Updates

1. Dad - he's back in Cobourg at the local hospital there. He's waiting on bed availability for admittance to Bridgepoint for a Long Term Rehab Program. He's fully recovered from the minor case of pneumonia and the major case of dehydration. His demeanor has improved significantly. He's quite conversational and even initiates topics of conversation fairly frequently. "The Family" is meeting with Toronto Rehab to discuss his treatment (or mistreatment) as they were the one's responsible for him 1st losing 16 pounds in 3 weeks and then causing him to suffer dehydration.
2. Job - still waiting. One of the last hurdles we need to get past is the posting process. I talked to "the boss" right before the holidays and he said they were going to hold off on posting for the time being because there are a lot of assistants "floating around". He doesn't want someone internal coming to interview that has all the right qualifications, then have to tell them no, then deal with the repercussions they may bring about. So, we're being patient.
3. Moving - we're moving. We're giving our notice Jan 1 to move March 1. I'm quite excited about this although I'm not looking forward to actually packing and hauling our shit...again! But we're looking for more space and a bit of a better neighbourhood. With the recent incident with the car window, G is anxious to get out of the area with lots of "punks" with too much time on their hands. God that sounds old!

That's about it I guess. There we go...up to date!

Wha?

Any guesses as to what this is?

Killing Time

Some serious cuteness over at CuteOverload.com as well as KittenWar.com.
Enjoy.

That's it for Christmas

Here we are...another post Christmas post. I've seen plenty in-and-around blogger-land this morning. Work is dead silent today, so I figured I'd give my Christmas festivities update. To save you from the play by play, here are the highlights:

• G's parents arrived late Friday night. We stayed up until 2:30 am catching up.
• Thanks to my aunt Kathryn, my dad made a surprise visit at our Holiday Celebration at the Maizuns.
• Fantasic Christmas dinner thanks to my S-I-L, G (not to be confused with G aka G-man).
• Fun sales at Danier & Future Shop on Boxing Day.
• Watching "The 40 Year Old Virgin" with S-I-L, G & M-I-L, S! (Super highlight status on this one!)
• Crepes for breakfast thanks to G (S-I-L, not husband)
• Movies, movies and more movies

I received a lot of really great gifts from Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, In-Laws and Husband, but what was so great this holiday was being with family. Family I was born into and family that I married into. Both equally loving, generous and wonderful. After another particularly difficult year, having my family around me was the greatest gift anyone could have given me.

Smaltz and all, Peace out!

The capper to the crapper

If you've followed my blog this year you will know that it hasn't been the best of years. And if you know me at all you'll know that last year was a big "suck-fest" as well, so I'm due for a rocking awesome year in 2006.

Just to cap off the year I have to tell you about another couple of "sucking" incidents.

• Thursday night (to be discovered Friday morning), someone smashed a pane of glass on the passenger side of our car. Not the up/down window but the little window at the back of the backseat up/down window. Great! Thanks hoodlums! The in-laws were due to come in on Friday and G wasn't impressed with having to deal with getting the repair done in time to go and pick them up. (For super suckage points, I'll bring forward the fact that G switched our insurance and the policy was due to end from Insurer A on Friday and the policy from Insurer B was due to begin. So who was covering our car for the smashing incident was a little unclear)
• G called an autoglass repair guy who turned out to be a crook and not only didn't he fix the window properly but also broke the inside door handles. Ah...good times!
• The crook of a autoglass guy agreed to pay to replace the door handles but said there was nothing he could do for the window. Awesome!!

So it was the perfectly shitty way to end a perfectly shitty year. Bring on 2006 and if it doesn't rock, someone's gonna pay!

Au Tannenbaum Au Tannenbaum

This is our little 3' tree. It's actually under 3' which is kinda sad.

We went to Canadian Tire last night looking for a "fake tree". Now before we get into the whole fake/real tree debate, understand this:

1. We're in a very "space limited" apartment and real trees don't come in 3' sizes

2. We have very mischievous kittens that I'm sure would love to run up a 7' tree and attack anything that should happen to fall to the ground.

3. We've got family coming in from out of town and a thousand pine needles that need to be vacuumed up hourly is not my idea of quality family time.

So there you go. There's our little tree. The lights were on when I took the picture but of course the flash makes all the pretty twinkle go away. I hope everyone out there in blogger/internet land has a wonderful Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. Smooches and Hugs.

PandaCam

OMG!
I actually learned that this existed from reading someone's secret at POSTSECRET.
Check out PandaCam. Scroll down until the viewing window is visible.
Very very cute!

Do the math

I'm not sure if you've heard but Toronto is in a state of an Extreme Weather Warning. What does that entail you ask? Well first, have a look at this.

Now if you missed it when you viewed that page, let me just highlight something for you:

From Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon we expect : 20-30 cm of snow.

If you don't speak "metric", please allow me to translate:

30.000 centimetre is equivalent to 0.98425 foot

That's almost a foot! In 24 hours!

NOT MY IDEA OF A GOOD TIME!!

Too close to call!

Okay. As you all know, I'm a big fan of The Reign of Ellen. Her daily writings are filled with honesty, humour and a really cute baby!

Well she's nominated for a Weblog Award and she's so close to winning that I have to ask of you...

pppplease go here, and if you feel so inclined, please vote for The Reign of Ellen.

Thank you and goodnight!

For all you music buffs

This was put out by Virgin. There are 75 names of bands found somewhere on this poster:

If you click on the photo it will take you to the site so you can view a larger version. Have fun!

Not going my way!

Last night was the season finale for Survivor and I have to say, I’m disappointed. I mean come on! What does Stephanie have to do to win this blooming thing?!! I love this girl and I was so happy to see she made it to the final two, but because she played rather aggressively and had to “turn” on a couple of people, Danni ended up winning the million. Danni flew under the radar after the merge and let the power egos that held the majority in numbers, slowly pick each other off. She aligned herself with the right person and found herself winning the final immunity.

I won’t go into all the gory details as I know the majority of you who read this don’t really care but know this; if the Weaver’s win The Amazing Race, I’m gonna be pissed. This entire season of Reality Shows will have been a complete write off!!!

New Hair

Ever since I got my hair done in San Francisco, I've been thinking about how I could change it. I went into the salon (while in SF) and told the guy I wanted lots of really blonde highlights. My hair was fairly dark blonde so I thought it would be a good look. What happened is that he gave me so many it just looked very blonde on the top and the dark blonde underneath. It was another look I was thinking about trying but not what I had in mind. What I should have told him was that I wanted a mixture of highlights and lowlights and lots of texture and mixture of the two.

Yesterday I called my favourite local salon here on College Street to find out if they had any openings. She wanted me for 5 but I told her I worked until then and could I have 5:30. I knew I would be pushing it because I had to go to the temp agency, pick up my cheque, give them some excuse about "coming back for the Christmas Party after I deposit my cheque", and then zoot over to the salon. I knew that 1/2 an hour would be cutting it close but I was willing to try. Especially considering the boss said he wanted to "leave early". I thought, I could leave by 1/4 to 5 and make it. Well, the boss didn't "leave early" he left at 10 to so I left at 10 to. Needless to say, I ended up taking a cab from the bank and got there at 5:35.

I explained what I wanted and put my fate in the hands of my hairdresser Lucy and her assistant, Isabel. All was going fine until the phone rang while I still hand the foils on my head. Lucy looked at the call display and said "Oh O" and answered. Isabel continued to work on the foils, checking to see if they were "cooked". I watched Lucy's face as she was receiving the information from the person on the other end of the phone and two strange things started to happen. First of all I noticed she was rubbing her chest with more and more vehemence. Secondly her face started to distort in a way that didn't look good. Then she started to cry. Isabel went to her and tried to comfort her but Lucy was pretty upset. I was able to gather that Lucy's mom had been very old and very sick and the call was to tell Lucy that her mom had passed away. God!!! Here I am sitting there with foils on my head and my hairdresser learning that her mother just died. I wanted to run out of there!

