Treading Water

2007-02-07T00:40:00.000-04:00

while the rest of you are distracted on facebook.

There's a huntsman on my wall today
Legs entangled every way.
He's patient and he knows the truth
Waits for the moment, just like you.

There are spiders in my shower, and they cower
When you're near;
When I'm with you, dear.

Particles of water, getting hotter
With your fear;
That unconscious sneer.

Counting through the days
Like grasping onto haze
And peering through your webbing
By the light of ebbing dark.

2007-01-20T21:30:00.000-04:00

Yarrrrrrr..is....

We are now the proud new owners of a 2007 Toyota Yaris Sedan.
Metalic black. Black interior.
Drove it home from moncton today, and I LOVE it!
A cheap car- but with a bit of a sporty, almost luxury feel to it. ...or maybe it's just a luxury to me to be able to escape Sackville once in a while to visit friends or, you know, get groceries.

And this weekend, Lenny and I have the weekend off- at the *SAME TIME*
it's amazing.
and on that note- I have to go; drinking calls.

2006-12-26T10:13:00.000-04:00

'You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey, and I'd never heard someone say that before...'

Christmas in Tantallon has been very unique this year. Old traditions mixing with new ideas, and strangers becoming family. Lenny and I arrived on Christmas Eve, and picked up Sarah and Jesse at the airport. Between lots of food and gift opening has been intermittent guitar playing, fire spinning, and hockey trivia.

Hope you're all having a wonderful (though sadly, green) Christmas.

2006-12-21T18:47:00.000-04:00

shopping escapades in moncton

i'm done. and i need a drink.
after 5 hours of shopping in moncton, i managed to get pretty much everything for everyone.. i don't think i've ever been so productive in one day. i even managed not to get too distracted by pretty things in the mall.

as i'm leaving the mall, lenny calls and asks if i can pick up a 300$ order of cheese for the restaurant before i head back to sackville. then i get into the car (that has been lent to us by the meldrums while we're house and dog-sitting for them over the holidays) and discover that the battery is dead.

i flag down a lady getting into her car nearby, who actually has jumper cables (the 6th person i asked). however, once she aligns her car with mine, she realizes she has no idea where the battery is in her SUV. neither of us can locate it (is was under other equipment that had to be lifted) so we flag down a man in a pick up truck, who eventually gets my car jump started for us.
then i realize i can't stop the car to pick up the restaurant order, because the car may not start again.

so i call jill, who lives near by, to join me for a quick drive so i can leave the car running in the parking lot. half-way there, lenny calls back that the store is closed, so we can't pick up the order after-all.
oh-well, can't say i didn't try! :P

now i'm going to spend the evening wrapping presents, with a bottle of wine.

2006-12-18T11:24:00.000-04:00

Lets Go Fly A Kite

So, seeing as how I'll only be back in Tantallon from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day...
and seeing as how I do not yet have a car or other reliable form of transportation for other visits...
I propose that there should be a roadtrip to Sackville, NB in the New Year.

I know a few of you had suggested coming up for a visit before (Amy, Bianca, Kaitlin, Kathryn), so I'm putting up an open invite: If you are willing to make the trek up here- I will provide food, bed, and booze for all :)
I work monday - friday, so you are welcome on any weekend.
Let me know if you're interetested.

2006-12-17T22:16:00.000-04:00

How cool is this??

Viganella, Italy

2006-12-07T21:37:00.000-04:00

'Tis the Season

The first snow fell on sackville last week.
I made a mini-snowman. He was 1'4" tall. Then it rained.

I put up my tree, while listening to christmas music from my computer. Though it's made the rounds from my uncle, to my mom, to me- I think the little tree is still doing ok. When I took it out of my parents shed where it'd been stored for the summer, there was a mouse's nest between the branches.

Saturday night Lenny and I are heading to my friend Laurie's christmas cocktail party, and next weekend I'll be in Halifax for a night for Jen's 4th annual Christmas Cookie baking party... which usually involves a lot of drinking and not so much baking.

It's increadibly satisfying to be in Sackville and not be in school during exam season.
Tis the season- Eat, Drink, and be Merry!

2006-11-29T09:59:00.000-04:00

November seems to have sped right past me.
Punctuated briefly by out of town visitors (Lenny's high school Bruce and Tara from Grand Manan; and then Kelly and Kurt this past weekend), it's otherwise been busy yet uneventful.

Work is still going well, and I was awarded a prize for being one of the top sales people last month.
Our Moneris staff party was an extravagent all-nighter event held at the Memramcook Institute. A formal turkey dinner, followed by a show by Maritime comedian "Jimmy the Janitor", and a dance. I won a gift basket worth over 200$ as the door prize. :)

Today Lenny and I are having another meeting with MTA regarding the booking of a hall for the wedding reception. It appears our previous choice may be shot down, as the beautiful ballroom I wanted may now be used as a junk room due to lack of storage space on campus... Thankfully the person now in charge of campus rentals is a friend of mine from classes a few years ago, so at least she's willing to be honest with me.

That's all the news fit to print for now: it's my day off- so I'm going to take a nap.

2006-11-05T23:15:00.000-04:00

Home on the Range

I'm heading to Halifax tomorrow morning, for a couple of days (going back on wednesday).
I'll try making some calls to see if anyone's available to meet up for coffee / catch-up..
though I think a lot of the phone numbers I have for everyone are out of date by now.

so- if you're reading this, and you have a few spare minutes this week, please give me a call.
I would love to see / hear from you.
on my cell: 506-878-7383
or my parent's place where I'll be staying: 826-7690

2006-10-29T20:32:00.000-04:00

I've had a few very welcome reliefs lately.
One being kelly, kurt, doug, and clem coming to visit me a few weeks ago. a lovely taste of home.
why can't we all be neighbours again? I'll bike down the bay road and we'll have picnics on the beach rocks.

