Beta Blog

The Beta version of my new blog design is up (as you can see). I was up until 4:30 this morning working on it, and then spent a good portion of today making changes. I still have a few minor tweaks that will have to wait. The weather if gorgeous and I was out for a while already this afternoon. Out to get more sun now! *

Birthday Swan

Amanda made this origami swan for me at my birthday party, and in my state of drunkenness, I managed to keep it protected and get it home (relatively) un-squished!

The price of pretty nails

Today I was painting my nails on my way to work with this awesome brown nail polish I have.  The colour is called Brasil and it's made by Belavance.  The price tag on it says $26.95.  I bought it earlier this year on clearance for $14.99. 

$15 for a bottle of nail polish?  I mean, $27 is absurd, but even $15 is a lot to spend on nail polish, isn't it?  Yet somehow, now this fools my brain into thinking that the $30 bottle of Chanel polish that I fell in love with online isn't really that much, seeing how I already have a $27 bottle in my possession.

$30 for nail polish?!  That doesn't even include the nice oriental lady who trims your nails and lotions and massages your hands before applying the nail colour.

Price does make somewhat of a difference.  I painted my nails in the car and the consistency of the polish, and the design of the brush is amazing.  The colour didn't flow off my nail while painting.  I purposely left a tiny edge of silver showing near the cuticle (I threw the brown overtop of the silver polish I had on already)

Sure, you can buy Wet 'n Wild and other cheap nail polishes for a couple of bucks, but they are not nice to apply, and they chip and peel off your nails.  The more expensive polishes are longer wearing.  Probably not that huge of an issue, since I usually re-paint my nails every 2-3 days.  I upay $10-12 for a bottle of OPI, or $12 for M.A.C.  My favourite M.A.C. shade is Nightfall.

Oh!  despite my occasional OCD behaviour, I am currently of the belief that fingers and toes DO NOT have to match.  It's more fun when you get to wear 2 colours!
 

 

 

ps - A portion of tonight's conversation

BF: What are you doing?
Me: I'm blogging about nail polish.
BF: Yay!
* it's the same "Yay!" I exclaim as I, the wonderful, dutiful girlfriend I am, listen intently as he begins to talk about WoW. hehe!  This time I spared him the boring details and didn't elaborate on the topic, but it's nice to know that even if I had, he would can feign enthusiasm for my benefit.

That's called something like Bribery

Last night's conversation between me and an 8-year old.

Miranda: No, I don't want to have a bath!

Me:  You have to have a bath before bed.  You've been out in the sun 2 days in a row and you didn't have one last night.

Miranda: I did so have a bath yesterday!

Me: No, you did not.  You were watching videos, remember?

Miranda: *pause* I still don't want to have one today.

Me: Do you want to go to Rachel's birthday party and sleep over this weekend?

Miranda: YES!

Me: If you don't have a bath tonight, you sure as hell are not going to that party.

Miranda: You can't do that.  That's called something like... bribery.  And that's not right.

Me:  It's not bribery.  I am not rewarding you for good behaviour.  I am giving you an ultimatum.  I will take something away if you don't do what I say.

I think she has been watching to much television.

Bra Stuffing

I saw a very unsettling sight tonight.

A rather large lady with an equally large bosom that was trying to escape from the white low-cut tank top,  was pushing a cart towards me in the Wal-Mart parking lot.  This, in itself, is nothing noteworthy. 

She had white skin, a white tank top on, and something black against all that white made me do a double take.  I shuddered, as I realized she was using her boobs to hold her cell phone!!  It wasn't in there the narrow way, either.  The phone was in there with the display side facing outwards.

Of all the places to stick something when you need an extra hand, I have never though to put it between my boobs.  A everyone knows, they are big, but I wouldn't trust them to hold anything.

New Rock Music

12 Angry Months (by Local H)

This album follows a bitter relationship breakup over the course of a year. My favourite tracks: January: The one With "Kid" October: Machine Shed Wrestling April: White Belt Boys December: Hand To Mouth

 

The Sound of Madness (by Shinedown)

The first single, Devour, is rocking! I like nearly all the songs on this one! My favourite tracks: Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide Call Me Devour Sin With A Grin Sound of Madness

 

Muerto Vivos (by Gob)

released Oct 2007, so it's not exactly new (yay for Canadian music!) I haven't listened to the whole album yet, but I love the song Underground.  It is much more alternative+hard rock+metal sounding than their traditional pop+punk songs. We're All Dying is another good song, but Sonic has over played it, still, I'd rather listen to it over and over and over, than be forced to listen to another bad song by the Tragically Hip.