Long story short. Lucy went home, or off to be with her siblings, and Isabel finished my hair. I offered to come back on Saturday but they would have none of that idea. Lucy kept apologizing and thanking me for being so understanding. Isabel kept saying it was a blessing but that doesn't make it any easier and crying all the while she was cutting my hair. I kept thinking, "Well, if it doesn't look good, at least this time I have a good excuse!" More to the fact I was thinking that one is never really ready for their parents to die. It's never easy. My heart was truly going out to Lucy at her time of loss.

In the end, my hair turned out exactly the way I wanted it. Not so shockingly blonde with some nice lowlights mixed in. Have a look and say a prayer for Lucy and her family.

Up Close and Personal

The boss gave G and I two tickets in the Plantinums Wednesday night for the Hockey Game, Leafs against the Kings and, boy! what an experience. Talk about close...sixth row!! You can see their faces when you're that close. You can see if they shaved or not when you're THAT close.

Here's how close we were.

It was a amazing. Although the Leafs didn't win (they just couldn't get their passing game together and the Kings goalie was doing everything but standing on his head to make saves. He was incredible) we still had an incredible time.

G-man was like a kid at Christmas he was so excited. At one point he said "I've been putting this out for years that I wanted seats down here and now...here we are!!" I was getting more of a kick out of his excitement than the game (see performance evaluation above!).

Eureka!!

I've figured it out! I don't know why I didn't try this weeks ago. I've used them before but for some reason it took me a while to come around.

EARPLUGS!!!

I popped a couple of those suckers in my ears last night and only woke up once!!! (it was just after 2, G had been fighting the good fight against Orcs and Goblins, so I used it as a good opportunity to P so I wouldn't wake myself up around 6am). Other than that...slept right through the footsteps above and the meowing cat outside my door. Didn't hear a peep! It was great.

Considering I went to bed at the unheard of hour of 10pm - for a Friday night? Come on!! But having 12 hours of sleeps is a godsend these days.

Oh happy day!

These Baby Steps are killing me

Actually, I've been uncharacteristically patient though this will I or won't I end up with a job at the end of all this fiasco.

As of today, the woman that stood to inherit my boss as her new boss, started a new position in another department. Now the door is open "a crack" and I can almost see onto the other side. I just have to make it through five days of an internal posting for the position (not sure when that is due to begin) and after that, I'll finally know one way or another.

More crossing of fingers!!!

ANTM

Well, America has a new top model. Hopefully those of us in Canada get to share her a little. Actually, I don't really care if I see her ever again to tell you the truth. The winner was one of my least favourite from the very beginning. I just wasn't seeing what the judges were seeing in her.
Her name is Nicole and as you can see, she's okay. She was a little to "hick" for me with big teeth and a dorky personality.

Now, from the very beginning of this season I thought Lisa was going to be the winner. She is very outgoing, very spontaneous and a little crazy. Definitely the one with the most personality. On top of that, she photographs incredibly well. Plus, her go-see's and runway stuff was above and beyond all the other candidates.

And with that ends another season of one of my favourite trash/reality television show. Next week is the reunion/update show. Hopefully there will be a little of the catfighting similar to what happened over the season. It was a good one folks!!!

Walkin' the Line

As excited about the weekend as I was on Friday, I was not really up to going to work this morning. I’m feeling like I didn’t quite catch up on enough sleep this weekend with visiting, driving, and movie going. It’s hard to balance the right amount of rest and social activities.

Friday night I had to work late (read – brownie points with the boss’ boss!) and then the G-man and I went to see Walk the Line. As with most bio-pics, it had a few holes but I have to say the performances given by Jaoquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are fantastic. I wasn’t a huge Johnny Cash fan at the start but this movie had me tapping my toes to more than a few songs. Very well done.

Saturday we went with our friends, Mr. Bitter and Missus Sour, to our newest favourite brunch spot, “Honey Cafe” on College near Bathurst. Great great food, good prices and not too popular when you decide later in the morning to go out. I hate those places that if you don’t go at 9am on a Saturday or Sunday morning, you’re waiting in line for 45 minutes to eat!

Then on Sunday we got up bright and early (thanks to Marlowe – more on that later) to head out to Port Hope to see Dad and the rest of the Maizuns. It was a good visit with Dad and he was much much more conversational. Nice to see him getting back to where he was a few months ago. Still not even close to where he was before June 16th but we’re working on it. After a quick lunch at the Best Western Buffet with Aunt Kathryn we had an even shorter “hello” with Uncle Barry (missed Aunty K and muncheon Eden by a bit) we raced back into the city for dinner plans with Pointy and Mr. McIan.

The hobbit bought a new house a few months ago and along with the lovely Mr. McIan they’ve been going nonstop with home renos and redesign shows up the wazzoo. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to socialize so they invited The G-man and I along with Rabsy and her Jay-man over for a delightful dinner complete with political and historical conversation. Fishbowl entertained the girls with all of her cuteness to round out a perfect evening.

We went in with Rabs and Jay for a funky orchid type planty thing and it was so nice I’m thinking of getting one for our place. I’ll probably wait until we move (giving notice for March 1st) so it won’t have to go through the trauma of the elements any more than bringing it home from the store.

Okay, get ready for a “cat-related-rant”. Marlowe is driving me out of my mind. During the week, one of the things I tell myself to get my butt out of bed is, “You can sleep in on the weekend.” Well that furry little ball of hell is making that impossible. Here’s my theory: during the week, either G or I are up by 7am, 7:15 at the latest. When the weekend comes around and neither of us are up yet, she panics. And panics. AND PANICS! AND PANICS!! Saturday morning G-man hissed at her in an attempt to speak her language and tell her to shut the F up! Apparently she forgot by Sunday morning and I ended up throwing my slipper at her down the hall (I missed for all you PETA people out there). I’m at my wits end here with her. Any suggestions that don’t entail locking her outside in the subzero Toronto temperatures?

Weekend's are great!!

I woke up this morning actually feeling giddy because it was Friday. As the alarm was going off (after one push of the snooze button already) I told myself, "You can sleep in tomorrow, just get out of bed now.

As much as I am truly enjoying this job, it doesn't make the weekends any less great!

Another bloody hitch...

I was talking with "the boss" last night and again he brought up the whole me coming on board topic. Turns out now that when they internally post for the position (which they have to do regardless), we may be faced with qualified internal candidates that there would be no reason for them not to hire. Jeeze this is turning into a rollercoaster nightmare.

He's already told me that he wants to hire me on the spot so I know it's not about how I've been doing my job and whether he wants to work with me or not. It's just all this 'bureaucracy' that he / I have to deal with!!

So, nothing's secure even though "H.R"s working on it!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

While the Cat is away...

"The Boss" is away for the next two days so maybe I'll have some time to catch up on my blogging!! Jeesh these jobs that get in the way of my internet activity.

Last night was the Grey Cup here in Canada. I am a fan of the Grey Cup and through out the season I will watch the odd BC game to follow how the old hometown boys are fairing. I've mentioned my teenage love of the BC Lions but to be honest, I don't follow it as religiously as I used to. I don't follow WWE Wrestling as I used to either but that's a good thing!

Sadly, my Lions were defeated last weekend by The Edmonton Eskimos, so as a result, I was routing for The Montreal Aloutte's to win the game. Regardless of whom I was cheering for, this was one of the best football games I have ever seen. I'm secretly glad BC wasn't involved because there was so much excitement and tension going back and forth as to who it looked like was going to win, I probably would have passed out if I really cared one way or the other. In the end, the Eskimos one a very very well played and exciting game.