Last night Jill and Sarah came to visit in sackville.. to the right you'll see a few shots from our Halloween escapades in Sackville. As it turns out, wearing head-to-toe leather in a hot crowded pub all night is not the best idea.

2006-10-18T19:05:00.000-03:00

It seems to me that October is just a month full of overwhelmingly bad news.

All my love to everyone who is suffering, grieving, and adjusting right now...
I'll be driving to Fredricton for a funeral on Friday. Lenny's mother passed away this morning, after a long battle with lung cancer. Although we knew it was coming, it's been a difficult road; as no one wants to see someone they love suffer.
It seems suiting that it's raining.

2006-10-07T18:02:00.000-03:00

i'm making a winter coat!

no more cold sackville winters for me. i'm going to be warm and cozy. mmmmm.
it's going to be made with green corduroy, and chocolate brown fur inside for the lining... my apartment is covered in bits of fur. fake of course- like teddy bear fur.
it's going to take me a lot of teddy bears.

2006-10-03T23:38:00.000-03:00

I'm so fed up with red tape this week.

So far I've made 4 appointments for different things; all of which required several visits or phone calls to determine who to even talk to in order to book the appointments, and all of which will likely require more follow-up afterwards.
I'm stuck working nights at Moneris for the next week or so, which means that all the Admin people are gone home, so I have to email and wait for answers the next day.
And apparently, I may get stuck working Christmas day because I was not informed I should have already booked my vacation time, and Moneris schedules people on statutory holidays when not enough people volunteer. [not "if"; "when".]

Hopefully I will be able to get some days off over Christmas, or else I will miss the last chance for Sarah [whom I have not seen in 2 years] to meet Lenny before the wedding.

~stress~

2006-09-23T23:05:00.000-03:00

i have now officially seen myself in a wedding dress.
surrounded on 3 sides by mirrors. on a pedestal.
and i wasn't entirely weirded out. however, it did take me a while to feel like i wasn't just a 10 year old girl playing dress up.

my mom came to visit this weekend- we went to moncton to get some ideas for dresses to see what types we like, and get some ideas for what supplies mom will need to order to make my dress. some were nice. some were enormous contraptions that weighed at least 20 lbs. the entire process is a cross between exciting, frustrating, and mostly just slightly odd.

2006-09-17T20:39:00.000-03:00

Thank you!!

Since apparently it needs to be said..
You're the person who's been a part of me since we met. You're the person with whom I could always be exactly who I am: no sugar-coating, or beating around the bush. No fake appearances. Whether we're next door, or on the opposite ends of the earth- whether we talk once a day, or once a year [though I prefer something closer to the former] we'll always be close.

I loves ya Kel.

2006-09-09T00:48:00.000-03:00

there's no right answer for this.
no perfect thing to say.
nothing that will make everything ok.

i love you both.
i may be kilomteres away,
but i'm with you every second.

you're fighters.
you're lovers.
you're jokers.
and you've done everything that can be done.

i'll talk to you soon.
for now i'll just send you love.

2006-09-05T22:39:00.000-03:00

Feel the Connection

Phones, and internet and TV, oh my!
Finally got myself all connected and sorted out- and managed to avoid dealing with Aliant altogether.
After a lovely 4 day weekend, I'm back to work tomorrrow. Lenny was back to work yesterday, as Joey's had it's re-opening night tonight, after the "renovations" from the fire. Carolyn and Andrei are back in town, which means I have friends again.

Also, if anyone knows of an apartment for rent or sublet in Halifax please let me know, because Andrei is on the hunt.

This week will mostly consist of sleeping in [working 11am-7pm] and cleaning.
Eventful, I know.

2006-08-23T20:03:00.000-03:00

New Phone!! Home for a Visit!!

It took a little while, but I finally have my own phone- it's a very pretty little Telus "Pantech" and I'm in love with it. I could play with it all day, but then I'd get fired from my job..

so- new number is local to sackville and moncton: 506-878-7383
please call me- i have no contact with anyone anymore.

However, I think I'll be making a visit to Halifax this weekend with Lenny- so will anyone be around???

2006-08-12T15:23:00.000-03:00

Where there's smoke...

It was a long stressful night here in Sackville, after I looked out my window at 9:30pm and found the building across the street going up in flames. After a closer inspection, the whole block was beginning to catch and evacuations of near by buildings was taking place. 4 neighbouring fire departments had come to aid.

I stood on the street with lenny's brother in law [and the rest of the town] for 4 hours and watched as the flames leapt nearer and nearer to their family restaurant. [Lenny is currently in NS for a friend's bachelor party] By 1:30am it looked as if the whole street was going down. But the fire departments continued to soak the brick fire-walls and wooden rooflines connecting them all, and by 3:30am most of the flames had subsided, leaving a smoking heaving shell.

This morning construction had begun on tearing down the reckage and hoses continued to spray water on the ashes. The assessment of the restaurant wasn't great- but could certainly be worse. No fire had gotten through the brick work. The basement was flooded with 8" of dirty water, the computer systems, walk-in freezers and fridges were ruined, and the upstairs had suffered bad smoke damage.

Today I babysat for Matteo my soon-to-be nefew, while anna and trent attempted to help cater a wedding that was scheduled for this afternoon. They moved the reception to a neighbouring tavern and everyone in town pitched in all their resources to help.

Currently we're having a hail-storm, and after only 4 hours of restless sleep, I need a nap.

