Somewhere else to park

Too bad Michelle went to Calgary this weekend, because she missed out on this today...

I park my car in a sketchy part of downtown, and on Wednesdays and Fridays we walk to my car to go running. We drive around looking at the bums and the shabby buildings to kill off the extra time. Today I get to my car and, as I am backing out of the parking spot, I see a grubby man standing by a brick wall, and there is a grubby woman with him, kneeling, and well, I don't need to discribe it any further.

She was giving him a blow job! Right there in the parking lot!! ick! gross!

I totally need to find somewhere else to park my car.

Season of Love

Spring means birth ; Summer is a celebration; Winter is so damn cold you have to cuddle to keep warm; but for me, Autum is golden, and the season of love. There's nothing better than having someone's hand to hold as you walk in the fresh crisp air, with the sound of the dry leaves crunching under your feet like cornflakes.

Oh how I wish Eelke was here to see the trees! I know he was here at the start of October last year, but he was probably so freaked out by being in such a foreign place that he wouldn't have time to really enjoy it. By the time he comes to visit again, it will be the end of October and all the leaves will be gone.

October 29, 2005 - no colourful Autumn leaves

I got a package in the mail

Yesterday I came home at 9:00 to see someone had ripped off some leaves from the sunflower plants and tossed them around the yard and my mailbox was dangling, hanging from only one screw; but inside it was a package!

Eelke sent me a copy of his PhD thesis so now I have something to read and put me to sleep at night. hahahaha! ;)

Tribute paid to Canadian airmen who died in the Netherlands

Two Canadian airmen killed in the Second World War were finally buried Wednesday in the Netherlands near where they died and more than 60 years after their plane was shot out of the sky ... (full story)

The Blue Plate Diner

On Saturday, Miranda and I had lunch at the Blue Plate Diner with Noemi and Sadie and my Mum. The soup de jour was "chocolate tomato" and we asked for a sample. It reminded me of super-runny chilli. It might have been better with more chunky vegetables, as there were some flavourless beans and small chunks of potato and that's about all floating in it. The majority of the menu item contained cheese, so I had green onion cakes. Miranda had a grilled cheese sandwhich (it came on whole wheat bread), my mum and Sadie had cheese quesedillas, and Noemi had a chicken Caeser salad. The side salads came with edible flowers in them!

After lunch, we all went to my mum's place. Noemi and I chatted outside by the gazebo, and gazed across the river (mostly ast the University) as we waited for my mum and the girls to arrive. Then we went inside for tea and Noemi gave a light palm reading. I had never had my palm read before.

I want a dog

Ohmygod how great would I look walking down Whyte Avenue with one of these?! I want a doggie just like this so I can have a puppy purse like! I suppose I could get one for Lucky, but I don't imagine she would like it very much. Yes, these puppy purses are real!




Oh! and maybe we could get a baby toupee for the little doggie too! heehee! (the Lil'Kim one, of course)

How White and Nerdy Are You?

How White and Nerdy Are You?

Susi Hiydgaard

On visits to my mother's house, I dread looking at her music collection, Micheal Bolton sort of crap that makes my ears bleed to hear it. (In all fairness, I cannot remember the names of the artists, but it is stuff I wouldn't be caught dead listening to.)

That was before my mum met Susi Hyldgaard at the jazz club.

Now when I go to her house, I just ask her to put on the red cd! The album is actually called Blush, and my favourite song on the CD is Take Your Time; I also like Blush and Seeking and Sometimes and well, the whole CD is nice to listen to! It's a bit jazzy but not the annoying, scratch out your eyes after you stab your co-worker for asking you yet another stupid question kind of jazz like they sometimes play on our Musak at the office.

Susi is from Denmark, and this is her fourth album, but the first to be released in North America. I have to find out how to hear the other ones!

(here is a cute drawing from inside the CD - I looove stick drawings)

Weeds 2

(show spoilers if you've never watched it)

Back in February, I blogged about how season 1 of Weeds ended link. Well, the show is back for season two and it's pretty darn good!

