Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Today is a good day because:

1. Our bedroom furniture gets delivered
2. There are no more school buses jamming up the roads
3. I'm taking the next 3 days off of work
4. My hair looks fabulous today
5. I didn't get a single cut from shaving my legs this morning
6. There are raspberries in my fridge
7. It'll be a thousand degrees with 100% humidity outside, and I have a/c (suckas!)
8. Paris Hilton is a way better person now

Please feel free to share why today is a good day for you too, and then we can all feel warm and fuzzy all over.


Friday, June 22, 2007

Whoa!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Why I drink decaf

I was mentioning to Main Man just the other day how the summer of 2007 appears to have spawned the craziest, stupidest spiders I've ever seen.

For starters, they're spinning webs in the most unlikely places where they're sure to either fall apart or been torn apart by moving objects in a jiffy. I watched one of these 2007 spiders try repeatedly to spin a web between a deck chair and a flapping table parasol. It just wasn't working, but he wasn't giving up, even though there was a perfectly suitable second chair that would better serve his purpose. Or me, even. I was, afterall, just sitting there watching him, completely immobile.

And then I remembered reading something about a test where they jacked up some spiders with different drugs and watched the web-spinning results. Interestingly, the worst web spun was the one made by the spider on caffeine. He was just too hyper too organize his thoughts. It made me wonder how well our house has been built, given the number of Tim Horton's coffee cups strewn about during the construction process.

So I've come to the conclusion, based on the spider webs I've seen this season, that fucked up spiders can be another item added to the Environmental Things To Worry About list, right alongside global warming and disappearing bees. Clearly, something has gone very, very wrong here.

For your entertainment, here's a look at what the jacked-up spiders created:


Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

Quite by accident...

I have discovered a new favourite cd that I just can't stop playing. And it comes from quite an unexpected source.

Her name is Theresa Sokyrka, and she was the Canadian Idol runner-up from a couple of seasons ago. I do remember catching one of those episodes and hearing her sing. I commented on the super quality of her voice, and how I'd like to hear her do some jazzy-folk stuff, because it would suit her perfectly.

But I was watching Canadian Idol, so I never gave her a second thought.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I was meandering through iTunes and came across her name. I remembered her from that Idol episode and checked her out. The song samples intrigued me, so I downloaded the cd. I played it once, and thought "Heeeey, that's not bad".

Then I played it again, and realized there was a lot more going on on this cd than I first noticed. So I played it yet again. And again and again and again. It's one of those albums that just grows on you, until you realize just how fucking brilliant it is.

It's also one of those discoveries that MUST be shared. Granted, the cd came out almost a year ago (or maybe more), but unless you're living in Saskatchewan, or are a die-hard Canadian Idol fan, you've probably never heard of her.

From what I understand, her first cd was a commercial pop thingie. This one, her second, was written entirely by her, and she was behind all the production decisions. She's got some big names and talent involved, and it shows. It's called "Something is Expected".

Like most truly awesome albums, the songs that turn out to be the gems are not the ones that get radio play. You need to check out the in-between stuff.

Okay. I'm all done cramming this down your throat. But seriously... check it out.

Free-range coffee

I try to buy organic foods as much as possible. Lately, my favourite store has made this easier by providing more organic stuff that not only the filthy rich can afford.

Last week, I bought organic coffee. Now, I can enjoy my daily morning decaf, comforted by the thought that the coffee beans I'm consuming were grown without chemicals, and free to roam the hills of Columbia. No caged, hormone-injected coffee beans for me. No sir. I've got happy beans.

Friday, June 08, 2007

The Pivoting Stage

After brushing my teeth or washing my face, I used to blindly reach directly to my left for the hand towel. It was reliably there, every time. If I accidentally knocked it off the rack while reaching with my eyes closed, I'd simply reach back-and-left for my bath towel on the back of the door. I could do this in my sleep, which in fact was often the case first thing in the morning.

Now, it's all backwards. My new hand towel rack is to my right, and my "Plan B" bath towel is 180 degrees behind me, and a few steps away.

Every day for the past week, after using the bathroom sink, I've reached to the left, only to wave my hand in mid-air. My automatic reaction is to then reach back-and-left... more air. I'm forced to keep pivoting to my left until I eventually locate the hand towel.

Ever spin around in a circle with your eyes closed in unfamiliar surroundings first thing in the morning?

Yeah. Exactly. Keep the bandaids close, is all I have to say.

p.s. - The same is true for the kitchen, especially when there are two of you in there, pivoting out of control. Keep the icepacks close too.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Now... where were we?

Hey, you know what rocks? A new house, that's what!

We moved in a few days ago, following a month-long Stress Fest. Still some unpacking to do, and our new bedroom furniture hasn't arrived yet, so we're sleeping on a mattress on the floor (which is kinda cool, in a "remember the old days?" way). But generally, we're settled in.

I do have a couple of adventures to relay, but little time to do it just yet. Okay, I'll tell you about one. I'm part proud, part guilty. Here's the deal:

You may remember that I bought an awesome a/c unit last summer (R2D2). Well, we've got central a/c in the new house, so I have no need for the unit anymore. I asked the new folks moving into our old place if they wanted it. He asked how much, and I blurted out $500, since I was sure I had paid over $600 just a year before, and it had only been used for a couple of months.

The guy agreed on the spot, and a fabulous sale was made. Later that week, while packing up stuff, I stumbled across the receipt for the unit.... $462.00. So I made a profit. On a used item. I've never done that before. It's kinda cool. And it's also kinda wrong. (But in a cool way, still).

Oh fuck it. Who am I kidding? It's WAY cool!! HA-HA-HA-HA!!!! (But it's wrong. Soooo wrong).

Oh, and one of our movers was drunk. It wasn't funny at the time, and I really wanted to kick him in the teeth and spray some Febreze on his stinkin' self, but now that it's all over and nothing was broken, dropped, or rammed through a wall, I think it's kinda funny afterall. They moved us at 7:30am, and I know he must've wanted to puke by noon. That's payback enough for me.

Step Son arrives in mid-July for 7 weeks, so I'm looking forward to regaling you with his silliness again. He's 11 now... 12 in September. They're still silly at that age, right?