2006-07-21T16:02:00.000-03:00

Holding out all my love and best wishes to Iain right now. You've got the whole world on your side right now man. australia, ireland, halifax, sackville, cape bretton, and I'm sure many more- we're all with ya.
I'll be over the border for a visit soon, and I look forward to seeing you and Kathryn. Huge hugs to both of you.

2006-07-10T12:08:00.000-03:00

ooo- i just discovered that somehow my comments got set to be moderated, so all along i thought no one was commenting, but i just had to ok them for publishing. sheesh! so i've been reading all your lovely past comments :) yay!

i now live at 69B main street. it's a 'cozy' little apartment in a prime sackville location. so far we have no furniture, and a lot of boxes. well, that's not true- we have one chair, and a rolling bar :) what more could you want? hopefully this week we'll have a bed. here i thought my camping days were over for a while, but the air mattress is making a come-back. today, i job hunt. in fact, i'm currently procrastinating. i hate job hunting. someone just hire me, ok?

2006-07-07T10:58:00.000-03:00

being home is fairly surreal thus far.
even though 'home' is sort of a relative term, since all of my stuff is in the process of being packed and moved out of my parents place, and i've spent the weekend at 3 different houses. lenny's driving down to tantallon tonight, and we ship out to sackville in the morning. once we're 'moved in' to our new apartment, which i havn't yet seen, we'll have little more than a bunch of suitcases, electronics, and a futon mattress on the floor. at least until we buy a bed, get our couch moved from fredricton, track down my old landlord for my kitchen table, and find some kind of chairs. even so- i have a feeling my restlessness will be greatly uppeased just to have a place to call mine.

lenny's dad is flying down from ontario tomorrow, so we'll be doing the congratulations/family dinner thing for the third time. the student loan sharks are already at my door; and the thought of trying to get settled, get my payments up to date, and plan a wedding all at the same time is a bit daunting. but i'm confident, and more than a bit excited.

2006-07-02T13:15:00.000-03:00

ok-

will be back in halifax tomorrow[monday] afternoon/evening. home for a week- probably until sunday or so. then looking for an apartment with lenny in sackville, nb.
what's everyone doing this week? my home phone is 826-7690. no cell phone yet. and all of your numbers are in my old phone.. so you may have to contact me.
but i really want to see everyone, very soon. ok?
ok.
call me!

2006-06-24T00:20:00.000-03:00

Homeward Bound

after 12 days in the daintree rainforest way up north, we're back in sydney. i'll tell all the big stories later.
for now- we've got 2 more days in Oz, then over to Tai Pei for 3, then home. I'll be back in Canada for the July 1st celebrations, but I'll be in NB for a few days with lenny's family first. Will let everyone know when I hit halifax- because you're all going to party whether you know it yet or not.

see you soon.

2006-06-02T06:06:00.000-03:00

where the sun shines all day long.

lenny and i are now in cairns- northern australia. yesterday we hitch-hiked to brisbane [took about 10 mins to get a ride half-way, then only waited about 3 mins for the second one] then flew to cairns. now it's 30 degrees every day, and we spent the afternoon lounging pool-side at the new hostel. it was sad to leave byron- went through a lot there with a lot of great people. but it was time to move on.

2006-05-19T22:30:00.000-03:00

It's official:

I'm in Love. But you already knew that. Furthermore, I'm engaged.

I'm wearing one mother of a beautiful ring, and I now have a month to travel the east coast of Australia with my new Fiancé. Ain't life grand?

2006-05-18T06:17:00.000-03:00

holy shit!

...i need to make some phone calls.

2006-05-08T00:57:00.000-03:00

moving up.

one shift of work left at reception. one talent show left to host. one week until lenny gets off that plane. many friends to say goodbye to. one more place to leave a piece of myself.

my manager craigu has set us up with a caravan for when lenny and i come back to byron after sydney. we're gonna be trailor trash! :) then we're going to see coffs, and cairns, and adelaide, and tai pei..

it's mothers day next weekend.

2006-05-02T10:56:00.000-03:00

it's may.

it has now been over a year since lenny and i have even lived in the same city.
am i insane?

2006-04-26T02:27:00.000-03:00

the byron time warp is having an effect on me..
i could be leaving in two and a half weeks. down to sydney with charlie, in her van, to meet lenny. i've spent two and a half months here already. it feels like both a day and a lifetime. i reckon it'll be strange sleeping in a room indoors again. but i'll be back soon enough. can't wait to show lenny everything and bring him into this place.

2006-04-15T10:01:00.000-03:00

Everyone Deserves Music.

Met Michael Franti tonight. He was debuting his documentary film- "I Know I'm not Alone". I recommend everyone should see this film. Then he answered some questions and played us some rockin tunes. And I got to thinking about how much all of these issues are someone else's issues; they are problems that we internalize that are not ours. Byron is a place where people from all over the world come together. my friends here are from Australia, Ireland, England, Canada, Israel, France, Scotland, Turkey, etc. etc. We are different religions, different races, different languages, different cultures. We do not take issue with each other. We do not have unresolvable differences that take us to war. These are other people's issues.

My friend Tomer is 26 years old. He and the other Israeli boys have all arrived here after having served their time in the Israeli army. They have seen and done things that most of us cannot even imagine, and would probably not want to imagine either. None of them wanted to be there or do those things. Every day they too told themselves that would not cross those lines; would not fight someone else's battles. But the next month they'd be ordered to do something worse. Instructed to stand guard and follow orders.
Politics can not be a religion.
God is too big for just one religion.
The world is too big for one land without borders.
Everyone deserves music- even our worst enemies.

2006-04-11T21:04:00.000-03:00

It's been an eventful morning
and it's only ten o'clock yet.