The show is about a suburban housewife (Nancy), who sells pot to support her family, after her husband suddenly dies of a heart attack. In season 1, her younger boy bites another boy's leg during a karate match and in the season finale she ends up sleeping with the kid's single dad (Peter). The show ends with her getting out of bed and putting on one of Peter's jackets while he sleep. We see on the back that it's a DEA jacket!

Season 2 starts off with Nancy as she looks in the mirror and sees the DEA logo. She looks in one of Peter's drawers and sees his badge and gun. She tells him she saw the gun and says she can't see him because she's a widow and he has a dangerous job and she doesn't want to lose another man she cares about. Peter continues to pursue her and at the end of episode 2 it gets really good! Nancy tries to break things off with Peter because her "business" (they are building a grow house) partner (Conrad) doesn't like her associating with a drug enforcement agent, because he's scared they'll get busted. As his response, Peter tells Nancy he knows she's dealing drugs! She gets out of the car then vomits on the lawn. (end of show) In the next episode we find out that Nancy and Peter got married (by a Vegas Elvis impersonator) so he cannot be forced to testify against her, and will actually have a chance to try to date her. Then Nancy finds out the neighbourhood she selected for the grow house already has 3 other drug houses and they threaten her house. She tells her hubby (Peter) hoping he'll clean it up and it looks like it's too much for him to handle. He ends up surprising her and busts the other houses and on tv declares the neighbourhood to now be drug free. He tells Nancy it is his special gift for his wife.

There are other story lines in the show, but I like the Nancy & Peter one best.

Look, Ma, I'm Running!

On Wednesdays are the clinics (meeting + run). This week we ran 3.6km as 2 x (10 +1) and an additional 3.3 minutes. On Fridays I meet for a practice run with the pace-coaches. I call them that because they usually make me and Michelle run slower than we want to run. We are supposed to be doing one more run each week, but I have yet to find the time to do so (plus last week it rained the whole week, and was cold).

Today the pace-coaches were a no-show, so the two of us ran with another couple. They usually run "the loop" which is just over 5km long, and do it by running 3 x (10 +1) plus a few extra minutes. EEEK!!! The girl's knee started giving her troubles so we only ran 2 x (10 +1) and 6 additional minutes, then walked the rest of the way.

Reaching for the stars

I have started my ascent to the stars! My resume has been drafted (still putting the finishing touches on it) and cover letters will soon be written, as I am FED UP with my job and the company I work for.

Here's the situation: I am going nowhere in my department, because there are no positions to advance to. Earlier this week, I asked the head of the department to consider moving me to another area of the office. He thanked me for my interest, but declined my request at this time, based on the fact that he wants to keep my expertise in the department, as things are unstable staff-wise (people quitting, getting fired), but that when things settle down and there is an opening somewhere then I will be considered. Reading between the lines of bullshit, it means I shouldn't hold my breath. To top it off, the next day I found out that one of the new girls in the department is pregnant!, which means that she will be going on maternity leave for a year, so we'll probably have another year of instability to look forward to.

I have been there 5 years and I feel like he is stepping on my coat-tails and not letting me move anywhere. I could ask for a raise, but I have no idea what other jobs are paying, so now I am doing the research. But if I am making all the effort I might as well seriously consider these potential job offers, because just more money from my current job is not going to make me like it more. I want room to grow. I am working on getting myself out of the weedy ditch and finding myself a place in a splendid garden. (and eventually the plan is to end up in school so I can go even higher!)

Family Reunion

My cousin Matthew and his wife Kristen threw together a little family reunion and Miranda got to meet her second cousins, Allie (4) and Dylan (2). The girls played together, read together, and watched movies together. They really were instant friends. It was hilarious to see my rough and tough hockey loving boy cousins freaking out of Dylan's love of dressing up in frilly pink clothes! The poor little guy kept having to reassure his dad and uncle that he looooves hockey.

Happy Birthday, LL!

It wouldn't be a party with Laura Lee if she wasn't demanding take my picture! So we ended up with 59 photos on my camera (Lindsay had her camera, and LL had a disposable one) and LL was in 44 of those shots. Here is a super condensed gallery, cutting out the ones of LL on her own, demading attention from the camera. Make me look cute! she said to me. I told Jenn to get in the picture with her as a solution. heehee

I look tired and it's because I was! I hadn't planned on going out that night. In fact, Noemi took Miranda for the afternoon after dance classes, because she said I looked like shit and needed a break. (thanks) I had actually been thinking about invited Sadie over for a sleepover with Miranda, but Noemi called back and said she would like to keep the children, so I joined the party.

