the small but mighty

switcharoo

2007-08-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

I'm posting more over here lately.

leap

2007-07-12T13:37:00.000-04:00

birds of a feather

2007-06-22T21:36:00.000-04:00

So far today, since I left town, I've seen five men wearing bird shirts. Always different colours and different birds, these men of varying ages were all seen, in various spots within a two-hours-by-car range, sporting a shirt with a bird prominently silkscreened on the front. They were all really nice shirts, worn by older men. What is with this?

lazy Saturday

2007-04-29T20:03:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was just about the closest to a holiday at home I've had in awhile. It was cold and rainy out, so V and I stayed in for the morning, reading the paper and doing crossword puzzles. Then in the afternoon, we went to get my new (old) record player - a friend of mine got a new one and traded me his old one for a tray of baked goods! What a great trade - a win-win situation, I'd say. We went to a store downtown and got a cartridge for it, and the store guys were really nice and helpful, installing it and recalibrating it for free. They even tested it out in the store, playing a Dire Straits album. It's hooked up at home and sounds good! So exciting.

Then it was a potluck/games night with the band, which is always delicious and super fun. We played Cranium and had wine. It was great!

(I know I can't keep doing this, because I still have so much work to do, but it was a lovely day.)

shorpy.com

2007-03-26T22:07:00.000-04:00

My new favourite photo log. Gorgeous, thought-provoking.

sister rosetta tharpe

2007-03-22T22:59:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when you're having a sad day, something comes out of nowhere to cheer you up. Remember the clip of this that was on the tape in Amélie? I've always wondered who that was. If you want more, there's a book out and NPR's got a bit on her, too. [via Smarts & Crafts]

never enough dumplings

2007-03-20T20:10:00.000-04:00

two SDs above the mean, baby

2007-03-19T17:59:00.000-04:00

I know that IQ tests are pretty much bunk, but even so... it's fun to do 'em. Check out the state of your brain courtesy of CBC.

Schwa Is A Reduced Vowel, or Nerds!

2007-03-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

When you are in a team spelling bee that demands you dress in costume, what better to be than pirates? And when you are on a pirate-themed team that is stacked with linguists, what else do you call it but "Schwa the Deck"? Hee.

Getting xhosa right was our best moment - especially when the judges (a team of six) gave it to us on purpose because they thought we'd never get it, because they wanted to bring us down a peg. Seeing their jaws drop when I spelled it out (as our team's speaker), including a correct pronunciation ("xh" is pronounced like the "h" in Hanukkah, not like /k/ as they had said), was fantastic.

The worst part was the consistently awful mispronunciations of all words to be spelled... it was mostly attributed to misplacement of primary stress, thus affecting her vowel pronunciation, but it was also probably due to the fact that she had either never seen these words before or did not know what they meant. In the "lightning round," we ended up losing (despite our perfect record) thanks to complete confusion over what words she was trying to say. The easiest of the bunch (and the only one that was decipherable) was when she said "dax-hund" and our solo speller clarified, "oh, you mean daschund?"

Oy.

But we had fun!

hee

2007-03-11T11:07:00.000-04:00

spinning my wheels

2007-03-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've noticed a pattern over the last eight months or so - when I'm sad, I buy stuff. This habit was formerly an unconscious one, but recently, since I've been trying to be as aware and careful as possible about my spending habits, the fact that I partake in what I have heard called "retail therapy" was made more evident. Every time Vince leaves for Halifax after a visit, I spend a few days moping through shops, sometimes buying stuff but more often just dragging my feet around for a few days, looking at stuff.

This time, I bought Boggle from a locally run games store, some jewlery from an Etsy shop, some rubber boots from a local sports/outdoor store, and a gorgeous wool blanket that was made with wool from Amherst Island and woven on PEI. So this is all still in keeping with my #2 new year's resolution, sort of. It's not like I'm buying extravagent, useless stuff, but still - I'm ashamed that a phrase like "retail therapy" applies to me.