Today our sweet James leaves for the bush. He arrived here at the Arts Factory 9 months ago to stay with his older brother Cockatoo paul, who works here as a musician and hosts the Tuesday talent show with me. Cocka's best friend Brown Snake is taking James out into the bush for several months, to build a camp. Later Brown Snake's wife Lisa and two year old son Jungamara will meet them there. 100 km away from anything on arid australian desert land they will build something out of nothing, hunt and cook their own food, and find their own water. He may even find his totem name. This will be a life experience for James- a chance to turn around his life, and a process that separates the boys from the men.
We wish you all the best James.

2006-04-04T09:22:00.000-03:00

44 days to go

hosted my first tuesday night talent show.
it went fairly well considering we were rained out and had to have it indoors in a cramped hot room. it's a bit hard to yammer on about mostly nothing on a microphone for a prolonged period and still appear funny. however- now i'm getting paid for 3 more hours a week, and i get to keep playing music.

said goodbye to some close friends today. living here means making friends is both a very fast and very fluid process. faces come as quickly as they go.

my baby arrives in 44 days :)

2006-03-22T01:03:00.000-04:00

how the universe provides

after being unemployed for a week and panicking that i'd have to leave byron and move to brisbane or some other big city to find work, i've now been offered a job driving a shuttle bus for the hostel, but turned it down in favor of staying at reception: 35-40 hrs/week. yay money :)

and for all those who contacted me about the cyclone- no fear, it did not hit byron bay. it's a bit rainy, but otherwise fine. there seems to have been a large amount of snakes around this week- maybe because of the weather. the 13 foot python was cool but mostly safe, as opposed to the rough scale that bit one of our long term aussie staff 3 times yesterday. he was immediately flown to tweed heads hospital since byron had no anti-venom for some reason.. i think i'll start using my flashlight on the campgrounds at night.

playing a lot of guitar these days, heading off now to meet a friend for a jam.

2006-03-17T05:45:00.000-04:00

went for a surfing lesson today. and got stung repeatedly by blue-bottle jelly fish. they're tiny, blue, and evil. they leave burn marks shaped like suction-y tentacles wherever they hit you. my thighs are covered in zig zaging dotted lines.
however, i have now successfully surfed some little waves :)

oh, and i got a new bed [read: old flat-ish foam pad] last week, meaning i have space to stand in my tent and i'm no longer sleeping on a half-delfated air mattress. things are looking up.

jumped over a rather large carpet python yesterday on my way back to the tent. i thought it was a vine until i realized it was in the middle of the path. they're not too bad though. just don't tick them off.

happy saint patty's day!

2006-03-15T03:57:00.000-04:00

one month in paradise

yesterday was my one month anniversary at the arts factory. and i have paid work again this week! which is good because now i can eat again. :)

last weekend charlie and i stayed the night at her friend isaac's place. isaac lives on the top of a mountain in the rolling hills and jungles surrounding the little neighbouring town of mullumbimby. he lives with his dad and little sister in a completely self-sufficient house running on solar power, compost toilets, and an ample organic garden. the rooms are little cabins connected together by boardwalks through the trees. we swam in the creek and covered ourselves in different colours of oka- a natural clay that aboriginals once painted themselves with for war or ceremonial purposes. some pics are now available on the slideshow.

i have to admit though- as i was being driven into the mountain after dark, i began to feel a little bit "wolf creek"ish. it was a great time though, and i look forward to hiking the mountain in search of geods next time.

2006-03-06T20:28:00.000-04:00

long live the sun above us

yesterday the rain stopped; the jungle hut was empty as our entire village fled to the beaches.

last night charlie and i went to a meditation session with alise. it was held in an immense green teepee down a candle lit path in someone's forested back yard. the floor of the teepee was covered in warm persian rugs of deep reds and golds, and in the center was a roaring fire. candles hung from the high peak, with fresh flowers coiled down the chain like wild vines. after the calling of the elements and the smudging with smoke, water, and earth on our faces, the 11 of us began the slow descent into an hour long meditation with three unified Oms.
when i returned and the smoke cleared, many things had washed away with it, and the path was once again visible.

2006-03-04T23:27:00.000-04:00

'and so it continues both day and night'..

1 week later, and it's still raining. we're all going a bit stir crazy. someone at the camp ground bought paints and brushes, so now the jungle hut has become like preschool art class.

however, the jungle is a magical place in the rain. the tree frogs come out to play, and the mosquitos hide away.

2006-02-28T23:33:00.000-04:00

and then came the rain

it's been raining for 3 days. obviously, living in NS has made me pretty used to the wet weather, however- never before have i had to withstand it while living in a tent. luckily, i was cautious and pitched my tent on the high ground. there is a river running through the camp and the tents at the bottom of the hill are under about 2 feet of water. it's still quite warm though, so i really don't mind it.

took a girls road trip on sunday: 6 girls + 1 funky hippy van + markets, waterfalls, and copious amounts of weed = 1 great day. hands up for naked swimming? :)

won some surf lessons via the tuesday night talent competition too, so hopefully i'll get farther than just kneeling on the board this time.

2006-02-27T00:34:00.000-04:00

i had a dream about you last night.
you had come back to us, and as my turn came around to give you a hug, i looked in your eyes and all the pain came. all the confusion that swirls and mixes. something about the way you look right through, right into me.