I made snacks for the festivities and of course, ate too many of them so that I was good and full by the time "the colon-bombs" were ready. G makes the most massive hamburgers that he can stick together with goodness and greasy'ness. In an attempt to get into the idea of eating this monstrosity, I cut mine in half. Then proceeded to not eat it because I was too full on my previously eaten snacks. It was crazy.

We had friends Ethan and Liz over to share in the eating and football watching. Ethan has been a part of our Grey Cup celebrations for the last four years. We don't see him very often because he likes to hermit himself every few months and we loose contact but with the recent addition of a cell phone to his life, I'm hoping the gaps between visits aren't so far apart. He's a good egg. A little hard boiled but a good egg none-the-less.

And that was our Sunday. Go BC!!

Finally!!!

I mean how long do we have to have circulating rumours before this!

Why won't Brad and Angelina just finally come OUT with it!

#'s are down

I notice my site hits are down since I've been so busy with work. I guess that's understandable. I don't want to turn into a "Mr. Bitter" though and only post once a month OR LESS. Right now I'm coming in around one a week and that's just unacceptable to me!!

What can we talk about today? The recent snow fall....who cares. The job? Same old same old. Nothing official yet. Move, ya we're gonna move but I'm not sure when or where. G-man and I are going to try and come to some decision about that this weekend. Babies? Ya...there's lots of babies out there in the world. NEXT!

With the onset of the Christmas season, I'm trying to get my husband to cough up a few items for me to put on his list out the "the family". You'd think I was trying to take a kidney for god's sake. The man hates only one thing more than buying things for himself; other people buying things for him. So I'm wracking my brain trying to remember all the things he mentioned in passing over the year. Man! I don't know what's up with me. I can come up with 10 things with a snap. Does that make me materialistic? An avid consumer? Or just plan greedy?

Not counting chickens....

I had a very enlightening talk with "the boss" on Friday and he let the cat out of the bag that HR is in the works to secure me my job. With all the being patient and waiting until the dust settles, I hadn't actually thought it would happen so soon.

Friday was the end of the initial 6 weeks that they originally booked me for. TB (the boss) asked me if there was anything we needed to do with the agency, and when I wasn't sure what exactly he was asking me, he blurted, "You're not getting cold feet are you? You still want to join the team don't you? Tell me now because HR is making it happen!" There were too many questions and information loaded into three, short quickly spewed sentences. I told him that I wasn't getting cold feet, that I did still want the job and that all they had to do was contact the agency, tell them they wanted to hire me and pay a "finder's fee". So there it was. TB did say that I would have to go through the "formality" of applying for the position but he assured me, "It's just a formality."

So I'm not counting any chickens yet but, considering my ID and email were set up today, things are looking pretty darn good. I'll let you know when I sign on the dotted line.

One more and then I'll stop!

Okay, one more "Subway Etiquette" pet peeve and that's it...for now. Actually this isn't even a pet peeve. This is something that drives me to want to pull out the "people's machete" and start swinging.

When the train pulls into the station during rush hour, why do people stand right in front of the doors blocking your ability to exit the train. Why?!! Tell me why?!! And what's worse than that is when they come in as soon as the doors open and don't even give you a chance to leave? I mean COME ON!!! Are you really in that much of a hurry?

Today's Pet Peeves

1) People that don't take their backpacks off when riding an overcrowded streetcar. I mean come on?!!

2) People that stand 2 by 2 on an escalator. Don't they know the rule? Stand right walk left. Some of us took too long getting ready in the morning and are late for work and don't have time to ride the escalator like it's a ride at Wonderland!!!

That's all I've got this morning. Any others?

Jarhead

The G-man, ‘Bad-Teeth”, and I went to see Jarhead on Friday (long weekend, Remembrance Day – odd or fitting to go and see a “war movie”?). First of all I have to say that I’ve never really been a major fan of Jake Gyllenhaal. Actually I was sort of luke warm about him before I saw this movie. In fact, while we were in S.F. he apparently came into a diner around the corner from our hotel (best pancakes I’ve EVER had) and a few of my fellow cast members caught a glimpse.

I thought he was fine in The Good Girl with Lady Aniston. He was tolerable in The Day After Tomorrow (more to do with the fact the movie was shit not so much his performance). I haven’t seen Midnight Mile so I’m not sure how he faired there and I thought he was pretty edgy and weird in Donna Darko.

Along comes Jarhead. Now I’ll preface this by saying, yes, he does show his butt in a really dimly lit shower scene. And it’s a pretty great butt at that. With all the muscles and the barebuttedness, it was a wonderful delight. Now that I’ve openly admitted to the girly stuff, I have to say I really liked this movie. Here we are five days later and I’m still thinking about it.

The movie is uncanny in its effect. It contains no heroism, little action, no easy laughs. It is about men who are exhausted, bored, lonely, trained to the point of obsession and given no opportunity to use their training.

Here's an accurate review. And on top of all that...he's got a nice tushy!

Something's Wrong With Me...

I don't really know how to explain it but yesterday, in the middle of an hour and a half meeting I found myself...well interested and involved. It was at that point that I allowed myself to admit that I really want this job. I like working for this VP. We have a good rapport; not too serious not too jokey. The work is satisfying and I feel important because I'm the right hand man to "the man" and to get to him they have to come through me. I'm starting to get him organized and I can tell he's appreciative. Not only does he tell me to my face but I overhear him telling other people.

This past week he caught one of the computer geeks walking by (I know, politically incorrect but really...that's what they are. I wish I was a computer geek. They get paid a lot of money for their geekness.) and he told him to set me up with a "computer ID". Now I feel he could have asked anyone with "permanent status" to do the little updating tasks he was trying to get me to do. My little overactive brain likes to believe that he wouldn't be taking this step if I wasn't almost in the door.

And during that meeting yesterday, I was looking at the woman who stands to inherit my job and she was complete disengaged from the situation. She spent the majority of the time staring down at the pen she was rolling between her fingers. I actually gave input to the meeting. Me. Input. To a meeting. In an office. Where people work and stuff.

I don't know what kind of spell has come over me but hopefully I don't wake up 2 years from now in the middle of this job and say, "Wha?! Where'd my stage go? My costumes? My opening night parties?!!" I probably will, but for the time being, I'm enjoying myself.

A shoulder to cry on...

Oh Rabsy. I'm so sorry. I just found out. I imagine considering you're recent post, that you'll be utterly devistated. If you need a shoulder to cry on, you know I'm always here for you.

Too Busy!!!

Well folks, this "assignment" / job has got me running off my feet and I've barely had time to keep up with my "reading" of blogs let alone "writing" of blogs.

To make it up to y'all, here's a little Wednesday afternoon pick-me-up. Enjoy.

And here's one more for ya!

hehehehe!!!

And there is some quality funny over at Go Fug Yourself. Check it out!

oooh the cuteness!

I have to show off Ellen's daughter Anna here for a moment because she's one of the cutest babies I've ever seen in my life. Every other day, Ellen posts a new picture of her on her blog and each one is cuter that the last one.

And Grody's newest addition, Evan is so tiny that the cute factor is out of control.

Now, I'm a BIG fan of cute babies. My nephew Elijah was one of the cutest! (Don't think I'm playing favourites. I have two other nephews that are equally adorable but I didn't get to see them much as babies. The hazards of living on the other side of the country from your sister and her family. Sniff...sniff!)