Pink Roses

... because sometimes people actually hear the little things I say, like how Lilies bother my allergies... (thanks JJ & GM !)  Now I can honestly say I am taking time to stop and smell the roses!

Dance Recital, day 2

I watched from the audience.

Buttons and bows (Miranda is the last girl on the right)

 

Castle on a Cloud (she is the first row on stage, girl on the right end)

Dance Recital, day 1

Friday evening... Miranda's dances were close together so I had to stay backstage to help her with her quick change in the wings.

Backstage view of Buttons and Bows (she at the end of the row, closet to us)

Backstage view of Castle on a Cloud (she's at the end of the front row, closest to us, and at the end of the dance, she's the girl in the center, posing with her arms up)

In Memoriam

Here is the eulogy I presented:

My grandmother will be fondly remembered for her many passions.

MUSIC

As a young girl she enjoyed playing the piano. We knew she loved music. She had her collection of records, tapes, and CDs. From Brahms and Schubert, to Elvis and Orbison, she loved them all. She was even known to compliment an occasional Celine Dion song, but when asked what she thought of Roland's Rammstein, her opinion came out loud and clear--"Roland you listen to shit!!" (she would say it, rolling her “r”s in the way that she always did)

GARDENING

She was a private person who lived for her garden. When starting to get the Alberta winter blues, the arrival of the seed catalogues would lift her spirits and have her happy and smiling again as she planned which flowers, vegetables and new varieties she would add this year. She was excited every spring to see the daffodils and other spring flowers pop up through the earth. Her proudest moments were spent showing us through her beautiful yard. Ask her, “What’s that one called?” and she would be glad to share her gardening knowledge. My favourite was the snap dragons and she would smile as my brother and I pinched their tiny flower mouths open and shut. Everyone knew well not to call her before 9 at night as she was sure to be out tending her garden. She worked tirelessly from early morning until late evening, every day that the weather allowed.

KNOWLEGDE

She was raised a city girl, and was very well educated for her time.  Adjusting to life in small town Alberta was challenging for her. She kept herself well informed by surrounding herself with books; topics from botany to biographies, in German and in English.

She liked to watch TV documentaries and shows as such as Nancy Grace and Larry King Live and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She kept herself up to date with current events, and liked to discuss not just what was going on in the news, but the underside of it, the human side.

Never afraid of a lively discussion, she would sometimes start conversations around topics that most people purposely avoid. When she asked our opinion on politics or religion, she did so not to cause problems, but because she genuinely liked to know other people’s thoughts. She enjoyed discussions about world events and headline news.

I image her thirst for knowledge was a contributing factor in keeping her mind clear and sharp right up until the end.

CHILDREN & ANIMALS

She was blessed with good health up until late into her eighties. Until then, we would frequently find her kneeling down on the floor, playing tug of war with the dog, petting the cats, or helping Miranda and Emily with a puzzle or game. The light in her face, at these times showed the deep love she felt, for children and animals.

She was a kind and caring woman. She never bragged, but quietly she made many large donations to the SPCA, as she always felt that we should give an extra hand to animals, who were unable to care for themselves. She was a women who loved all animals especially cats, who she used to tenderly call her “kleines kind”.

She made friends with a little squirrel who would visit her in the yard. She took great delight in feeding him and watching him run along the deck and climb and jump through the trees. Setting out peanuts for him, she would sit for long periods of time, watching, and marvelling at how many peanuts he could hide. When visiting her, we were sure to ask for updates on the squirrel, when was he last by, how he was doing, and how was his nut collection. I think she never did uncover the mystery of where he was stashing all the peanuts.

HER PRIDE AND INDEPENDENCE

She was a proud and independent woman. She would be seen carrying home her bags of groceries, in her environmentally friendly reusable bags, and when asked by friends if she needed a ride, she would politely decline the offer. She enjoyed the fresh air, her walks, and her independence. Throughout her life she took the time to take care of herself, eat healthy, and she reaped the benefits by staying young as long as possible.