Speaking of resolutions, I'm trying to organize myself to accomplish #6. I have this idea that I'm going to start attending spinning classes, but I'm kind of afraid. It seems so intense! (This kind of spinning seems more like me.) I have a friend who teaches it (in another city) and who assures me that there's nothing to be scared of. I've missed it three days in a row now, though, because I can't bring myself to do it. But I've got to try it. I'm too curious.

(If you were like me and missed the eclipse last night, either due to weather or geography, here's a nice composite.)

guerilla/gorilla composting

2007-02-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

Students at McGill have created Compostage Gorilla Composting, a take-charge outfit to divert organic waste on campus. Their site has great tips on how to set up composting at home.

I'm a reed!

2007-02-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

So first it was Facebook, at the social pressure of my labmates, and now it's a YouTube account, thanks to my KIG coworkers. Pressure aside, the former has proven very handy for networking, sending out announcements, and finding old friends - as well, I have lots of good movies on the latter... you should watch them.

Oh, and as far as I'm concerned, a glass of wine mid-afternoon while you're cooking is very Julia Childs. A glass of wine for breakfast might be trouble, though.

tagged to do some lists of four

2007-02-03T13:18:00.000-05:00

Only a few hours into my weekend of "living in the library to get thesis work done" and I'm blogging. Well, gotta balance all this work I'm getting done with something.

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. medical secretary
2. scientific illustrator
3. art director
4. research assistant

Four movies I have watched over and over:
1. Shawshank Redemption (it is always on)
2. Harold & Maude
3. Romeo & Juliet (when I was 16, this movie was my life)
4. A League of Their Own

Four places I have lived:
1. Montreal
2. Ottawa
3. Halifax
4. Kingston

Four TV shows I love to ~~watch~~ listen to:
(I don't have TV, how about radio (except for #1)?)
1. The West Wing
2. This American Life
3. Vinyl Tap
4. The Vinyl Cafe/Ideas/Quirks & Quarks (tied b/c sometimes they're great and sometimes they're not)

Four places I've been on vacation:
1. Vancouver
2. France
3. Scotland
4. Nova Scotia/PEI

Four of my favourite foods:
1. potato leek soup
2. corn on the cob
3. sushi
4. select (read: not too spicy) Thai & Indian

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Halifax
2. bed
3. skating rink
4. knitting/crafting somewhere

But instead, I'm at the (very pretty) library. Back to work!

greenest party in town

2007-02-02T10:57:00.000-05:00

Last night we played the campus Green Party's fundraiser. Instruments on stage included lap steel, accordion, trombone, guitar, drums, glokinspiel, harmonica, tambourine, mandolin, bass, banjo, and fiddle. It was a blast.

you'll never get me back on the farm

2007-01-15T20:08:00.000-05:00

Today was a fancy day, let me tell you. After a business trip (for which I took the train to and from Toronto in one day), my boss and I went to a fancy stationer's store and looked at, among other things, the widest array of Molskeine notebooks I've ever seen. Then we went to high tea. It was so elegant, and the service was amazing. We got a three tier tray with cucumber sandwiches, scones, little tarts, and other delicious bits on it. I had Mango Oolong tea. They gave us tiny bottles of jam (which I later stole) and clotted cream (which sounds gross but is soooo good). It was undeniably fancy. Then we took the subway back to the train station and shortly thereafter, I was travelling Via 1 for the first time ever! They've given us dinner and keep loading us up wiht free booze like it's going out of style! I'm still on the train, in fact, on lil' Simo (thanks, Iain) and ViaRail wireless! It's all too much.

fresh as a daisy

2007-01-09T21:12:00.000-05:00

The holidays were long and relaxing this year. One week in Kingston before Christmas for deflating after all that work this term, a week and a bit at home with my family for some quality time and low key visiting, then a week in Kingston filled with wonderful things before the new term began. Vince and I experimented in the kitchen with all sorts of recipes, usually to great success, and I discovered that I like scallops. He taught me how to silkscreen and I now have a little notepad on my desk for when inspiration strikes - I can't wait to start my next screen. We visited friends and had other friends over for dinner. Napping was frequent and good movies were watched. I felt relaxed, refreshed, and ready to come back to work this week. I've started going to yoga (which I hope to do at least three times a week) and bicycling to work. I have tupperware to take with me when I go out to eat. I discovered Liberté yoghurt. (So thick! Can there be a more satisfying yoghurt?) I put an extra blanket (wool!) on my bed; the count is now up to three, and it feels deliciously heavyish.