I can't take much more of this. I'd better get pregnant soon or I'm going to loose my mind for all the babies. Last week, CBC's The Nature of Things was a two hour story on what babies learn while in the womb and what, if any, memories they carry with then once they are born. Very fascinating and some incredible new advanced ultrasound footage. Then on CSI last week it started off with a bunch of spermies rushing to fertilize and egg. Then it showed a zygote growing into an embryo and on and on. Finally, last night on Grey's Anatomy (yes, my life revolves around television. I'm not denying that!!) they had this guy that thought he was pregnant. Turned out he had a growth of cells (gross I know) that had been with him his entire life but while his wife was growing bigger with her pregnancy, his body grew this mass of cells until it looked like he was pregnant!! I mean come on already. That compounded by the number of pregnant women I see over the course of the day or families with new borns. Is all this really necessary?!!!

Things to say

Okay, it's been a mad-house at work this week so I've been very remiss on my postings. Apologies fellow bloggers and blog-readers!

Here's a quick run down on what's been going on:

1. On the job front - the VP I'm working for got the promotion and would like to bring me on as his assistant BUT there are two admins on his team that need jobs. He has to either, find them jobs within the team (or within the company) or take them on as his assistant. He's asked me to be patient with him as it all sorts out, which I'm doing...as best as I can.
2. We're on month two of "TTC". I'll keep you posted on how that is going in two weeks!
3. Our new computer at home is up and running. G surprised me last night with the whole thing set up, monitor and everything! It's a thing of beauty because it runs fast, looks cool and it was a gift (minus the monitor) from our good friends Lisa and Alvaro so it was free (if you don't count the manpower hours G paid helping Lisa get her rental suite "rentable").
4. I've been in a Royal Battle with Roger's Wireless but I appear to be winning as I continue to have service.
5. G-Man's parents and sister have decided to come out to T.O. for Christmas this year. Very excited about that. I love having family around for Christmas!
6. I'm going through withdrawals from my "Overcoat" gang. We were together 24/7 for six weeks and now...nothin'! It's too weird.
7. Fellow blogger and all around awesome chick, Grody Jody, was induced yesterday so I'm waiting with baited breathe to hear how she and baby are doing. Go Grody!!
8. My dad seems to have taken a turn for the worst. I was visiting last night and he wasn't interested in anything. Not eating, not socializing, nothing. It was really sad to see because he was like that when my aK saw him on Tuesday so we figure he's been like this for a few days now. He was making some really good progress socially but they had to take him off of a drug that was giving him "initiation motivation" because it was having some side effects. It seems now that the drug is out of his system he has completely withdrawn and we're not sure what's next.
9. Starting Saturday night, G-man's working for the next seven days straight so I'm preparing to watch A LOT of TV!
10. It looks like I didn't get the part in that short film. I'm disappointed, because I thought it would have been a lot of fun and good to get back in the "film-game" a little but...c'est la vie!

That's about it. With the new computer at home and the workaholic husband over the next seven days, I'm sure there will be a lot more posts coming in the next little while.

Enjoy weekends folks!

Not coming to an Inbox near you!

I stole this from a fellow "new Queen" at The Diary of The Nello (not too sure what the name means as I have yet to fully examine her site). It looked like fun and instead of forwarding it in an email I thought I would just post it here and if anyone wants to read it they can. If they want to play along, they can just cut & paste the post it in their blog (or send out an email).

The trick is to bold any of the ones that are true for you. Here we go:

• smoked a cigarette - grade nine - smoked "Craven A Menthol" for a week. I couldn't stand the smell and it made me nauseous. So I QUIT!!
• crashed a friend's car - it was my mom's car and she freaked out!!!
• stolen a car
• been in love - I'm a happily married woman
• been dumped - oh ya
• shoplifted- again, grade nine, local corner store. It was a bad year!
• been fired
• been in a fist fight - grade eight this time. A boy made a negative comment on a new hair cut and it came to blows. The vice principle broke us up and told us that he wouldn't tell our parents if we behaved around one another. Turns out he did tell our parents but I didn't fined out until about five years ago.
• snuck out of your parent's house
• had feelings for someone who didn't have them back - does Marky Mark count?
• been arrested
• gone on a blind date - weird intenet chat room date thing...didn't work out well.
• lied to a friend - white lie but nothing serious...that I can remember anyway.
• skipped school- once but was so nervous about getting caught that I never had the guts to do it again.
• seen someone die
• had a crush on one of your internet friends
• been to The U.S. - too numerous to count. Most recently, San Francisco with The Overcoat
• been to Mexico
• been on a plane
• purposely set a part of yourself on fire - people do this?
• eaten sushi - Sushi Island rocks!
• been jet-skiing
• met someone in person from the internet - ya, see above
• been moshing at a concert
• taken pain killers - I get really bad headaches so I've been known to take T-3's when I can get my hands on them.
• loved and missed someone - my family is spread out across the country so...yes
• made a snow angel
• had a tea party - Maybe when I was a kid but nothing I remember doing lately.
• flown a kite - One of the best things to do at English Bay.
• built a sand castle - When we first moved to B.C. we moved to White Rock Beach so...yes.
• gone puddle jumping - With my friend Lenka's son, Reece.
• played dress up - Sometimes I even get paid for it.
• jumped in a pile of leaves
• gone sledding - with all those mountains and snow in BC..you betcha!
• cheated while playing a game - I once whispered the answer while playing "Pictionary" because my team was soooo not getting it and we were getting our butts kicked by "the boys"!
• been lonely - yup.
• fallen asleep at work or school- I used to go into the handicapped washroom at work (Peterbilt 1990) and sleep on the floor for 10 minutes at a time. I was 19...what did I know about germs!!
• used a fake id- No. I was too afraid of getting caught.
• watched a sun set - Many
• felt an earthquake - A "small one" back in 2000 in Vancouver. I thought it was just a big truck driving by until I saw the wall actually moving!
• touched a snake- Yup. I like snakes.
• slept beneath the stars - Did a lot of camping as a kid.
• been robbed- My bike got stolen from the railing outside my house when I was 25.
• been misunderstood - All too often. It's usually my own fault though. I have a tendency to lack clarity when I get emotional.
• petted a reindeer/goat - Maybe not a reindeer but a goat I'm sure.
• won a contest - I used to win stuff all the time but I think I used up all my "winning" karma because I haven't in a while.
• run a red light/stop sign - A few times... but I was in a hurry and the light wasn't changing and there was no one coming!
• been suspended from school
• been in a car accident - ya...see above...mom's car remember
• eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night - Yup, maybe not a pint but definitely a tub of Ben & Jerry's. What's that? A half a pint? 1/4?
• had deja vu - All the time. I wish they could figure out what exactly it means. Past life? Remembered dream? Glitch in The Matrix?
• danced in the moonlight
• liked the way you looked at least at one point in time - My wedding comes to mind...
• witnessed a crime
• been obsessed with post-it notes - I have an obsession with all things "Office Supply".
• squished barefoot through the mud - not that I can remember.
• been lost - too many times to recount. I'm not the greatest with directions.
• been on the opposite side of the country - I have yet to make it to The Maritimes but, I've been to Vancouver and back NUMEROUS times.
• swam in the ocean
• cried yourself to sleep - Well... yes. Not that you really need to know that, but yes.
• played cops and robbers
• recently colored with crayons
• sung karaoke - I really don't like Karaoke because I don't think I'm a very good singer but I convinced my gal-pal Judi to sing Pat Benetar's Love is a Battlefield. Also sang that one with Tina at our "Children of the 80's" New Years Party.
• paid for a meal with only coins - I'm sure I did this during college.
• done something you told yourself you wouldn't - I'm not very good at following my own directions.
• made prank phone calls
• laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - too many times. I "corpse" very easily. The one I remember the clearest was during Cadet Camp when I was 15. We had a very funny group of cadets that used to eat meals together. I once laughed at the wrong moment and milk came out my nose. Not a pretty sight folks!
• caught a snow flake on your tongue - I think I did this once... and it wasn't magical at all.
• written a letter to Santa Claus - Didn't we all when we were in grade one and two. I think it was an opportunity for the teachers to go our for a smoke break.
• been kissed under the mistletoe by your boy/girlfriend
• watched the sun rise with someone you care about- G-Man and I got up for the last sunrise during our honeymoon. Bottle of champagne. Terribly romantic.
• blown bubbles - One day, while we were both in Vancouver, G and I drove around downtown and streamed bubbles out the window. Super fun. People either loved it or looked at us like we were idiots.
• made a bonfire on the beach
• laughed so hard you pee your pants - I think I was laughing. It was on the Salt & Pepper Shaker Amusement Park Ride when I was 18. Very embarrassing.
• cheated on a test
• been kissed by someone you didn't like - yes, and luckily for me my best friend was right there and snapped a picture of it. I burned the picture afterwards. Gross.
• gone skinny dipping in a pool - With my mom if you can believe it.