I'm also looking skinny. And the girls (read:Michelle)were not impressed by my casual attire, and I was pressured into donning a black shirt before we left.

After drinks at LL and Michelle's pad we hopped in two cabs and went to Whyte Ave. The plan was to get in the door at Urban Lounge and then LL wanted to go to the PO to dance. (Yes, you can dance to great, LIVE, music at UL but it's not the right kind of music for her.)

I was in cab #1 with Lindsay, Jenn and Ricky's friend Jeremy, and we had no problems getting into UL. A while later, Ricky shows up, sans Michelle and birthday-girl LL. He said he got in the band entrance and somehow Michelle and LL lipped off the bouncer and were not being let in. Ooops! Daniel and David were also in line to meet us, but tired of the long cue and went to Black Dog (where there is no dancing, so we did not follow).

We danced the whole time and I got bruises on my right foot to match the ones I got last weekend on my left foot, and replacing the ones I got two weeks before, from drunken dancers stepping on the top of my feet. There was a stagette paarty with a blow-up cowboy and Ricky (on a self-proclaimed dare for 20 bucks) grabbed the doll for a photo.

The band was awesome! Exit 303, a five-piece rock band from Edmonton did a fantastic job with the cover tunes they played. I have yet to check out their original music, but I will do so soon!

Oh! So whatever happened to Michelle and Laura Lee? They ended up at Saphire! But I didn't find out about that until I caught up with them at their pad at the end of the night (or start of the morning), since lL was too drunk to bother calling us to report where they were. Alternately, it never occured to us to call her... I know I just assumed she was dancing at the PO.

Here come the men in the white coats

... to take me away...

Yesterday evening, I picked up Miranda at 6 and she told me it was Meet the Teacher night at 6:30. There wasn't a note sent home the night before, but it was marked in yesterday's agenda note... apparently they sent the information at the start of the school year. So I looked at home at the papers and it was in the principle's message, at the bottom paragraph saying they would have meet the teachers on Sept 14 at 6:30. Well #*@%$ if I read it all the way to the bottom when it was as boring as hell.

I went to the meeting, and after I asked if the teacher could remind us the day before of such events and she told me it was in the newsletter sent home before. I stated that it's nice to get a reminder, and that Miranda's other teachers used to do that. She again said that it was sent home in a newsletter and to mark it on the calendar. Stupid bitch. In my fragile mental state, I have no idea how I managed to not totally freak out on her!

I am so tempted to pull Miranda from that class, but I hear she is an extrememly good teacher. She has been teaching for 26 years, almost as long as I am old! But that could be a bad thing, because I think she imagines all the children come from homes with two parents, Daddy working, Mummy staying home baking cookies and casseroles. PLUS, it's a nut free classroom, due to children with severe allergies, and it's difficult for a mostly vegetarian family to find lunch items which contain protein but not nuts. Miranda is already sick of wraps and croissant-wiches and yogurt, and it's only week 2 of the school year. *sigh*

I am losing it here!

I Need I Want!

Your music says a lot about you. So should your iPod nano. Aluminum case. A thinner design. Five stylish colors. A brighter display. Up to 24 hours of battery life. More music! Much more music! Much much more music!

I was thinking about getting Miranda a Shuffle for Christmas, and then I thought I could get a new 8GB PINK Nano (it's sooo me!) for myself and give her my old one, just put it in a new case for her, but DRAT! I forgot that I had my name engraved on it, and Miss Miranda is old enough to read. Or, I could tell her I have my name on it so she will always remember who gave it to her, and rememebr who always loves her more than anything in the whole wide world. Now that's something to consider...! :)

5 Day Forecast

yikes! It looks like summer is over. :(

Rain fell in buckets all day today. Walking to my car after work, I went through the pedways, but still had to talk outside for 3 blocks. By the time I reached my car, my pants were soaked from the thighs down. If I hadn't been wearing a longish coat, then I would have been wet from the waist down. Rain and cold and wind. ick. Fortunately, the wind wasn't all that bad, just a few periods of gusting.