For your enjoyment:
| Woodpigeon | 3191 | Funkis Swedish Forms | wrap anything in cloth |

annual triad holiday photo

2007-01-02T11:46:00.000-05:00

lucky seven resolutions

2006-12-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

I think that making resolutions suits me. Even if I don't end up remembering what they are, or following through on them for the whole year, I like making lists. I like ticking things off lists. It's a good time to kind of set yourself straight, and get back on the ball a little. It doesn't matter that the new year is really a completely arbitrary time to be starting fresh - it doesn't matter when you decide to do a little self-improvement, just that you do it. Right? Anyway, here are some things that I'll be trying to accomplish and incorporate in 2007:

1) Make less waste. All kinds. I'm going to use my travel mug all the time. I'm going to bring tupperware with me when I go out to eat. I'm going to be more careful about recycling. I'm going to drive less, and bicycle more. This resolution is multi-faceted and will be difficult, but very much worth it.

2) Tangentially to that one, I'm going to buy less in 2007. When I buy, I'm going to try to buy locally. Mostly, it'll be about buying less, though.

3) Drink more water.

4) Write my thesis and finish on time.

5) Once that is done, I will find a job.

6) Get some exercise.

7) Draw more often. If possible, on a regular basis.

Once you get to seven good resolutions, I think it is wise to stop there. You can't fix everything all at once. While I could easily think of seven more, these ones are ambitious enough.

manamana | original 1969 version

2006-12-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

our first review!

2006-12-16T22:19:00.000-05:00

The Backyard Sex Band
I Wish That I Could See You Soon
www.myspace.com/thebackyardsexband

Okay, first of all, best band name ever. Second, is this sprawling, 14-member folkestra an amateur Kingston super-group? It sure seems like it. As unassuming and inclusive as a block party, the singing saws, sloppy horns and gang vocals will wipe away all of your winter blues. It's the sound a community garden would make if it could sing.

From an article in The Kingston Whig-Standard | Saturday, December 16

I heard it in a shop and grinned.

2006-12-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

So thrilling! A song featuring my name! Ah, how long I have waited. And it's sung with a sweet Glaswegian accent, too.

getting back in the swing

2006-12-12T08:23:00.000-05:00

I'm digging Sunparlour Players. Show on Friday (not here, sigh) is them, plus The Acorn and Elliott Brood. Superteam!

Christine Fellows' music is permanently fused with Shary Boyle's art. I've tried to seperate them and can't. It was back in June when we saw the two perform together, and since then every time I hear the voice I see the images - and I'm happy to.

I'd buy them all if I could.

Two! More! Days!

the sweetest melody ever

2006-11-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

Favourites of the moment - Come To Me (see Videos) and Koop Island Blues by Swedish jazzies Koop. See? Sweden is tops. Tops!

just the word... colloquium... look at those vowels

2006-11-22T08:39:00.000-05:00

I just have to face facts - I'm a nerd. I love Scrabble and crossword puzzles and Boggle. I love to read books. I like big words. I knit. I get excited about science, even if it's just a UK potato chip taste test our lab is doing to send to a collegue as a sort-of joke. (I made a pretty funny Likert Scale for it.) I'm ready two and a half hours before my colloquium (today at 11 a.m.!) - well, not entirely ready yet, but pretty much ready - and am excited to get to it. I thought I'd be nervous, so nervous I'd feel sick - but I think I actually have adrenaline going here. I've been up since six - can't sleep when I have work to do, my body won't let me. I made chocolate-banana muffins for my committee members. (That last part pretty much cements my nerd status.)

super swanky

2006-11-18T22:49:00.000-05:00

We went to a friend's swanky engagement party last night in the big city. There were many amazing and fancy things to see, to experience, and to eat, but Ellie and I couldn't get over the mirrored ceiling.