Carvings

I originally thought my little pumpkin was something special until I saw pics of Mr. McIan's Pumpkins . Then I saw these: The Pumkin Gutter and they blow Mr. McIan outta da water!

It's the little things folks!

I've been "Queen"ed into The Reign of Ellen. (See the sidebar below my profile section)
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Hehehe! So cute.

Here's the photo she did the drawing from. It's from Opening Night in SF. Althought I look slightly crazy in the picture, I think she did a great job with the drawing. I even like that she included the pearls!!

7am Bad!!

I realized this morning what it is about "the full time job" that gets me all freaked out. It's not the Monday to Friday, it's not the inflexibility of my time, it's not even the jail-cell/desk option. It's the getting up at 7am part that I HATE. It's the getting up at 7am five days in a row with only two days of getting up whenever my wimsy strikes.

I know I know. I can hear "the comments" now:

• At least you don't have to get up at five thirty like I do. Did you know it's still dark out at 5:30?
• When you have a baby you'll be up at 1:30, 3:30, 5:30 and there will be no more wimsy striking anyone!

Yes, I don't have to get up at 5:30. I don't even have to get up at 6:30. It's part of the reason why I haven't been able to re-commit to going to the gym first thing in the morning. I hate being up early.

And yes, having a baby will mean little or no sleep. But with a baby you know it's only for a period of time. They will grow to reach a stage (hopefully) when they sleep through the night. The end will eventually come. It may not always be "in sight" but I'll know that it's out there. Some where. Some time.

With "the full time" there is no end in sight and considering my RRSP is pretty much non-existant, who knows when I'll be able to retire and sleep in again. Probably not until I'm so old that 6:30 will be my body's natural time to wake up on its' own!!

White Lies

When are white lies okay?
A fellow blogger had a post about this a while back and although I don't think bold-faced lying is good, are white lies okay?
Thoughts?

Busy Day Yesterday

I didn't get a chance to post about my call-back audition for the short film. The first one went so well...not.

I was determined not to get frazzled this time even though I left work later than I had hoped. I went over my lines on the way just to make sure I had them somewhat off the page. I got there and as the nerves started to jump around in my tummy, I forced myself to think of Lucy. Of rubbing her belly and kissing her head and it totally calmed me down!!

As a result, I think the call-back went well. As well as I could have managed anyway. I made the director laugh a couple of time and I always take that as a good sign. Pointy's boyfriend, Mr. McIan was working the camera and he gave me some positive feedback too. Considering he was there for everyone, that made me feel good. I clicked quite well with one of the "Karens" and just okay with the 2nd one. If I don't get the part I'll know that I did all I could do.

I'll find out "by the end of the week" so I'll let y'all know when I know. Keep your fingers crossed!

It's a Halloween Weekend!

I know it's not the 31st yet so it's not technically Halloween today but...

I have to put this photo up because The G-Man and I are going to a party tonight, we're dressing up, and so to get everyone in the festive spirit:

OMG - Cracks me up. Look at the face on the little one...he's so pissed.

You can check out more fun pic's at Stuff on My Cat.

Pumpkin Time!

Wait a minute! That's an egg not a pumpkin? Hmpf...how did that get there.

Sunday night The G-man and I carved pumpkins. Saturday night, I had been talking to Pointy's boyfriend, Mr.McIan, about using templates to create something more than the traditional triangle eye'd, triangled nose, block toothed face. I found a couple good ones and printed them off. I bought two pumpkins thinking that I would either do both or that I could convince The G-man to do one too.

We carved, scrapped, sorted seeds and cooked pies. It was a pumpkin filled night. Unfortunately, we now only have my pumpkin to show for it because G's caught some sort of "pumpkin flesh eating disease" and lost half of it's face.

Here's how mine turned out:

Lucy wasn't too sure what to do with this guy:

But then she got distracted by something out the window:

And she finally just sat and waited for early tricker treaters:

And here's a cute picture of Marlowe

Just so you don't think I'm playing favourites...again.

My friend Ham came over the other night and it was obvious that Marlowe didn't want her to go. She put her fat ass on Ham's purse and that was it!

Auditions...bleck!

I had an audition for a short film yesterday. I was given the heads up from Pointy last week about this film and that if I liked the script she would pass my headshot and resume on to the director.
The script was quite clever and I thought, why not? A weekend shoot done under the TIP program with Actra, it might be fun! I was scheduled to leave work a little early but my afternoon was swamped which made me really stressed out by the time I got to leave. I tried to go over my lines on the subway but it was already jam packed so getting my sides out of my bag was completely impossible.
I got to Broadview station and arrived over at BadDog Theatre for the audition feeling completely frazzled. Which...didn't help the WICKED case of nerve that seemed to hit during my first reading. Oooh boy! I totally blew KAREN, the character that I had done the most preparation for but luckily he asked me to read for ZOE the other female character and I did much better. I had the idea in my head that ZOE was a little kookier so I allowed myself to play it a little more.
After it was over I was blathering on like an idiot (shut up Cyndi...just stop talking!) to the director about the script until I finally walked out into the rain and headed for the subway. I spent the ride home going over the dialogue for KAREN that I had messed up and of course, I could do it perfectly now that the audition was over. I used to forbid myself from doing that because it would only upset me more knowing that I could do it coolly, calmly and creatively when it didn't count.
I got home and emailed the director because I realized that not only had I left the incorrect Actra # for myself on the sign-in sheet BUT I had also forgotten to sign out when I left. I told him to go ahead and forge my signature (illegal?? hmmm) and gave him my proper Actra number.
Luckily he emailed me back this morning to say that I could change it myself when I come in for the CallBack on Wednesday afternoon. He wants to see me again for ZOE. Yipee!! What a shocker he didn't want to see me again for KAREN!
Wish me luck! NO...don't...bad luck! Just think good thoughts tomorrow around 5:30pm.

Fate is cool eh?

I had a moment this morning on the way to work that made me think about ...fate.

I was on the streetcar heading east and although I normally get off and take the bus south, I realized that I could travel a little further east, get off at the subway and go south that way. Warmer and faster. I decided to stick with my usual route as the bus stop was at my bank and I could grab a couple bucks to get me through the day. Turns out, as soon as the streetcar let us off, the bus was waiting and we had to run not to miss it. The bus travels every ten minutes or so and if I didn't catch this one I'd have been late for work.
I walk onto the bus and there sitting in the front row is one of my temp agents. She almost never takes that bus and I almost didn't take that bus this morning. Fate? Coincidence? Not a big deal by any means, but an interesting happenstance.

Today

God! I knew this day was coming and it shouldn't be any harder to get through than Friday was but today I'm having a hard time.

I'm trying to focus on work, trying to think ahead to the audition I have this afternoon for a fun short film, trying not to remember how my life change immeasurably one year ago today. How I've carried around a piece of sadness, a broken heart, and a dark cloud on a string tied to me for the past year. I'm not sure how long they will be with me but they are here today; especially today.

