Thursday, December 28, 2006

Haircut

The curtains are in the background, but they're there: $14. What a deal. They're shower curtains but don't tell anybody.
I finished my Christmas shopping today. This is the advantage of working over the holidays and celebrating later.
Two more days of work then off for a few. I sure hope these are good ones because I'm still getting over the lurgy. It most likely was pertussis - as my sister-in-law says "it's like coughing up a lung". I wonder if dogs can catch it.
Seasons greetings to all. Peace, happiness and good will.

Friday, December 08, 2006

bestest blog

Do you see me? Are you there?
What colour are your eyes and hair?
Do you blog in winter snow?
or summer sun? I want to know.

The bestest blog is yours for sure
where all your midnight thoughts endure.
You capture moments on the page
and think you're such a witty sage.

So if you do and if you dare
Enter my seductive lair.
I'll trap you fast and drain you slow.
What once was you, you'll never know.

OK. Alright, my honoured one.
Did google pull you in for fun?
Or did green fairies whisper soft
to toss your blogging brain aloft?

Come stir me, shake me with your words.
Challenge me with letter swords.
Grant me prose for all my slog
then link me to your famous blog.

Catching Up

the white space is desolate
starving for words
as is the space inside my skull
Inner rumblings only I can feel
Thought alone does not satisfy.
Font is the appetizer, letters tumbling onto the page stirred by tapping fingers and words become the tools of thought. The bouquet of story is manifested by language. To write, to dream no more - for in that hypnotic wake of writing is the stuff of life.
I'm back.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Will You Still Luv Me Tomorrow

Imagine being at the top of your game, working with professionals challenged beyond previous limits. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. What a show! Excellent writing, timing, acting, dialogue. I want more. I'm on the job market. Do jobs like this exist only in television land?

No coasting in this job. Each segment of every episode changes the lives of the creators. The trophy: unemployment and professional disgrace or high acclaim.

I write, therefore I am.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Back to the Blogging Board

This is dog.














Have you ever had an opportunity you knew you should take yet been monogamous to the familiar? Not taken the leap, only to bask in discontentment?
Why should mourning for the struggle to prepare weigh heavier than never achieving the goal? Where do hopes end and fears begin? In the universe of the mind. After 3 am.
The amygdala rules this hour, it's greedy tentacles suffocating reason and placidity.

Right now I'm heading to bed.

More on this subject in future posts.................Jan 05 08 0625 (add) For those of you who don't know me I thoroughly enjoying endulging my shadow - anything dark, dismal, icy - bring it up (from the unconscious) I'm nocturnal and find rest at sunrise.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Today

I signed up for the game "24" in which each person has to log in daily and declare having done an hour of physical activity. Every week there is a task for every individual to complete. There are 24 members per team. If any member does not log in, the team goes back to the last day all team members did log in. The goal is to have 24 consecutive days on which all team members log in their hour of activity. The team with the most hours at the end of the 24 days wins. Now you have the background.

A friend and I joined as individuals to be assigned to a team. We ended up a group competing against my workplace's team. Today there was a group send of revised rules. It listed the name of a close friend. On the workplace team - the competition. This makes it delightfully more fun.

Tomorrow is my day off - what to do - it will be over 40 C with the humidex. As much as I'd like to go to Canadian Tire I think I'll stay inside. I'm up all night in order to finish all the little tasks I have assigned myself. Tomorrow I will take a day for myself. I will wake up naturally and read blogs over coffee. I'll do some more writing. Then back into bed to read - the ultimate luxury. Next will be my 24 hour activity. Clean the bathroom while doing laundry. Remove the shower curtain rod which has loosened due to the wall having shifted. Repair the hole with screen and Polyfilla. Put up one of those expandable removable all-purpose rods. Vacuum. Dust. Wash the dog.

I bought the first season of "Boston Legal" last week. Next to "Six Feet Under" it's my favourite treadmill DVD. I enjoy that kind of humour - no sit coms for me.

Canadian Idol is this week. I'm happy to have a day off to watch it. I've tried to figure why I like it so much. Why so many people like it. No idea. I do know many who'd welcome an old folks' idol. How about us? C'mon Simon - think of the money you'll make. How about Lloyd Robertson as the host? It's a sure hit.

Cathy

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

My Day

After a long blog-block I have been inspired by a fellow blogger: since I do better with fiction, here is how my fantasy day went.

Birds sky sun waves, biting breeze of autumn all sought to wake me. Dog lept upon my chest; dropped a bone. Looking down, she had a questioning expression: will you soften my nylabone so I can chew it? How much of her universe - of my universe - does she control? I lay scratching furry velvet as dog contentedly immersed herself in chewland.

Sipping latte and popping blackberries. Birds spiral toward the sea. So many possibilites in a new day.