since I've felt like this

2006-11-09T15:54:00.000-05:00

Well, what do you know... we're on the interweb. You'll soon be able to by our EP for a low, low price of $5. It's a sweet, imperfect, warm album that's fun to listen to.

it's all coming together

2006-11-03T20:06:00.000-05:00

Thursday night, we recorded an EP (5 songs). This morning we had a photo shoot in the back yard. Exciting!

the tragedy of committment

2006-11-01T14:16:00.000-05:00

"Whoever wants something great must be able to limit himself."
--Wolfgang Von Goethe

"Sometimes you are paralyzed with indecision. You can't bring yourself to choose any one future because to choose one is to forsake the promise of all others. Yet not choosing is making you crazy. In such a state, drastic action is necessary. You must choose--and then, one by one, murder all the futures you passed over. Like a faithful companion you've cherished all through your youth, you must lead each future back behind the shed, and even if it looks up at you with those big eyes, dreamy with possibility, you must put the cold muzzle to its head and pull the trigger. And you must do it again and again for each future that competes for the attentions of your heart. Only then are you ready for commitment. Only then can you pursue the one thing which will, in time, and after much mourning, become all things to you."

From Daily Affliction. Supposed to be funny, but this one rings all too true for me.

happy hallowe'en

2006-10-31T17:18:00.000-05:00

Ellie's vampire pumpkin and my "whoops, the knife slipped" extra-wide bat pumpkin.

aw, applesauce

2006-10-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

Homemade applesauce is possibly the best thing in the world.

here I come, back from the dead

2006-10-30T14:58:00.000-05:00

I know Hallowe'en has not even come (let alone gone) yet, but I'm already looking forward to the Day of the Dead. Although I technically have no cultural reason to mark the day, I like the colour, the celebration of those you love who have died, the idea that life can continue on after death, and the food, fun, and costumes associated with it. I always want to organize a party, but then I never do; I end up just getting sad that I don't have a mold to make sugar skulls*. Well, no more! This year, I'm going to make Pan de Muertos and bring it to band practice, which conveniently falls on November 1. Mmm.

* This is just as well, because I can't imagine actually eating one - it would just be fun to decorate.

souping it up

2006-10-28T11:24:00.000-04:00

I'm on a homemade soup kick lately. When I was in Halifax, I copied out a bunch of soup recipies from The Moosewood Cookbook with great plans for rainy November day comfort food. I tried making the broccoli cheese soup first; it turned out all right, but not great. Then, I found a recipe online for Potato Leek soup, and it was heaven. I ate it for lunch every day, sometimes even for breakfast. Now it's gone, so I'm going to try cauliflower soup this time... a second chance for Moosewood. Meanwhile, I leave you with the recipe for one of the best soups ever... so simple, so easy, so delicious.

Potato Leek Soup

6 small or 4 large potatoes
chicken broth
2-3 leeks
2 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups half & half cream

Cut up the potatoes and put them in the chicken broth (I used one of those 900mL containers of broth with 25% less sodium). Simmer at medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Cut up the leeks, using mostly the white parts and some of the green ends. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the leeks for 5-10 minutes, until they're soft. Put leeks, potato broth, and cream into a food processor and mix until thoroughly blended.

and you breathin' in your sleep

2006-10-25T00:47:00.000-04:00

I've been going through old clothes to figure out what should be in the "give away" pile and what should be in the "craft" pile. This evening, realizing I wasn't ready to part with a certain sweater after all, I jazzed it up a bit by sewing on some little embroidered stars. I didn't realize until I had finished that I had accidentally/unconsciously made Cassiopeia. That constellation has a way of sticking with me - it's almost always the first one I see, and it's also why I was introduced to Joanna Newsom's music.

bury me in mud tonight

2006-10-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

For me, a day off from work means I cook (cornbread, challa, apple pie, potato-leek soup), knit, watch movies, go for a bike ride to the market, go see a show (Nathan Lawr), spend time with friends, read books. I can't do everything, but I can do these things and feel reasonably satisfied.

I'm enjoying K-OS quite a bit.