2006-02-20T21:08:00.000-04:00

dramas in paradise.

this morning i stood by as george -our resident snake man- disposed of a deadly rough scale that was found when someone went digging around in a tarp next to their tent. george clears away poisonous brown snakes almost daily from the camp and town, yet after having caught this rough scale, even he was shaking. he then proceeds to tell us that if bitten by this one, you could be unconscious in 45 seconds, and if not bandaged fast enough and given medical attention you would likely be bleeding from all orfices in an hour. yay.

so yea. that was fun.
other new fun stuff; took a very interesting bus tour to Nimbin yesterday. nimbin is a small town in australia where it is basically legal to smoke, grow, sell weed. so you go to nimbin on Jim's Alternative Tour, buy your drugs and eat some cookies. then have a crazy fucked up drive home as jim takes you through the wildlife reserve of semi-tropical jungles, timed perfectly to an excellent soundtrack, and preaches about alternative lifestyles and being an activist. so here, for your reading pleasure- is the last entry in my journal before i got on the bus in nimbin:

"so much to write about, but for now i'll just explain the immediate situation: here i sit in nimbin, digesting a pot-cookie, waiting for the bus to get going. this ought to be an interesting trip home.. er-well ya. i live in a tent and work for my keep. we smoke, we swim, we play music. i love our aging hippy bus driver. and right now my feet feel like they're melting. john lennon walked by with a far-side t-shirt on. no wonder i couldn't sleep last time. time is really really slow. puff the magic school bus is flying through blue skies!"

2006-02-14T06:45:00.000-04:00

Rocked up to the Byron Arts Factory Lodge today, and i'm totally in love!

Did a walking tour about edible plants, saw the second most deadly spider in the world, played with a two foot long lizard called a water dragon, played a couple of songs at an open-mic night and by doing so won a trip to nimbin [aka-weed capital of oz] along with an offer to open a show for a local musician tomorrow night. cool bananas.
and i havn't even hit the beaches yet

next step- figure out how to stay here longer. ..without just eating my finances that is. maybe i'll crash in a tent for a few weeks and work for my food at the cafe.

2006-02-12T19:48:00.000-04:00

i bought a guitar.
it's mini. it's me-sized. :)
perfect for travelling- a little 3/4 scale beaut.
i missed it way too much.

2006-02-06T22:41:00.000-04:00

Flying high on valentine's day.

Taking off one week from today, since apparently it's cheaper to fly on Tuesdays. Here's the web site for the place I'll be staying for the first week, hopefully by then I'll find a place to rent. Looking forward to being a hippy beach bum for a bit though.

kel you can still reach me at the same number- [0011] [61] 0425 882 354

2006-02-01T21:45:00.000-04:00

It's official

I've been fired.
For calling in sick.
kooks.
Oh-well, I had my hissy fit this weekend, and now I'm over it. Most bad news comes as a blessing in disguise. It's time to move on anyway- Byron Bay: here I come! So much to do this week- find a cheap hostel in Byron to start off in; call some restaurants/bars/etc and see if anyone's hiring; see all the friends I've made here one last time before I leave..
It's scary, but exciting too.

2006-01-31T23:43:00.000-04:00

well this has been a week of serious ups and downs.

Had a great few first shifts at my new job- went drinking with my coworkers and feel like i have a few new good mates. had a great chat with my old boss at cafe remy and there are no hard-feelings there... then got sick during one nasty day 43 degree day and had to call in sick to work. found out 3 days later that they took me off the schedule this week as punishment. so- have to look at it positively: i'll likely be back to full-time next week once joe feels that i've learned my lesson not to fall sick *rolls eyes*, and i've got a week's vacation right now!

went to see "the producers" yesterday, and can't wait to see Brokeback Mountain soon.
[all tv and movies are released later than north america here]

and the best part of this month- i went flying!!! :) An "aerochute" is a powered parachute that allows you to glide around the sky from ground level to 1500 feet and up. I got up at 5am to be able to do this over a cow-pattie field in Werribee, north of the city. so cool. I even chased down a group of wild kangaroos by swooping over them from the air.

2006-01-25T00:49:00.000-04:00

WTF?..

that's what i get for not keeping up with the news.
ok, so i know there are a lot of fuck-knuckles out there, but i didn't realize the country was going to fall to pieces while i was gone. HARPER got elected?!? how the hell did that happen? i hope all of you at least voted. cripes. so much for all the gains we've made in the last 5 or 10 years vis a vis left/realist agendas.

*sigh*
*pouts*
*kicks rock*

2006-01-19T00:35:00.000-04:00

New Job.. sort of.

Starting my first shift at my new job tonight. The change was all part of far too much drama, involving my housemate dating my boss, then getting mad at him after finding out he was sleeping with one of my co-workers, then my boss cutting my hours and giving them to the other girl. SO- I figure it's probably a good idea to get out now. If I can manage it, I'll be shifting over to full-time next week at another restaurant down the street. which is probably a good thing because the pay might be better and they're busy, so I should do better on tips.

Going to the 'Australian Open' Tennis tournament was très cool- seeing Venus& Serena Williams, Ljubecic, Federer and others from just a few metres away. I was never into tennis before, but now that I actually understand it, I'm hooked! What we havn't seen live, we've been watching on the "telly" all week.

Otherwise, met some awesome people this weekend, and becoming more involved in the glbt community here. Went to a drag king show last week and this week is the "midsumma" festival [pride-week]. If all works out well, I'll also be flying high over the city this saturday morning, in an "Aerochute" [engine-powered-gliding-parachute-thing].. will let you know how it goes.

2006-01-02T21:20:00.000-04:00

time ticks by

Welcome to 2006. This year, I am proud to say that I celebrated it instead of mourning it. I spent New Years Eve at a restaurant rooftop overlooking fireworks on the beach, with 3 other women, and no men.
My New Year rolled in a full 15 hours prior to Halifax, and I woke up Lenny at 9am to tell him so :)
Unfortunately, Melbourne's winds decided to die off New Years Eve, leaving us stranded in 43 degree heat!!! Since it was too hot to function, we were left with really only one option- drink to keep cool! Our dinner came with the best words in the english language: unlimited alcohol.