I lost my FAITH

I was walking into my bedroom, with my rings in my hand, taking off one earring and suddenly I heard the tink of a ring striking something below me. My silver ring engraved with the word FAITH had fallen out of my hand. I have searched and searched and I cannot find it anywhere! I checked the ground, I checked on my vanity, I checked under the bed, I checked in the hallway, in case it bounced out of the room, I checked in my red travel back underneath the vanity. I cannot find it. :(

Three (not blind) Mice

Miranda went for brunch with my Mum and her friends, and one of the ladies showed Miranda how to make a craft while at the restaurant. Each mouse was made from 2 coffee creamer cups (with the lids foldered back) stacked together and a napkin decorated with eyes, nose, and whiskers stuffed inside the cup.

If it looks like I slept in my clothes, it's because I did

I was so tired last night, or rather, this morning, when I got home to Michellini's. I didn't wash my face, I didn't brush my teeth, I didn't put on my pajamas!

I was in a bar and an old couple came in, wanting to purchase a $6000.00 bottle of perfume that was 5mL in size! It came in a purple bottle, and was presented to them in this amazing display with crystal and flowers, like it was some magical elixer of life. I wanted to take a photo of it, but I didn't get my camera ready before they removed it from the counter, so I was allowed to go behind it. When I tried to photograph it, the images captured were nothing like what I was looking at, like images of strange people were appearing in the photos.

Then I was at the ATM machine and making a deposit. I left my card in the machine because I was going to make another transaction, and then I walked away for some reason. Some guy went to the machine, took out my card, and put it in his pocket. I saw him do this and reached into his pocket. I pulled out my card and a handful of other papers and whatnot. Included was his driver's licence. I looked at his name and his middle name was "Ebay"!

Another part of my dream, I was buying something (in this bar) for my shoes and I had to leave without paying. I ended up leaving my purse on the bar counter, with my keys, my I.D., my ipod, my camera, my $6.00 hand cream, my $5.00 tin of mints (and all that other crap that is in my purse). ...

Then it started raining outside, and the thunder and lightening woke me up. I woke up sad, and I didn't go back to sleep, so I didn't get a chance to dream up a plan on how to get my stuff back.

Oh and I also dreamed that Miranda came home from school and said the children were calling her names because she had pigtails in her hair.

3.5 ... 3.5 ...

In the Wednesday running classes we have been running for 24 minutes (first class was 4 sets of 5 minutes running then 1 minute walking and the second class was three sets of running for seven minutes and walking for one). I thought we ran maybe 2km MAX. Well I found out that I was gravely underestimating the distance! (no surprise since I know I am terrible and estimating distances). I have been running 3.5km. I am impressed being a beginner runner and all. I can't wait to push myself to the 5km.

I don't like the running and ending back where I started. I wish I could run and run and run and not have to think about going back to the beginning. I want to run and run and run until I collapse on a sunny patch of grass looking at the blue sky and have my heart stop.

Oh poo! there is not one comma in this post! My comma key on the keyboard seems to be broken. :(

she just cannot pass up a sale

I went to the bookstore to buy a book for Miranda (Book #3 in the My Secret Unicorn chapterbook series she likes to read) and of course I had to browse the tables of sale-priced books. I showed restraint and only bought 2 books for myself, although there were another 2 which I had to fight to put back, and probably more if I had continued looking.

Bought:
Symposium and Phaedrus by Plato
Symposium attempts to find the ultimate manifestation of the love that controls the world, leading to mystic union with eternal and supercosmic beauty. Phaedrus discusses the psychology of love, resulting in the concept of the familiar Platonic "forms" as objects of transcendental emotion.

Sleep Talking (Science, Needs & Misconceptions) by Yvonne Harrison
Topis in this book – 1. a fascination with sleep, 2. sleep as a process, 3. sleep and the psyche, 4. sleep in the modern world. This book explores the importance of sleep-related issues by bringing together up-to-date research from fields of science, medicine, law, education and social studies.