My grandmother celebrated her 90^th birthday on February 16^th 2008 at her home in Evansburg. She was happy and surprised by how many people were there for her party. She enjoyed a glass of wine and the food, but her favourite was the butter cream torte that her long-time friend Maria baked.

MY MEMORY

My favourite memory of my grandmother is from when I was 6. She was in the city for the day and walked me to school. I held her hand the entire way. I wanted all of my friends to see her was we walked through the school yard. I was so proud that she was my grandma and I wanted to show her off. I wanted all of my schoolmates to see that she belonged to me.

Body In A Box

I am preparing for tomorrow.  For those who know me, "preparing" for any occasion usually means picking out something to wear.  Not today!  Believe it or not, I haven't even given more than a second's thought about what I will wear.  I know I have tonnes of black clothes in my closet, so I will come up with something.  I"m so tempted to wear something bright. - oh man!  My pink bubble GUESS skirt would be awesome to wear!  I mean, wedding guests are wearing white to weddings these days, maybe wearing colour to a funeral isn't such a major etiquette faux pas now-a-days.

Tomorrow is my Oma's funeral, and I will be delivering the ... wait for it... eulogy! 

Are you still on your chair?  I know, it's shocking news, isn't it.

It will either be a huge accomplishment for me, or a huge disaster.  By disaster, I mean me giving into the panic I felt a few days ago, when I decided I would drop it all and not even show up for the funeral.  Sometimes I can be a major nut-bar, so it wouldn't be altogether unexpected.  My Pride is what's pushing me to rock this!

I feel like I'm back in school because it's nearly 2:00am and I'm cramming to finish this paper.  I'm feeling quite content with what I have thus far composed.  I have it pretty much done, but the final paragraphs are still a little sloppy.  I'll clean it up before I have to hand it in in the morning, or I'll just improvise when up on the podium. BTDT on the latter too many times to count. * note to self: remember to print it out!!*

However, I can't get this song out of my head, and dammit, I want to put something about "it's like a man's best party only happens when he dies" and say that's how she would have wanted it, because she was modest and didn't want people to make a fuss over her when she was alive.  I won't - but I'll be thinking it.

When I'm up there, in front of all those people, I'll be humming Dallas's song in my head and it will keep me in a life celebrating mood.  Good 'ole Dallas Green.

Consolation Prize

Pluto was stripped of it's planethood back in August 2006 when the IAU stopped recognizing Pluto as a planet.   Instead, it was given the drawrf planet recognition number of 134340. Pluto has now been granted a new title: plutoid, which is now the name used to describe the spherical celestial bodies in orbit around the sun farther away than our now last planet, Neptune.  They used to be called "dwarf planets", a name that was implemented only 2 years ago.  Talk about confusing the pants off the school kids!

Gotta believe in Unicorns now

Miranda loves unicorns and has read countless stories about them.  She asked me if unicorns are real and I told her no, but this "unicorn" deer seems to disagree with me.

No More Grandparents

The last of my grandparents has passed.  This morning, my Oma died, they think of a heart attack.

When I last saw her, shortly after Easter, we were moving her into a Senior's home in Stony Plain.  She was disappointed that she couldn't stay in the Evansberg/Entwistle area, so she could keep up with the people she knew and the local news.  It made me sad to see her so lonely and lacking her independence, knowing that she would be spending most of her time in her little room, just watching tv.

She said her hands shook when she ate, and the ladies at her table weren't very sociable.  She ended up falling again, this time breaking the other side of her hip.  But she was on the mend, until this morning.  When I heard about her hip, I predicted she wouldn't see it to the end of the year.  I never thought she would be gone so soon.

Christmas 2001, my first Christmas back home after moving away

Miranda and her Great Grandma, Mother's Day 2002

Flowers on my desk

More pink flowers on my desk... this arrangement was sent with a really nice card. The floral shop even put shiny butterfly stickers on it!  The stargazers are really fragrant and bug my allergies, but they make the office smell so pretty.

Child's Play

Miranda had been playing quietly and when she finally emerged from her playroom, I inquired about what she had been doing.

I was playing with my horses and Barbies!

The Mum was riding on a horse and jumped over a log when the horse had a heart attack and died. The Mum was badly injured in the fall and had to be put to sleep.

??!!

It's ok, I was reassured by the 8-year old. It was only for pretend.