"happier times"

Temper

**First let me preface this post by saying "Everything's fine and everything's been resolved." Having said that...read on.**

Last night I saw a side of myself that is vile and disgusting. It's my temper. I have certain "hot button" issues that that if pushed, send me from 0-100 in about 2.2 seconds. It's not pretty and I'm not proud of it. It reminds me of someone from my past. Someone that was supposed to guide me and teach me as an easily influenced tween/teenager, but instead ranted and raved and hit and threw things and made everyone walk on eggshells. I know I don't have the potential to be violent but I want to learn how to not fly off the handle. It's not even about anger. It's usually something irrational that's rooted in insecurity and inhindsight, never worth getting so upset about.

My question to you is; how do you control your temper? Count to 10? Deep breaths? What? I need help here because this is a dark spot on what kind of person I am and I don't want it there anymore.

While I'm at it

I want to give a shout out to another blogger that I was introduced to when she made a comment on one of my entries back in the day when the G-man and I were first starting our "baby talks". She was a gentle voice of positivity when the decision of whether to go for it or not seemed all to overwhelming.

Grody Jo-Dee is also another young mother currently expecting her second baby. I've also got a link to her blog on the side ----->. Oh this girl is funny! She was constantly cracking me up with her stories of confronting rude people in Wal-Mart, Flashback Fridays and dealing with her impossible mother-in-law. With the birth quickly approaching, the toilet training of her 1st angel in full swing and a possible move to a new state looming over her, Grody Jo-Dee took a break from her daily entries and shut down her blog. Noooooo! I cried. How will I manage? By this time we were commenting on one another's blogs as if we'd known each other for years. (I'm telling you I love bloggers!! Well, my bloggers anyway. Some bloggers can be pretty weird!)

A couple of weeks ago, I was happy to find Grody was back up with the occassional post. I just want to say, welcome back girl! I'm glad you didn't give up on us completely!

If you don't have anything nice to say...

What's with people that tell you you look tired? Do they think they are being insightful?! I imagine them thinking:

"Oh Mz. Maizun looks like shit today. I'll tell her that she looks tired and then she'll know that I understand what a long and hard day she's had. That'll make her feel better."

Are they completely oblivious as to how rude it is to tell someone they look tired!? Even if it is true! Utterly unbelievable!

Now I'll admit, it's sometimes hard to find something nice to say, and some people aren't very good at taking compliments (Rabs!!) but is saying something negative a suitable alternative?

Here's where you might think I'm being hypocritical. judgmentala judgemental person. I feel that I have to qualify that statement by saying; it's only my opinion. Good or bad, positive or negative, it's only what I think and who really cares what I think? For the most pjudgmentsp my judgements to myself. The problem is I'm a perfectionist/control freak so I have a very clear idea in my head about how things should be done. When they aren't done that way, then I have an opinion about it; a judgement if you will. Having said that, I feel that I'm a relatively positive person. I like to instil confidence in people and make them feel good about themselves. I don't run around telling them they look tired because that would produce neither of the aforementioned affects!!!

I have no tolerance for rudeness. Even more than that, rude people that disguise their rude comments in snippy little jokes so that they can always back off from the comment and say "Oh I was only teasing you. Geesh, have a sense of humour!" I'm going to make it my mission to call people out on rude behaviour. Is that rude?

Not sure about this one

I tried the "Spicy Thai Peanut" version of these today against the poor review by my girl Rabsy. I'm not sure if it's just the spiciness that I don't like or the fact that I can't really taste the peanut flavour, or that spicy and peanut should just stay away from tuna.

Any thoughts?

I've got the Lemon Pepper one to try at another juncture.

Welcome Ellen!!

I'm so excited!

One of my favourite blogs is "The Reign of Ellen". I found her one day while blog surfing when I was temping just before I left for SF. I caught up on what was going on with her, her husband Jason and their adorable baby Anna. She's also an amazing artist and love to look at her cartoon and doodles all over her site. In fact, I put a link to her site at the side there ---> a couple of days ago.

I guess one of the reasons I love her blog is because we have a lot of things in common (I just read her [and her husband's] 100 things about Ellen), and I'm often laughing because I see myself in some of the things she says / worries about. More than that I find that she honestly shares the trials and tribulations of being a new mother. I'm not there yet but at least reading one woman's story (plus her blog has tons of links to other new and not so new moms) I feel like I'm somewhat preparing myself.

When I first settled into this assignment after being away in SF, I took some time to go back to the end of August to catch up on what had been happening with her little family. It's strange this "blogger" community. I feel like I have this group of friends that may or may not know I exist. If I comment regularly on their blog then they do know but there are a few that I don't comment on and yet...they're still on my regular rotation of checking in and therefore, my "friends".

Today's a particularly slow day at the office so I was combing her blog for tidbits that I may have missed in previous combings and came across a link to my page!

She put a link to my blog on her page. So flippin' honoured!! Welcome Ellen and friends of Ellen and readers of Ellen's blog. I hope you enjoy your stay. Come back when ever the fancy strikes you!!

Give me back my boobies...boobie thief!!

I went off the pill three months ago for two reasons. 1) My headaches were getting really bad again and I wanted to see if they went away if I went off and 2) G and I were in "baby talks" so I figured I should go off in case there is any validity to the notion that the body needs to have a few months of normal cycles before conception.
Then last month I noticed something odd. My normally supple "C"s were swimming in my brazier! Wha?? I hadn't lost weight (last summer when I was on my "go to the gym everyday, eat 2000 calories and look good for the wedding" kick, my boobies went down a little but not a whole cup size!) so what was going on?! While in SF there was an extra "show bra" but it was a "B" cup so I thought I'd give it a try. Whatdoyouknow?! It fit! Even so, it was a tad big.
I was still stymied as to why my bodacious tatas had gotten so small until one of the other girls mentioned something about going off the pill had shrunken her's.
"THAT'S IT!!" I cried, frightening everyone a little.
Mind you, having figured out why they've gotten smaller hasn't done much for making it all okay. I feel so wee! I've surprised myself with how disappointed it's made me. I had such great pride in my healthy "C"s. My girl Rabs has always coveted them (you know it Rabsy...don't deny it!) and now, they're just tiny. I can barely get a decent decolletage out of them!
Sigh...hopefully getting pregnant will boost up my bust again!!

Pain in the Neck

Life back home is in full swing. The weekend went by in a flash and I'm back at my temp assignment for another week. Who knows if I'll be here next week as the VP I'm working for may be out of his job as of Thursday afternoon. We'll keep our fingers crossed. Although if he escapes with his job then I could be out of one because he's going to want a permanent assistant. Oh well.

I've got a headache from the new pillows we bought Friday night. I always get over zealous when I'm buying new pillows. I never seem to be able to pick ones I can actually sleep on. Last night I had already gone back to my old pillow in hopes of getting rid of the headache that came on Saturday morning. No such luck. The funny part of the story is that Gary and I both bought new pillows. Gary got a softer one than me and once we got home I wanted his instead of mine which, now on the bed, seemed to big and way to firm (Rabs....be nice!). So at bed time I switched them but he noticed and wanted his back. Fine. I gave it back. But when he went out to get the phone I switched them again and he never noticed. It wasn't until last night when I was complaining about my headache which I thought was from the new pillow, he offered to let me try his. I said, "Well, I already have and it's not working". Wait...it gets even "funnier"! He said well, now you have your's because I switched them tonight." But I had put given him his orginal pillow when I made up the bed knowing I was going back to my old one. So basically, he gave me back his new pillow. God the hysterics eh?!! Whew...I'll give you a moment to get over this one.

OMG

Oh my god the funniest / most embarrassing thing just happened. Funniest for me. Most embarrassing for the other guy.