Prior to that... Sydney was ok, very "Toronto-ish", but on my last day there I met up with Anthony- a friend of Tan's who took me all around the city and suburbs in his little convertable mx-5. Some beautiful little coastal areas that make you feel like the city is miles away.
When I got back, I spent a couple of days down on the Mornington Peninsula [just over an hour south of the city] with Tania at her friend's summer trailor at the beach. the "caravan park" is like an australian Desperate Housewives- full of gossipy women. two days was definately enough for us.
I could definately get used to this whole not-working thing... however next week it's back to work. This week I'll be taking a bus tour of Phillip Island to see penguins and koalas- an excellent xmas gift from mom and dad :)

2005-12-25T08:41:00.000-04:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I spent christmas eve here in sydney with travellers from all over. Mich and I and his roommates from korea, india, and slovakia, started out by celebrating Canadian-style at the "Minus 5" bar- much like the Ice Palace in Quebec, this lounge is made entirely out of ice. [inside a refridgerated building, of course]. Upon arrival, you are given a large over-sized parka [that i'd have loved to have had during Sackville winters!], boots, gloves, etc. and off you go into a re-created winter-wonderland. Even the glasses for your drinks are made of ice :) after about an hour we were ready to go though, and that was only -5 degrees! photos soon to come...

Then we went to Cargo, where bongo and sax players jammed along with club/house dj sets. and then lastly to the pancake house- served with real maple syrup. I don't think i've ever gone to bed at 3am on xmas eve before. ...or slept in until noon xmas day.

Wakeing up in the hostel [which i decided to check into yesterday because sleeping on the couch at mich's place ended up being less than perfect, what with all the cockroaches and such] was lovely with travellers wishing me merry xmas in the elevator as i headed downstairs to meet mich on our way to Bronte beach :) excellent / gianormous waves and a beautiful hot sunny day.

Tonight we came back and cooked xmas dinner for the apartment: egg nog, potatos, corn, stuffing from a box-mix, and chicken parmasan [the stove was too small for a turkey].
what a way to celebrate.

2005-12-21T03:22:00.000-04:00

the big apple

i'm flying to sydney on friday.
last minute decision in order to spend xmas with some other travellers. the weather looks fantastic for the weekend, so i imagine we'll be joining others for a backpackers get-together at bondi beach.
i recieved a xmas package from my mom yesterday :) yay! and a card from my nanny & grampy.
hope everyone's enjoying their xmas holidays.
-cheers

2005-12-18T21:32:00.000-04:00

ok, so i was a complete geek and went to see stephen malkmus in concert on friday.
and it was awesome.
just before he went on stage, i thought to myself that it's been almost 10 years since i first started listening to pavement, after i heard about them from erin legere. and i have to admit, it was neat to be in a room full of people who shared my musical admiration instead of looking at me disgustedly or replying with "who"?
aha- pictures for your viewing pleasure.
see more here.

today, i'm making chocolates for some friends, and saying goodbye to others. marc heads to tasmania then sydney today, and charlene is off to perth next week. :( guess it's time to get out and meet people again.

2005-12-13T03:35:00.000-04:00

the wind in melbourne is not like the wind in sackville. sackville wind sweeps up along the marshes in one constant and unchanging motion. it is as much a part of the land as the sloping hills and tall grasses. the wind in melbourne tosses and turns the people and the trees, giving the impression that at any moment you are on the brink of a tropical storm. whether it bears terrential rains, or merely threatens, one can be sure that it will pass almost as quickly and suddenly as it arrived.

2005-12-08T03:52:00.000-04:00

for love of the city

flipping through the entertainment part of the newspaper today i discovered the following upcoming shows in melbourne:

Dec 10- DJ Sasha [if you havn't heard of him, well.. get out more.]
Dec 16&17- Stephen Malkmus [I know, go ahead- make fun.]
Feb 2- The Mars Volta
March 26- HIM
As well as the sold-out shows of U2 & Coldplay, and Jamiriquai played a couple of weeks ago.

but at least the maritimes still got the Stones... even if it was in Moncton.

2005-12-04T00:24:00.000-04:00

oh my god it's december.

i'm not quite sure how to celebrate christmas with no snow, no family, and a limited number of friends. i've convinced tan to help me decorate the house a bit at least. and we both have a week or so off work, so if the weather cooperates there should be a few good beach days. then in january we'll be going to see the tennis open- aussies are pretty nuts about their sports so, "when in rome..."

trying to decide where to head to next- maybe tasmania in february/march, then on to sydney in may to meet my baby :) lenny arrives on may 19th!

2005-11-16T03:18:00.000-04:00

so coming home late at night to find your bosses car in front of your house is kind of strange. so is hearing your roommate complain about being stood up for a date with said boss. do your friends a favor and don't get involved with their employers.

ramsey [our cook] and i went to see "wolf creek" on monday- an aussie horror movie about backpackers who get abducted in western australia by a crazed outback bogin. the story is based on true events and the guy was never caught. ...glad i didn't put wolf creek on my list of destinations.

2005-11-07T01:21:00.000-04:00

the things we do for love

Saturday night I went out for some drinks with my new boss, Paul, and my housemate, Tania. Paul was working late at the restaurant first, so Tania and I sat around the house listening to music and drinking wine for most of the night. After that and a mohito at the club, Tania was having a hard time remembering her name. Undiscouraged, Paul took that to mean this was his chance, and made out with her for an hour in his car after dropping us off. The next morning, after a couple of asprins, Tania's friend Linda took us to the beach for the afternoon, while I recounted the night's events to jog Tan's memory- which had failed to even recall what Paul looked like. Maybe they'll have better luck at their date later this week.