I went hiking. Ran with zebras; petted lemurs; danced with ostriches. The mind is a wonderful place to be while the the body travels.

I lay on the sofa reading my favourite books as I nodded off, then awoke again to blog.

Saturday, February 04, 2006

Feb. 3

Nothing remarkable happened in the last few days. I enjoy the Blog Goddess's site and figured I had better get cracking since she's the one who introduced me to this wonderous universe. I'll start with yesterday.
I usually go to Second Cup - great coffee, good services, calm atmosphere. Yesterday I went to Starbucks. I wanted a small decaf latte with skim milk. Well wouldn't you know that was a foreign language. I looked at the cup sizes the perky Starbuckian pointed to. Okay, tall = small. Then there was the skim milk, properly known as "nofat". My latte was put in a paper cup - everyone else had ceramic. I guess I'm only a tourist. I sat at the "bar" because the tables were taken by laptoppers. The 3 staff with high-pitched squeaky voices screeched phrases like "no foam grande vanilla latte" to eachother above the music that I would have otherwise enjoyed. The louder of the three ended each utterance with a higher-pitched cadence. The latte was bitter. Like, am I getting old, or what?



1. Who is/was the most influential person in your life, and why?

My parents - provided the genes, the environment and the socialization.

2. Your favourite toy as a child?

A stuffed dog with a plastic face. It looked like a collie and I called her "Lassie". My mother put her in the trash after having repaired her several times. I still ache at that.

3. Your favourite toy as an adult?

Do I have to name him? Okay okay, I'm using the toy right now

4. Who was your first crush? You don't have to name names.

Little Joe on Ponderosa

5. Remember back to the first time you had sex. Was it all you hoped it would be? (sex with yourself doesn't count)

Self-inflicted doesn't count? How about self- inflicted with a bumbling partner?

6. Do you still know that person?

Never really did

7. Can you name all six Brady kids? In order? No cheating!

No, but I can name the 7 dwarfs and the 12 nuclei of the amygdala :P

8. Have you ever wanted somebody you couldn't have? Celebrities don't count!

Is Little Joe, as a tv character, considered a celebrity?

9. Did that person know?

Seriously, of course not. Why start trouble?

10. Has somebody ever wanted but couldn't have you?

Yep

11. How many serious relationships have you had?

Romantic ones, 3
Friends, many more

12. Which one is best for you, marriage or common-law?

How about non-cohabitating, my ideal.
Never marriage - a handfasting would be better and so would a contract.
To me the only way to "live in sin" is through oppression or hypocrisy.

13. From a list of your friends, pick a quality from each that you wish you had.

This is far too personal to post here

14. If I could start my life over again, I would....(finish the sentence)

Never have been a nurse

15. Will you hire a hit man to "off" the person who sent this to you?

I always do my own dirty work ;)


Dinnertime:

If I could have any 6 creatures, living or non-living, fictional or non-fictional over for dinner, whom would they be and why?

My answer changes with my mood and my interests. Sometimes I think it would be good to have Lt. Worf beat the living crap out of some real-world tyrant. Other times it would be those with great minds in order to watch the debate; Feynman and Einstein. Dinner music would be nice: Perlman and Heifetz or perhaps Callas, Houston, Patinkin and Terfel - toss in Mozart, Tatum and Horowitz.
Sometimes it's sentimental: dead relatives. Having the chance to meet someone I would never otherwise be able to: Bugs Bunny or Julius Ceasar (or "Little Joe").

Today I say:
Buff the Beagle and Ralph the shepherd/husky because I would like them to have met.
The source, god, .......whatever you call it. I expect there to be an empty chair there.
The "Q" continuum - an omnipotent being and the Loki component. Atticus Finch - To temper Q who is morally challenged. Captain Kirk - because losing is not an option and he's such a sexpot.

To continue with my Feb. 3:

I went to The Carrot Common. http://www.thebigcarrot.ca/ I found Manuka honey. Organic bananas are much more tasty. They had organic valencia peanut butter - in glass, not plastic.
They had wild BC sockeye salmon - I'm going back next week to get some.

I went to Home Hardware. I used to like Canadian Tire until Home Depot forced them to carry only popular items - no more obscure doo-dads to be found. The staff of both are no help.
Home Hardware teaches me useful stuff so I can continue to be a self-reliant person.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Riddle

I have been trying to solve this riddle for 10 years. I've lost touch with the person who told me.


What is it that a woman does every day of her life and a man does only once in his lifetime?

A Blog Challenge

I have blogger's block so to stir things up a bit I've put out a challenge. Feel free to post a response on your own blog or as a comment on mine. This may be a little inconvenient because I have all comments sent to a web-based email account to prevent spam from being posted. Be patient and I will post them; you are welcome to post more than one answer.