The way the washrooms work on this floor is that the men's is on the west side and the women's is on the east side. Beside the men's are two handicapped washrooms that most of the women that work on the west side use instead of walking around to the east side. (There is no cut through and it's a pretty long walk when you really have to go.)

I work on the west side. I use the handicapped washroom with some regularity. This morning, after purchasing a fetching new lipstick and liner from the PharmaPlus downstairs I wandered over to my favourite of the two handicappeds (better lighting), but for some reason I was cautious about opening the door. Good thing too cuz there was a guy in there, sittin' on the throne, pants around his ankles, wad of toilet paper in his hands who was going in for the wipe, just as I did. We both started apologizing profusely as he reached for the door, as I closed the door and as he locked it as he should have done in the first place.

Oh my god, why does this stuff happen to me?!!

Can you tell I'm bored?

See below.

Aaww, youre woodstock! Youre a peculiar but popular
cutie, who always seems confused. Youre a
little forgetful and adventurous and although
you might get the odd funny look, the opposite
sex flock around you! Sweeeet!


Which Snoopy Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Broken rule

I just realized why I can NEVER remember how to spell the word 'weird'. The stupid thing doesn't follow the rule!!!

"i before e except after c"

Stupid rule doesn't even work.

San Francisco Pics - FINALLY

Last night when I got home, the G-man was determined to find the source of the "mold" smell. He still can't smell it but was hoping to find some evidence of it to present to the Landlords. Our efforts quickly turned from searching to cleaning and organizing. It was a massive undertaking with two full garbage bags going to the GoodWill and tons of garbage. Very exciting. We didn't find any mold though. But we did find the USB cord!!! So I've downloaded some pics from my trip. Check them out here.

Random Thoughts

I don't get the pin stripes with pointy shoes fashion statement. And it's primarily presented by men. What exactly are they trying to say with this look? I'm thin and pointy?

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I saw five pregnant women on my way to work this morning. Oy-vey!!

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When I asked my dad who his daughter was last night he said, "Well, you look something like her". ...my heart!

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What's with this "misty" rain. Rain and get it over with already!!!

Dinner with the Family

Yesterday was our Thanksgiving Day with The Masons. I dropped off G in Bowmanville to go golfing with the "BOYS" and I went to B&K's in Port Hope to spend the afternoon with the "WOMEN". (If you knew my family you would understand the DIFFERENCE.)

It was a misty day and I wasn't sure the guys would have a good time out there on the course but I guess there was enough flatulence between the four of them to keep them warm. That and the fact that Uncle B almost brained some guy with a hidden corner drive...or something to that effect.

I had a good time catching up with the ladies; hearing about what was going on while I was away and recounting a few stories of my SF adventure.Dinner was a laugh a minute, as it usually is with my cousin T around. I swear this guy needs his own show. I've told him that once he gets a name for himself as a chef I'm going to get him on TV because really people, he needs to be shared with the world!

My Aunt K made the meal which, as usual, was fantastic. There was a squash number that I particularly loved!! By the time we were done we had to go on an extended walk around the block to make room for pie!

The sad part came for me when I remembered walking arm in arm with my dad last year during our "post-feast" walk around the block. Dad and I talked about the upcoming Overcoat-Hartford contract as well as Christmas and our plans for New Years. It's hard to think back on those time and know that our relationship will forever be changed because of the events of June 16th.

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On that note; we had a meeting with my dad's "team" last Friday and I think it went pretty well. To be honest they didn't really tell me much about his progress that I couldn't see for myself. His mobility is better. His dexterity is better. His memory doesn't have a lot of carry over but he does seem to be somewhat more conversational.

The good thing that I did take away from the meeting was something his doctor told us. She said that this type of injury is not something that we see results from quickly. It's a very long process, sometimes up to two years, but the stats are pretty good. Now she wouldn't go so far as saying he would make a full recovery and become the man he was before the heart attack, but I did get the impression that there was a great deal that could be re-learned and retained. So, I am once again filled with guarded optimism which I was feeling a little drained of before the meeting.

What IS that smell?!

Everything smells weird since I've been home. I'm a very ol-factory (smell) orientated person and notice even the minute smell variation in things.
But my apartment smells like dirt. I don't know what it is and at first G couldn't smell it but now he can. I thought it might be my plants but no, they're fine. It's a pervasive "dirt" smell. G thinks it might be paint from the new tenants upstairs but I don't remember paint smelling like dirt.
The towels smell odd too. I know they are clean because G just did laundry but they smell...different. I used GAIN while away and maybe it's just that I got used to it and now the no-name brand we've been using from WalMart isn't cutting it.
And finally, and this one may sound a little strange - hang on to yourself Rabsy - G's beard smells funny. The other night I thought he had been smoking (yes I know...vile habit he occasionally partakes in - not without getting an earfull from me mind you) but he swore he hadn't and it wasn't smelling exactly like smoke but perhaps dried musty cocoa. Weird I know but nonetheless, not normal.

Bombs Away

My cat is a hair bomber. This morning, noticing I am wearing black pants, Marlowe starts running past me at high speeds. Every time I would walk from the bathroom to the living room she would follow me and run by. Then as I go back from the living room to the bathroom she would run to the kitchen. It was kind of cute and funny before I spent five minutes with the lint roller getting my pants cat hair free (why do people [me] own cats when they [I] like to wear black so often??!!). I'm on my way to the living room for the last time and Marlowe races past me and barely, I mean barely, brushes against my leg. BLAM! She drops a cat hair bomb. And it's not just a couple of hairs, it's a cluster; a wad if you will. A thick white wad of cat hair! Damn it! Where's that bloody lint roller?!

Lucy quickly attacked her after that so I secretly felt vindicated.

Still sleepy?!!

Jet lag seems to be putting me through the ringer. Not necessarily making me awake at inappropriate times but more so making me tired all the time. It's most annoying especially around 3:30 when all I want to do is crawl under the desk and have a wee nap. I don't think that would go over too well at this new assignment.

So yes, it's day two at "the bank" and things seem to be going well. Not overly busy but I'm still getting used to everything. I'm alittle worried that I may have already offended my "boss". On my outgoing email signature I changed it so it displayed my name and beside "Executive Assistant" I put "Temporary" and underlined it. When he saw an email I sent him this morning he said "Well, I see you want to be clear about your position. Yesterday must have been a rough day!". I don't know him well enough to know if he's joking with me or not. The thing is I'm trying to feel him out (not literally - Rabsy get your mind out of the gutter!) to see if this is a job I could work at - read: maternity leave. So far I quite like him but as we all know, it's still the first few days. I went into the signature and took out the underline and even put my name in a nice blue colour and softer font. Hopefully he knows that I didn't mean anything by it.

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Now that I am home, I find myself faced with the reality of getting a full time job in order to receive "maternity leave". I was talking to my aunt about it last night and she seems to think that I may be able to get it through the temp agency because it's a UI issue not so much an "employer" deal. The nice thing about some employers though is that they cover the two week waiting period and "top you up" to a higher amount to match your salary.

While I was in SF I had a pretty major anxiety moment when I realized I was about to come home and that ment getting a job for probably close to a year. That idea scares me more than the idea of having a baby and raising it to be well adjusted and fully equiped to deal with whatever the world may through at them. It's ridiculous really considering in the grand scheme of life, it's not that long and it would really help us out financially. I'll have to give it some more thought and look into my aunt's suggestion in the mean time.

Who ARE you?