Almost Bought:
A Brief History of Infinity by Brian Clegg
From the Publisher
Infinity is a concept that fascinates everyone from a seven-year-old child to a maths professor. So remarkable and strange is it that contemplating it has driven at least two great mathematicians over the edge into insanity. Where did the concept of infinity come from? Who were the people who originally defined and later refined this paradoxical quantity? Why is infinity, a concept we can never experience or truly grasp, at the heart of science? How can some infinities be bigger than others? An exploration of the most mind-boggling feature of maths and physics, this work examines amazing paradoxes, for example Hilbert's Hotel. This imaginary resort has an infinite number of rooms, which all happen to be occupied. Unfortunately an endless coach turns up carrying an infinite number of new guests. It's not a problem though - it's easy to prove they can all be accommodated. The book also looks at: the people who devised and refined the concept, the many mind-bending paradoxes of infinity, infinity's place at the heart of mathematics and science in processes such as calculus, how dividing by zero brings infinity into view and infinity and cosmos.

A Brief History Of Globalization by Alex MacGillivray
From the Publisher
Globalization is fast becoming the most over-used and least understood word in the world. The accelerating political, economic, cultural and environmental interconnections that it describes are powerful and controversial. But what does it really mean?

Ever since Pythagoras first imagined the world as a sphere revolving around the sun, our planet has been shrinking. This book covers globalization from all angles: from 15th-century explorations to the rise of the multi-national corporation; from the Great Wall of China to the birth of the football World Cup. Opening the lid on the complex economics behind the controversies, MacGillivray gives equal play to technology and culture, politics and war.

I don't think this is such a good idea

"Cuptertino, CA - Steve Jobs announced the release of Apple's iProf line of computers which will replace human professors in college classrooms. These computers use advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and patented Internet searching techniques to create and deliver lectures for various subjects. " .... read the complete article

(one more snippit) - and the reason why I think the iProf is such a baaaad idea -

"Kyle Britton, a student who was in a focus group for testing iProf said, "I liked how the iProf took out all human interaction from my education. I'm comfortable with computers, not so much with my professors. Now if only Apple could do this with girls."

... an electonic teacher is the last thing computer geeks need, even less human interaction!

But wow, if a computer could teach a human how to build a computer, it would be like teaching a human how to play god.

He who throws sweets at me

Daniel is back in Canada!! and he brought candies from the UK: butterscotch in golden wrappers and vanilla fudge made by Gardiners of Scotland (with a pretty picture of a thistle on it). It is nice to have his smoooooth British accent back (yesterday was Chewsday, not Tuesday) even if he is sporting the infamous British arrogance, espically when it comes to talk of his football skills.

Day One

Miranda goes to school and *I* get the homework! (Much to the delight of my daughter.) Her teacher sent home an"assignment" for the parents to complete.

- The best thing I like about my child is...
- My child's interests include...
- My child may get frustrated when...
- Three words or phrases that best describe my child are...
- Something I would like you to know about my child...
- This year at school, my dreams for my child include...
- Other information or insights I wish to share...

I am an over-achiever and ran out of room (I was writing super small, too!) and needed to attach an extra page.

Miranda in her new desk ---->

The summer slack factor is over

In a few hours I will have to get Miranda up and ready for her first day of grade 2. I really do not like the start of the school season. It reminds me about how much I cannot watch over her every moment of the day. I have to blindly trust a stranger to watch over and protect my child, and probably upwards of 20 other children at the same time! Miranda is a wonderful child, and a superb student, but that didn't prevent her from having her clothes coloured on and her hair cut by the unruly child sitting behind her on the second day of grade 1. This year my fears are doubled because she will be taking the bus to school in the mornings. To Miranda, riding the bus is the greatest thing about starting this school year, and she mentions it even before mentioning seeing her school friends, whom she has not seen all summer. To me, the idea of my 6 year old on a bus (with no seat belts!) with the only adult being the driver makes me feel ill. I don't want anything to happen to my baby.

Which OS are You?

Since I apparently have nothing better to do with my time, still 1/2 alseep and having just crawled out of bed at 11:30 on this Friday morning before a long weekend (so I don't have to work), I saw this quiz on another blog and here is the result.

Which OS are You?

You can click here to view all the possible results. I want to know what everyone else is!