If you could have any 6 creatures, living or dead, fictional or non-fictional over for dinner whom would they be and why?

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Homework

Some Jobs I've Had

Parks and Rec Security: I was 16 at the Amphitheatre next to Lake Ramsey poised to radio police who were in the stands, should trouble stir. The worst part was handing crying kids back to parents who lifted them over the fence to avoid paying. The best part was enjoying the shows on stage with the other teen employees. We saw Valdy, April Wine, Rush and teen dances under the stars.

Tim Hortons: Again I was 16. This supplemented my income in order to buy make-up and records; the work was relatively regular. My best friend and I were hired. She was laid off. I watched pairs hired and singles fired - always the least efficient one. I quit the night before Mother's Day. I learned about good girlfriends and bad management.

"Orient" chinese restaurant: At 18 I stayed until 4 am on weekends. After closing the boss would share a meal with all employees while commenting on the service provided during the evening. During hours of operation, the manager greeted customers, worked the cash and watched the goings on, giving us helpful advice as the night progressed. Waitresses shared tips. Anyone could earn a nickel an hour raise by working better than on the previous shift - no ceiling. We all helped eachother to provide the best service and maximum tips. Everyone was driven home after work. I learned French service, teamwork and good management.

Le Petit Gourmet: I moved to the big city for a year and lived downtown in the time that living downtown was safe and fun. If people were in Toronto, they would come to the Eaton Centre. I'm sure I saw more people I knew from Sudbury there than I did when I was living in Sudbury. At the time, I was the least educated waitress in the place. I learned about wines, how hard-earned money can be and the value of education.

Some Places I've Lived

Frood Road, Sudbury Ontario
Lively (now part of Walden), Ontario
Grandview Blvd., Sudbury, Ontario
Alma College, St. Thomas Ontario
Hyland Drive, Sudbury Ontario
Residence, Toronto General Hospital

Websites Visited Daily

www.sciam.com
www.cbc.ca
www.google.ca
www.dictionary.com
www.workopolis.com
www.reuters.com
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/recenteqsww/
www.nationalgeographic.com


TV Shows

CSI Miami
CTV National News
Daily Planet
Nature Nut
The Daily Show / Politically Incorrect
American Idol / Canadian Idol

Foods

Brie Cheese and cream crackers with Chateauneuf-Du-Pape Fiole Du Pape
angel food cake from scratch with no topping
creme caramel made with Grand Marnier
crispy slow cooked pork ribs with baked sweet potato fully loaded
fiddleheads with butter and chicken breast roasted with lemon, white wine and tarragon
halibut but only at Old York
slow cooked steel cut oats with Organic Meadow milk and Manuka honey

Albums

Sinfonia Concertante in E-Flat, K.364 (Mozart) with Perlman and Zukerman / Heifetz and Primrose (for Stern and Zukerman, see below)
Isaac Stern - My First 79 Years
A Lasting Impression - Jacqueline du Pre (Daniel Barenboim conducting/piano)
Horowitz at the Met - Scarlatti, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff
A Boy Named Charlie Brown - Vince Guaraldi Trio
classic Kathleen Battle - A Portrait
Carmen - Callas, Gedda, Guiot, Massard,Sautereau,Berbie,Vauquelin,Pruvost,Maievski,Cales,Mars
Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle 'round Midnight
Sarah Brightman - Eden
The Best of the Eagles
John Lee Hooker - The Best of Friends

Friday, January 20, 2006

In My Mind

So hard to go back to work after having been off for a bit, but will be doing so this afternoon. Such a shame too. Going up to 11 degrees.
The mutt pulled the innards from her favourite toy and spread them across the apt. Don't know what she was thinking. At least she didn't eat any of it. She's on a raw food diet. She spat out the little bones. My mother would say she's full of beans.
I'm considering getting basic cable so I won't miss any of the American Idol and Canadian Idol shows - somebody stop me!!!!!! First I will look for a way to get the signal from either the tv or the antenna to the video recorder.
My keyboard reaches the treadmill console - there are healthy possibilities. Store the table? Add a nice big bookshelf?
I am relieved to see that tropical cyclone Daryl will bypass my friends in Port Hedland in Western Australia. I understand that tropical cyclone Peta is still in Vancouver.