Yesterday morning around 7am Marlowe really starting going for it with the meowing. It was incessant. By 8 I decided to get up and give her some food to try and shut her up. For some reason I grabbed my glasses but nothing else = buck-naked. I walked out, went down the hall to the kitchen, filled both bowls with fresh food, kicked Marlowe in the bum and told her to be quiet (not a hard kick mind you...more like a nudge) and then walked back down the hall to go back to bed. For those of you that know the layout of our apartment you’ll know that the hallway opens up to the living room and then just to the right is a closet kitty-corner with our bedroom door. I’m about to reach for the doorknob when my eyes fall to our bright red couch. At first I think my eyes are playing tricks on me but a fraction of a second later I realize that someone is sleeping on the couch. Considering it was my first night home I don’t think I have to tell you where G was sleeping. I asked myself if it could be Ethan, a friend of ours who stayed at our apartment when G went out to BC for the last two weeks of my trip. Nope... too skinny & blonde hair. All the while I’m standing there wearing nothing but my glasses. I’m getting a little freaked out at this point so I decide it’s time to involve G. I walk into the bedroom and this follows:

Me: G! There’s someone sleeping on our couch.

G: (with incredulous WTF look on his face)What?!

Me: There is someone sleeping on our couch!

G gets up, puts on a robe (why didn’t I think of that) and goes out of the bedroom. Now I put on a robe and grab the phone and listen at the door ready to call 911 incase the situation gets nasty. I hear this:

G: Who are you?

Stranger: huh?

G: Who are you?

Stranger: mumbles something I can’t understand

G: Did you have a rough night on College Street?

Stranger: Aren’t I at bladdy bladdy on bloobidy Street?

G: No. You’re at (our address).

Stranger: Oh

G: So basically you’ve broken into a stranger’s house and crashed on their couch.

More talking follows that I can’t hear but G told me that he looked down at a pair of high heels that I had brought home from my trip and the guy says, “Those aren’t mine” while he’s putting on his pants. Oh ya! Did I mention he was sleeping in boxers and a t-shirt? No? Well ya. Boxers and a t-shirt! So then the guy gets up and starts to walk towards the kitchen. G thinks that he might be trying to make a run for it so he cautiously follows behind. They get to the back and he asks, “Where are my sandals?” to which G replies, “I don’t know dude. Where are your sandals?” (or something to that affect.) Stranger guy suddenly figures out where he is with an, “Oh ya!” and turns to go into the downstairs apartment. G looks down there to find the door wide open. Buddy walks into René’s apartment and goes into the bathroom. G, not wanting to pawn our problem onto René calls out, “René! Do you know this guy in your apartment?” After another couple tries (she’s not quite awake a this point) she answers him with a laugh and a “Ya”. G pulls the door closed and comes back to the bedroom where we stand there and stare at each other with looks of WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED??!!! on our faces.

Turns out the guy is a new boyfriend of René and he has a history of sleepwalking. Oh Joy! I can’t wait to see where he turns up next!

Home Sweet Home

Back in the big T dot O dot. It’s so fantastic to be home. I had limited exposure to the internet so I feel like I’ve let down my little blogger community. But don’t worry folks; I’ve just started a 6 week contact at a bank downtown so “we’re back in business baby!!”

I had a wonderful time in San Fran with the show and the Overcoaters, but I’m telling you… there’s no place like home. The first two weeks there were tough because I was concerned with what was going on at home with my dad. Plus, being away from G is never easy. I guess by the end of the second week I was able to relax and get updates from my aunt, uncle and G. (In case you’re keeping track - Dad was moved to Toronto Rehab on August 29th and has been making small steps of progress. I’ll keep y’all posted as I spend time with him and can take note of what they are for myself.)

The show was well received. I did A LOT of shopping and some touristy things and hung out with my peeps from the show. I’d have some pictures but my wonderfully efficient husband cleaned out the “clutter” drawer and now we can’t find the USB cord. So pictures will follow soon I promise.

The Wall Street Journal has created quite a buzz around the show, but we have yet to hear if that means any future bookings. Rumours are flying, as they always do at the end of a contract, but like I said, no contracts are on my table as of yet. I’ll give you a little insight into the negotiations process that happens when interest from one theatre is made towards the show. From the time the initial call comes in to the time we are booked into the theatre, takes about a year…minimum. I seriously doubt we’ll be going out any time before fall of next year.

The issue is that now I’m at a point in my life where I’m not going to have as much flexibility to just hop on the bus and go out with the show as I used to. It would still be difficult for me to have the show go out with someone else playing my part but as you understand, my priorities are starting to shift. I know that now I'm more interested in future tour dates fitting into my life and what's going on, not so much the other way around.

Feeling Better / Two weeks to go!

I'm no longer in the throws of icky sickness but I'm still hacking away. That's the annoying thing, well, one of the annoying things, about having a cold; the way it just lingers to make you sound ridiculous and phlemy. There is a small Vietnamese restaurant next door to our hotel and I swear their Chicken Rice Noodle Soup is a cure for the common cold. It's incredible. Monica, one of the women in our cast, first discovered its' miraculous curing qualities. She quickly spread the word to the rest of us ailing sickies. I've had it twice now (today actually) and it's fantastic.

So we're here for two more weeks. I know the time is going to fly by but I'm really excited about getting home. I spoke with G on the phone the other night and he said "I'm sittin on the couch with a cat on my lap and a beer" and I ached to be there with him. That's one of my favourite places in the world to be. Our livingroom couch - with G and the girls of course. It's amazing the connection we have to "home". As comfortable as our hotel rooms are...it's not home. So two weeks to go!!

icky sicky

So chicken little (that's me) caught a wicked flu bug cold thingy on the weekend and this week has been a total write off in terms of getting out and about and exploring this fabulous city. But I'm on the mend and will hopefully up for much exploring on the upcoming day off on Monday.

sniff..cough cough!!

Sonoma Art Festival

On our second full day off a group of us went over to Sonoma for their yearly Art Festival. I'm really picky about the stuff that I like and although there was a lot of "traditional ART" I totally fell in love with a few pieces.

Audrey Heller has these amazing photographs that are so clever that I can't wait for the day I can afford to buy one. Check out the website here.

Then we came across Jack Gescheidt who puts naked bodies in trees. Simple and very stunning. Check it out here.

And finally, we turned a corner on and were struck speechless by the dancing figures of Micheal Gard floating in the sunfilled air. These bodies in motion against the blue sky for a backdrop were simply stunning. Check them out here.

It was a great day with onsite margaritas and champagne cocktails. Good times!

God they keep coming!!

Another fun one folks. Check this out.

Nephews

These are my sweet nephews. I just got these new pics from my sister. Nathan (bottom) and Isaiah (top right) just started public school for the first time this year. Nathan's in Grade One, and Isaiah is in Kindergarten. They get to be in the same class because the school is relatively small which makes everyone (especially my sister) very happy. Elijah (top left) just gets to hang around lookin' cute!

Comments

Sorry to have to do this fellow bloggers but I'm getting some spam in my comments so I've had to add this little feature where you have to type in a word before your comment is posted. It stops spammers which are annoying and pointless. A little more work to post a comment but you know...they're always appreciated.

Opening Pic's

Okay, so here's a couple of pictures from Opening. The first one is of course me looking rather insane but I wanted to give y'all a look at the new hair. Had it coloured on ma'birthday. It's pretty blonde now so at least at the end of the show when I take off my wig, people know who I am. The second one is Victoria, Judi and myself.

BTW: new dress on Sale from BCBG...love it. Got it at 70% off...such a steel!!!

Nemoscene

Well the pod-cast that Gary and I recorded before I left is finally ready. There are two more to come soon so check out: Nemoscene.

Hurricane Relief

Last weekend we were approached by A.C.T. (the theatre we are performing at here in San Francisco) to see if we would be interested in doing a curtain speech asking patrons to make a donation to the American Red Cross after our show on their way out. We did the speech for five shows over the course of the weekend and raised $11,000. I'm sure it's only a drop in the bucket considering the extent of the damage but at least it's something. I encourage anyone to help out in any way they can afford.