2006-10-19T18:24:00.000-04:00

I break it down like long division
A mathematician
with inner vision
Like Stevie -
No wonder.

hold you like a baby bird

2006-10-19T08:27:00.000-04:00

Last night I decided that for the sake of my sanity, I needed to go to band practice. I had missed it last week in favour of doing work, but I couldn't bear to do that twice in a row... all work and no play etcetera. So I biked over. It was a lovely fall evening... fairly warm, air smelled of leaves decomposing... and I got to use my bike! So great. At the band potluck, we were super classy with veggie sushi and a cheese plate and homemade soup and brownies. Then, we played the song that I had suggested. Annie pushed me into singing the main part (you cannot say no to this woman - it's just impossible), with everyone else backing me up. I was all, "no no, I don't, I can't" but... slowly she weened me off refusal, through having her help me, to going it almost alone. Before I knew it, I was singing. At open mic night. Into a mic. In front of people. It was thrilling and exhilerating and someone in our band video taped it.

Vince once encouraged me to sing with these guys, saying they would be totally supportive and helpful - in fact, that they would hold me like a baby bird as I faced my fear of singing in public. And they did.

calm go the wild seas

2006-10-11T07:51:00.000-04:00

And of course, Halifax was lovely. I love the first moment of seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time; the Science of Sleep is worth seeing just for all the wonderful craftiness going on in it (I love all the details of Stephanie's room); Ethiopian food leaves something to be desired taste-wise, but I like the way it's eaten (that is, with your hands); warm and sunny weather is always wonderful, but especially in the fall when the leaves are just right; it is very satisfying to finish the Saturday crossword; saying goodbye is hard, every time.

In other news, it's thunderstorming outside right now, and I love it.

jeff and pam, sitting in a tree

2006-10-10T16:33:00.000-04:00

Last Friday, on the day before his birthday, my dear friend Jeff married Pam. They couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day - sunny and warm with amazing colours in the trees. I caught up with some Ottawa friends I hadn't seen in a long time, marvelled over the ceilings in both venues (the very pretty church as well as the snazzy sailing club), met new people, danced to the wedding band (a zydeco band with an accordionist named Guido... how great is that?!), managed to congratulate Jeff (nothing harder than getting at the well-loved couple on their wedding day), and watched the Hunter's moon rise behind them as our table belted out What's Love Got To Do With It to get Jeff & Pam to kiss. It was lovely.

I've been tagged!

2006-09-26T08:36:00.000-04:00

At Ellie's request, here are eight things about me.
"Once you have been tagged, you have to write a post with 8 facts/things/habits about yourself and say who tagged you. In the end, you will need to choose the person you tag and list their name. No tag backs."
So, "stuff that not a lot of people know about me" seems to be the direction this tag is leaning. I'll do my best.

I have diagnosed myself as having a mild case of synaesthesia, especially with ordinals (days of the week, months of the year, numbers). I had known I associated colour with certain things for a long time, but it wasn't until I learned there was such a condition that I tested myself. I wrote down the colours I believe the months of the year, days of the week, and numbers from 1-10 to be, and then did it again a few months later. They were the same.
I am a rule-follower to the bitter end, even sometimes when there is no real rhyme or reason for the rule, except when it comes to driving. I have recently come to the realization that I seem to think that I am, in a vehicle, a little bit above the law. Hence, parking tickets. So many parking tickets.
If I could stand to eat a lemon or a lime like an apple, I would.
Further on the topic of food, I keep a running mental list of foods I love (dubbed the "food I would make out with" list). It includes raspberries, really good yoghurt, a nice steak, coffee like they have in France, and more.
I hate my own cursive writing and avoid using it at all costs. As a result, my signature looks almost the same as it did in grade 8. My printing, however, I love.
The aesthetics (colour, line, etc.) of my environment greatly affect how I function. In other words, my mood, my ability to work, etc. are strongly influenced by my surroundings.
If I could have any superpower, it would be to understand and speak/sign all languages.
I like small round things, as a general rule. Apply it as you will.