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Rain

Freezing rain. Icy air. Dismal. A good day for cocooning. American Idol was on tv - great to treadmill to. Instead, I hung laundry on the treadmill. As much as I savour the cold bite of winter air I lay in bed while the "mad cowell" was on (an apt title by P. Abdul, in my humble opinion).
Have you ever been tempted to buy something you've seen on an infomercial? I have. To justify this behaviour, let me first mention that I don't E-Bay (yet); I rarely purchase lottery tickets (except as gifts); I've never been to a casino. My excuse for remaining in bed is the yubisaki pillow (one of the two delightful packages I picked up from the post office today). It is everything the infomercial claims it to be; however, it's stress-relieving abilities do not work in the same way that bubble wrap does. When pressed between two fingers the little plastic thingys collapse softly. No pop!!! Considering the price of the thing, this put me in an instant panic. (Remember that I am still feeling the pain of the bank trauma - I am fragile). I rolled my head up and down lulling my cortex into theta.
After the nap I lept from bed. The rain outside persists; the fog inside has been removed.

Movement

I anticipate today to be a great.
The dog has been cuddly and snuggly; she is completely over her snarly post traumatic nail-tip-loss disorder.
I am keeping up with my blogging - my New Year's Resolution. A good way to start the day.
The tread mill has been cleared off and 3 k have been put in. *gasp* Walking home from work is no longer an option due to getting out far too late for far too long. Time to get back to moving.
Job hunting is not going well; I've been sent an application form to apply at the place my friends know I have been considering. I have said it's not ideal but it would be "better". The truth is, I either take courses and stay put; work in the same area with a geography change; take a huge cut in both pay and the opportunity to use my education; quit altogether and do what I want with no income in sight in the short term or work on a casual basis while taking courses toward a career change. Security vs. job satisfaction. Today, I'll be looking at courses and filling out that application form / polishing off the resume and fine-tuning it to fit that job which I truly don't want.
There are 2 packages waiting for me at the post office. This will be the highlight of my day. I'll walk there in a couple of hours - after the post office opens and before the freezing rain starts.
Bank stuff has been fixed, so they say; I am guarded in my anticipation of a statement free of erroneous charges.
I am enjoying all those blogs and I look forward to new entries. I thank the pulchritudinous blog-goddess for encouraging those beautiful words. Yes, I've discovered that dictionary.com also has a thesaurus.
I see that pedicures are the theme of the week. I, being a non-girly girl, have never had one. You all know that even my dog gets them regularly. For those of you who share my messenger addy, there is a picture that is very similar to my toes. Naughty naughty to the person who posted the topic of the day in the chat room: I have it narrowed down to either B or B. By the way, did I tell you that I think naughty is a good thing?
We need to put pressure on our travelling aussie friend to make a blog showing us all those photos she took with her new digicam on her mushing trip. Or, is this like Fred's cat? I've never seen it. Do you think she was really warming her toesies in a log cabin instead of braving the uncommonly warm outdoors of the Yukon?

Saturday, January 14, 2006

Bank Problems

Okay, so I wasn't going to use this to whine. I have changed my mind.
In the middle of Oct. someone stole my credit card number to purchase some very pricey items. The credit card company charged me $20 for being over the limit and raised my limit. Less than 2 weeks later some more pricey items I didn't buy were added. Immediately after receiving the bill statement, I was assured I would not have to pay charges I didn't make, and that I was to pay only the amount of the purchases I had made. I signed and returned the affidavit they sent me.
In the meantime I contacted all the businesses and utilities which had been instructed to bill my credit card.
This month's statement included interest and the amount I had been told would be removed. Although I was given a new card, the old number remained when I accessed the bank machine to pay what I owed. After a long wait in line I was given a paper receipt for having paid the amount I calculated as being what I owed this month.
Tonight, I put my debit card in the machine; I was unable to make a transaction and the card was not returned to me. Same bank. I phoned. Tomorrow I will have to go to the bank.
If this doesn't resolve, I'll give you the name of the bank. :)

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Boner


The dog's nails are shorter, as is my patience. She is chewing a frozen bone. It will prevent swelling in her bitten lip. No blood was shed my me. The procedure took 2 hours. The dog has learned how to remove the muzzle. Groomer next time? You betcha!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Dog Troubles


Due to popular request I am dog blogging. I sit here frozen in aprehension, for my dog's nails need to be clipped. I am not in the mood to be bitten without flinching. I don't believe I am up to the battle of the muzzle. I am getting older and slower much faster than the dog is. The dew claws are curled toward the foot pad; I must cut them tonight.
The back ones are relatively easy: from behind, cup the knee with one hand and clip with the other. The front talons come next after the muzzle has been applied and the foot hair has been cut. The dog must be distracted at the near-to-last second or she will pull back and I could cut the quick. If the muzzle has not been applied, the dog will bite the sharp shearing blade.
The lengthy part of this ritual is the muzzle application. I finally found one that fits the snout. I had tried the sock over the head; netting; treats; being patient and soft-spoken; being firm and confident; the slippery table so the dog had to concentrate on her footing; a second person and the vet. Everything short of anesthetic.
Well, enough procrastinating. Here I go. I will keep you all updated.