
25. HOW MANY DIFFERENT CITIES HAVE YOU LIVED IN? 2, how dull.
YAHOO OR MSN? msn!!!
27. LEFT OR RIGHT? Right
28. BLACK OR WHITE? Black
29. BLACK OR BLUE PEN? Black pen
30. SANDALS OR SHOES? soft mocs
31. COLGATE OR CREST? Crest.
32. FLOSS OR TOOTHPICK? Floss
34. ROBOCOP OR RAMBO? No thanks
35. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate
36. COKE OR PEPSI? Gingerale
37. FAVOURITE TV SHOW? Seinfeld (yes, still)
38. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Renee.
LAST PERSON WHO TXTED YOU? Cory
40. LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU LAUGH? Evelyn
41. LAST PERSON WHO MADE YOU CRY? My sister
42. LAST TIME YOU CRIED? February 2006
43. YOU SEE ME ALWAYS EATING? That's right.