Siobhan, to encourage you in your new blog, you're next.

shut up I am dreaming of places where lovers have wings

2006-09-22T10:29:00.000-04:00

He says your name out loud;
At miniature rooms where no one’s found;
It’s a desperate sound.
Yo ho! The distant shore!
He stands his feet down
You hear his knuckles on your door.
He wants to send you drawings
Drawings of men with faithful hands
They will make such good boyfriends
He wants to tell you stories
Stories of boys who stomped their feet saying,
“Shut – shut up I am dreaming of places
Where lovers have wings.”

Sunset Rubdown

I love our band.

2006-09-22T07:12:00.000-04:00

The other night marked the first open mic of the year at the Grad Club. The band I'm in played, and it was wonderful.

The Backyard Sex Band is a band ever changing in number (we have about 16 members right now) that plays a variety of covers (traditional songs, sweet pop tunes we love, etc.) and has all sorts of instruments: two guitars, drums, bass, mandolin, fiddle, glockenshpiel, clarinet, saw, piano, tambourine (that's me!), banjo (that'll be me in the future... banjo #2!), plus vocals. It's edifying, heartening, and thrilling to be in the centre of all that music and sound and love. It's like I've finally found the band I never knew I always wanted to be a part of - one full of support, friendship, and community. We've been practicing a little, and are getting much better - now we have things like backing vocals, turn-taking, building (starting quiet and slow, getting faster and louder), and, well, we're more in tune and more together. It's so wonderful. We got a great reaction at open mic, too - as we took the stage, we vacated a large portion of the seats just in front of the stage. As we bagan to play, people filtered in from all over the bar (there are many rooms) and before we knew it, it was packed full of people grinning and enjoying our music.

I know I've said it before, but "I belong to a band - hallelujah" (that's the chorus to one of our songs). Working 14 hour days as I did last week doesn't seem so bad when you have band practice to balance it out.

mark and julie, sitting in a tree

2006-09-10T23:42:00.000-04:00

This Saturday, Mark and Julie got married.It was a lovely, simple, sweet, warm, and funny wedding... such a pleasure to attend. Those two are so in love; it's wonderful to see. I managed to hold in my tears until Mark's dad's (and later, Mark's) speech... but when Doug's voice broke as he tried to tell us how proud he was of his son, and then when Mark related how he couldn't believe how easy it was with Julie, how easy it was to love her and be with her... aahhh, the tears.
Julie's dress was beautiful, their colour scheme was fitting, the weather cleared up just in time, I got to spend time with Murray for the first time in too long, there was a mashed potato bar, there was wine, I got to chat with Mark more than I thought I would, and there was dancing. I had a great time. All the best, you two.

art star

2006-09-08T23:40:00.000-04:00

Attended a friend's art opening tonight. Nice to see a lot of familiar faces. Good turnout, good music, good snacks.

day four

2006-09-07T19:38:00.000-04:00

Before: After: I did it! Green room! Aside from a half hour period in which I was swearing like mad while taking off the greentape (that stuff is too sticky and takes the paint with it! In large chunks!) and covering up the greentape's rips where it had pulled off the paint (in some areas, a spot as big as my palm - oh, I was so angry) with the little paint I had left, it was a good last painting day. I went over the walls a little, painting patches where it was not as evenly covered, and then before I knew it I was moving my furniture back. It's still a bit brighter than I expected, but it'll keep me warm this winter.

after a pause, day three

2006-09-06T21:24:00.000-04:00

Neither the plan to see the movie nor the plan to do the second coat the next day panned out. I got drawing and realized I had missed the movie half an hour after it started. Then I found I couldn't face doing the second coat of paint the very next day, and so took a few days off - and it was worth it, because I had way more energy to deal with it tonight. But I have to say, it's worth it. The colour looks much better... more even, deeper, and just plain nicer.

Progress is slowly being made with respect to the CanJet situation. Looks like I'll get refunded, so I'm buying another flight with another airline tonight. No way is any airline messing with my Thanksgiving weekend.

flight plan

2006-09-05T17:21:00.000-04:00

As another way to fight sadness and loneliness, I decided to buy a plane ticket to Halifax for Thanksgiving weekend, the longest stretch of days off in a row that I forsee having for awhile, thanks to Hardcore Thesis Schedule. "Now we can count down the days!" we said. So last night, we scheduled and organized and paid. A trip to Halifax, right after Jeff's wedding! So convenient, since I'll already be in Ottawa - so close to Montreal (from which it is cheaper to fly out East)! Hooray hooray, only 33 days.