2005-10-26T00:44:00.000-03:00

gaw.
apparently my phone number on every one of my 20 résumés was wrong.
however- I got lucky at one place and was offered a job on the spot :)
I start work on saturday at an Italian style restaurant called Cafe Rémy. I'll likely be working the day shift full-time: starting at 7:30 am for breakfasts! yikes. oh-well, I have the rest of the week to relax and enjoy sleeping in.
12$ an hour is pretty low for here.. but they're paying me cash, so i can avoid the 29% tax rate for visa visitors.

for the record- my phone number is 0425 882 354
and mailing address *hint hint* is
36 stuart street
Armadale, Victoria
Australia, 3143

it's been a lonely week.
hopefully starting work will mean i'll make some friends.

2005-10-25T03:42:00.000-03:00

Fishcaf?

I'm feeling a bit more settled this week. Moved into a house in Melbourne, in a little residential section with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafe's on the next street. Today I handed my résumé out to about 20 of them! Hopefully with those numbers I won't need luck. [decided to skip one called a "FISHCAF"... coffee and fish? no thanks.]

My roommate Tania has some connections with a friend and is getting us free zoo passes, so I'll get a chance to see some crazy Australian animals. [Maybe even a Wallaby, for Sean] ;)

Going to meet up with Marc later this week [a new friend, from Dartmouth, that I met on the plane, who also happened to be heading for Melbourne] and hopefully hit the night scene a bit. Tania's a bit older than I am, and loves her wine, but isn't much into going out to bars.

I've been really into cooking this weekend- there are so many beautiful bakeries and butchers in this area. and Tania's pantry has every spice and additive imaginable.

Oh! and I'm currently in a public library 1 street away from my house! So free internet is definately available, which means I should be around here fairly often now.

2005-10-18T22:49:00.000-03:00

I made it!

So, here I am in the hostel in Sydney. I am in desperate need of a shower, but have to wait an hour for my room. The final flight was a piece of cake.. unlike the torture of the 19 hour NY - Tai Pei flight. I can now say that I've spent an hour in Alaska, though it was at night and just inside the airport.
I met two guys on the first flight from Halifax who were taking the exact same trip. so I had someone to bum around airports during layovers with. We took a 1/2 day tour in Tai Pei and had a whirlwind view of the city including local monuments, temples, and the tallest building in the world! I quickly got a feel for how kel must have felt in Sweden- it's an interesting feeling being one of the only people who speaks english. But everyone was very nice and directed us the best they could.
Not sure how I'll spend my 3 or 4 days here yet.. it's 22 degrees today, but raining. No beach for me just yet ;)

2005-10-15T23:03:00.000-03:00

build me up buttercup, baby..

no one said this would be easy. i'm gonna miss you one helluva lot.

2005-10-13T16:30:00.000-03:00

presents!

two awesome things happened today:
a) i got my final pay from the Globe & mail
b) my baby sent me a going away present
i now have a digital camera! therefore, aussie photo updates will be rampant, i'm sure.

2.5 days

2005-10-10T13:58:00.000-03:00

6 days

i think i've found an apartment. i'd be renting/sharing a home with a young woman (a travel agent) and her cat. it's located in Armadale- right between Melbourne center.. and the beach.
this week i'll be floating around tantallon, burning cds to keep me company on the flight.

2005-10-04T17:00:00.000-03:00

12 days, and absolutely counting

stepping back into sackville just lifts a huge weight off my shoulders. the compression in my chest eases up and i feel like everything will work itself out. i walk everywhere instead of driving. i drop in for visits instead of arranging times to meet. something about the wind; it's reassuring.

new plan.
since the travel agency suddenly changed the flight ticket prices on lenny [adding an extra 700$], he has come up with a new arrangement. instead of visiting for xmas and only getting to spend 7 or 8 days with me.. he's planing to wait until may and jump on a plane as soon as convocation ends in sackville- spend the next *two months* with me. yay!! i have a travel partner! and it's the person i would most want to experience a new country with.
it's crazy.
so, looks like xmas will be spent alone after all.. though i'm sure i'll have made a few friends by then.

i should be home sunday night- spend thanksgiving with the family. call me next week though- i need to see y'all before i leave.

2005-09-27T09:33:00.000-03:00

i've answered so many apartment ads, that i feel like i'm spamming.
i may have to resort to calling australia, or waiting until i get there- but i'd rather do it all online and have it ready when i arrive if possible.
on the upside- lenny has his flights booked: he'll be with me in melbourne for xmas :) i'm so excited. we'll build sand castles instead of snowmen.

this whole summer has left me ragged with stress. i'm cramped and tired, anxious and unrenewed. i'm disappointed that you're not ready to look at me. i want to be past, but i don't want to cause you pain. but your friendship will always be worth waiting, so when you're ready, i'll be here.

2005-09-21T09:45:00.000-03:00

Time ticks closer...

7 days of work left.
1 week of love and rest.
1 week of preparations and paperwork.
[hopefully 2 months of pay]

i need to renew my expired licence; open my australian bank account; raise my visa limit and replace my broken debit card; photocopy my documentation; organize my packing; get a bank statement and roe for customs; find a flatmate or hostel in melbourne; print city maps, and plan bus tickets.

i need to spend ridiculous amounts of time with you. wake up to coffee and eggs; stay up late watching wrestling. i need to sip wine at Joey's with carolyn. i need to go drinking at the pub, and visit jill's new apartment. i need to play guitar and sing old songs at GeekBeer. i need to hug familiar frames and repeat worn out jokes.

[i need you to be there on new year's.]