Then this morning, as I am sitting in the lab just after a meeting, with five people around me, I open a web browser to do some business for my supervisor. "Oh no. NO NO NO!" I exclaim, louder than I mean to. Then I tear up a little.

Dang it!

R.I.P. CanJet. You would have served me well over the next while, but now I'll have to find my cheap flights elsewhere.

day two

2006-09-04T18:34:00.000-04:00

Then, paint until you have a blister on your thumb. Realize one coat is not going to do it. Plan to add a second coat tomorrow. Decide to take yourself out to see Bon Cop, Bad Cop to celebrate your painting success and to steel yourself for another five hours of this tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Siobhan!

day one

2006-09-04T00:02:00.000-04:00

How to fight loneliness? Smile all the time... and paint your room. Today, the above - tomorrow, actual painting.

3, 2, 1, book launch

2006-09-02T17:32:00.000-04:00

On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of selling many of the newly-finished, self-published copies of "THIS TIME: An Autobiographie (*sigh*)," by Paul. Vince did a lot of work to make these mini books personal, beautiful, and reflective of Paul's style - the combination of careful printing, silkscreening, record sleeve covers, and foil stamping really made it a time-consuming, but ultimately satisfying project. The launch was celebrated with a superhero-themed costume party with free haircuts for anyone who wanted one. (Many people came away with steps shaved into the sides of their heads.) We ended up selling enough to break even that night - the rest of them will be sold on demand, by request, and peddaled at zine fairs with other fine wares.

Feast of Fields

2006-08-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

There were ladies spinning wool......and two long tables for tomato testing......and corn on the cob!Yesterday was Feast of Fields, an annual event organized by the Ecological Farmers of Ontario. Local farmers give (delicious, organic) produce to local restaurants, who in turn prepare wonderful dishes from it. You pay a small fee and go around to all sorts of stalls, tasting and enjoying all afternoon. There are booths (from which I bought sunflowers, wildflower honey, sweet cherry jam, and a spider plant) and wagon rides and musicians, too. It's brilliant. Vince and Paul worked the Goat booth while I sort-of helped, sat on a hay bale and knitted, went around to all the food booths and vendors, took pictures, stomped my foot to the banjo player's tunes, oohed and aahed over cows (cows! Just hanging out!), and followed a little frog around with great glee. What a day! Who cares that it rained? See here for more pictures.

I saw you in the wild

2006-08-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

Lending your camera to someone is especially wonderful when it comes back filled with joy.

I belong to a band, hallelujah

2006-08-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

You know it's a good party when there's a guy eating fire and there's dancing & costumes. One of the best parts of the night was when I got to play in the Backyard Sex Band, a group that is forever growing and shrinking and but always inclusive, regardless of whether you can play anything or not. I played half a banjo - strummed while someone else did the fingering - and sang along to the songs I knew.

a helmet is your friend

2006-08-19T10:36:00.000-04:00

Overheard at the cafe this morning: the term "winning the door prize," meaning getting hit by someone who opens their car door into your bike, often causing you to go flying. Also during this conversation, the merits of various chocolates, including the phrase, "when I worked at Cadbury." Mmm.

Later overheard: "Moby Dick is the best book on tape I've ever heard - just because the English is so... sealike."

nothing matters when we're dancing

2006-08-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

In the exciting day to day that is my life, I finished transcribing a graphic novel, bought a mop (Self-wringing! Ooh la la!), and got the headlight on my car fixed. Paint chips adorn my walls and there are plans to paint my room green. I am certain that it will fill me with joy to have a green rather than weak beige room.

Also on my list of plans for the very near future - finish my quilt. I started it months and months ago, only to keep putting it aside. You know how on those personality tests, they ask you if you prefer to start or finish something? I always thought I was in the middle, getting satisfaction from both - like when I tried to convince myself that with a little practice, I would be ambidextrous. But that's crazy. I'm a starter, for sure, and my handedness is not under my control.

In exactly a month, my dear friend from Kindergarten to the present gets married. What song should I request at their wedding? What music makes you kick up your heels?

biscuits tea book

2006-08-06T17:23:00.000-04:00

early to bed early to rise

2006-08-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

I had forgotten how lovely it is to be up early - not forgotten, exactly, but not thought about the alternative to sleeping in as a good thing, in a long time. Getting up with the sun reminds me of when I was on the rowing team - we'd be on the water half an hour before the sun rose, in late fall, and the smell of the air was so clean. I had such a self-satisfied sense of accomplishment in those days - "I've done so much today, and it's only 9 a.m.!" I'd say. (The backlash came when I would desperately need a nap at noon.)

The smell of the air this morning reminded me that although I love sleeping, love sleeping in, love napping, love bed, I feel like being up first thing in the morning is satisfying in a way nothing else is. Everything is still, like it was during a power outage we had over the winter break one year - all you could hear outside was dense snow falling and landing in tiny thuds. I don't know if I'd like that kind of silence all the time, but it's refreshing when it does come.

On the road to Ottawa this morning, I saw a man throwing up by the side of the road, car parked askew and wife waiting inside, pretending to be elsewhere.

say it ain't so

2006-08-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Can I just mention how perfect it is that a friend from high school who loved Weezer is now married a woman named Jamie? And only weeks ago, they had a son. His name is Jonas. I mean, seriously. That's amazing.

What was I supposed to be doing?

2006-07-23T12:41:00.000-04:00

My unreasonably bad memory has always been an embarrassment to me. It's almost a surprise to me, every time I'm asked to recall something and can't. I feel that I'm an intelligent person, but I get knocked over by my inability to remember things. Whether it's recalling the order of events when telling a story, what & when I deposited or took out of the bank, or the date I'm to pay my bills, it's shocking how easily my brain lets things slip. The worst is when I'm boiling water for tea. I put the kettle on and walk away to do something for the four minutes or whatever it takes to boil water, only to forget that I ever wanted tea, that I was in the midst of making tea, that water is starting to boil for my tea, until I hear the kettle tweeting away. (It's a blessing that my roommate has a kettle that makes noise, albeit an annoyingly ear-piercing one. Mine doesn't make a sound, and I've burned all the water away and left it burning dryly for ages on more than one occasion.)

That's not to say that my brain doesn't have its share of shining moments when it comes to memory. Some things stick in my mind really well - but I rarely have control over what those things are. My visual memory is particularly good, as are my sense and odor memories.

I went for so long without a daily/monthly planner, proud of my ability to remember everything I had to do in a sort of chainlink association fashion... but as I got older, this ability started fading. Now I feel like I can't remember a damn thing, other than that "oh, there was something I was supposed to do" feeling nagging me. I've already bought an extensive planner for the fall - as of August things will be good. But put my money in a bank and make me keep extensive records - my mind is not to be trusted.

switcharoo

2006-07-22T19:20:00.000-04:00

Well there you are. After months and months of spam comments frustrating me to the point of disliking my blog, I've moved over to the protected shores of Blogger. No more going through all my comments to erase the ones put there by bots or spiders or whater the kids are calling them these days! Welcome to the new me - now I can update in peace. It'll be all sweetness and light over here, I can tell.

planes traines & automobiles

2006-07-22T17:42:00.000-04:00

Biking through town at night, I was watching my shadow. Every time I passed under a streetlight, I got a good look at it - it looked remarkably retro, what with my skirt and upright cruiser position. But most especially, the shadow my head cast sent me right back to the 60s - the combination of my flipped out hair (shorter haircut plus wind) and my new helmet (a round little skateboarding number) made a perfect beehive.

I was thinking on my way back home yesterday that I’ve been on 8 planes in about a month’s time. (Not to mention several taxis, airporter busses, a regular bus, and a train.) I’ll be on a couple more before July is out. It’s surprisingly exhausting to sit so much - in stations and airports, on planes and other modes of transportation. It was such a pleasure to be peddaling around under my own power and and in my own direction.