2005-09-17T12:31:00.000-03:00

Coming home at 1:30am wed night from the Marquee, i spotted one of these little guys crouching on a tree next to our bird feeder. He is a flying squirrel, and when not flying looks much like a regular squirrel, but a bit lumpy and with huge black eyes, soft fur, and a squat little body. i want to tame him. apparently when raised from young they make excellent pets with strong emotional bonds to their owners. i had no idea they lived in our area. they're supposedly much more common than people think, but since they're nocturnal you never see them.

2005-09-12T09:08:00.000-03:00

"It's floating around in paycheck limbo"

i have not been paid since July 30th. having now worked 6 full weeks for free, i'm starting to get anxious about finishing up here. they're apparently 'looking into' my pay situation, and in the meantime my boss just suggested that i may not be finished work on the 30th as she had initially stated. as much as i need the money and therefore should probably take any work i can get- i was really looking forward to my 2 weeks off before departure. if i end up working half of that instead, i'm not sure if i'll be able to get everything done and still have time to spend a few days with lenny.

i tried to win $10,000 from Q104 this morning, but some stupid 13 year old kid won instead.
"why can't we just be born with money?" -len

2005-09-08T18:57:00.000-03:00

Can I have your banner? I collect banners.
amusing observations after 2 days of people-watching in the halls at SMU:

- apparently the 90's are back, and carrying around a large 'boom-box' on your shoulder is in.
- SMU students have little interest in newspapers, but are very much attracted to pretty pens.
- SMU students are borderline klepto with regards to aforementioned pens... and posters ...and papers ...and banners... but especially the pens.
- MTA bar clothes are equivalent to SMU wednesday morning attire.
- if you have a class in room 200, it's better to ask the Globe and Mail girl where to go than to check the 2nd floor.
- PC-Medic guys like to leave their phone numbers on business cards.

2005-09-06T08:16:00.000-03:00

**update**

looks like it'll be SMU for me, they're doing DAL through some alternate campaign later in the month. I don't know if any of our crew still goes to SMU, but if you feel like dropping by, i'll be in the "Loyola Academic Complex".. sitting at a table trying to sell newspapers. come visit! i'll probably be bored.
_________
i'll be out of the office for the next couple of days, selling student subscriptions on campus. i'm hoping to be stationed at DAL, but i could also end up at SMU or The Mount. either way, should be a nice change of pace and a chance to see someone aside from the spider that lives in my office window.

2005-09-03T23:12:00.000-03:00

so, not only did i end up bored and alone this weekend... but lenny ends up cooking supper for the rolling stones, in little old sackville, nb. yep. mick and keith took their entourage to our own joey's pizza after the concert saturday night. they even requested they have some weed on hand for when they arrived. i hope you got your bass signed.
i'm going to eat pudding and go to bed now.

2005-09-03T13:27:00.000-03:00

my baby looks like clark kent.

2005-09-02T10:50:00.000-03:00

Anyone Feeling Stalker-ish?

ooooo- inside information!
Just got a call from a certain hotel in Moncton, requesting that tomorrow's newspapers be delivered to the lobby, instead of room-to-room for all customers above the 6th floor. This is very important, and if the carrier tries to go above the 6th floor tomorrow, he will be stopped by security.

To me, this sounds like the Rolling Stones are staying there.
now. where are my binoculars?

2005-08-31T09:04:00.000-03:00

Reuniting with the bicyle

If you drive a car, and it's low on gas- I suggest you fill up ASAP this morning. we were just informed that gas is going up to 1.30 later today. [we keep track of gas rates at work in order to compensate the drivers, so we get a bit of a 'heads up'].

2005-08-30T08:44:00.000-03:00

i think more weekends should be spent in a sea of tents on a country hillside with 50 straight hours of music.

highlights from Evolve:

-Steve Kimock / Wasabi collective / Jungle Brothers
-Slowcoaster was awesome- most people said it was their best show yet.
-drum circles
-swimming in waterfalls
-naked girls with dreds [and i don't even like dreds]
-'roughing it' with a queen sized air mattress
-Dead-heads & hippie vans
-running into friends / dancing with random people
-playing in the mud
-really really really high people ['hey man, we're selling.. selling the light. see? it's free. but if you look close.. it'll cost you a piece of duct tape.' *hands me little piece of tape*]

2005-08-25T12:11:00.000-03:00

Ze Germans yar coming

Last night I had a very clear dream that Ian was dating a young German guy with an un-pronounceable name. He had long blonde and greyish hair, and drove a van/bus with a casino inside. He toured around opening up poker games in parking lots and in people's driveways, as well as selling copius amounts of drugs. Everyone loved him.

2005-08-22T09:33:00.000-03:00

weekends with lenny's family / friends are always amusing combinations of events. this week in halifax was pretty low-key since most of us out here work early mornings. but as soon as we got back to sackville we made the mandatory first stop at the beer store.

in chronological order, saturday went something like this:
brunch, golf, guests from london, wrestling, beer, poetry & rap in the sun, cut-throat-croquet, dinner in the garden, acadian fork game [with sing-along], champagne, mario-tennis.

i don't think there is any doubt that next weekend at the Evolve Festival in Antigonish will be even more ridiculous, though in a very different way. hope the weather is ok for camping. can't wait to hang out with everyone from the pub.

2005-08-16T09:46:00.000-03:00

This has been the busiest week ever- and it's only tuesday.

Saturday morning I was working alone in the office when an Ottawa carrier decided not to deliver his two huge routes and to just go suspiciously missing instead. By 11am, over 50 customer complaints later, the routes were finally delivered by his boss.
In the midst of all that I somehow forgot to process the hotel numbers, meaning the system automatically used the numbers from last monday [over 1000 papers short].
yay.
This morning I'm still dealing with all of that shit, plus taking over my 2 coworker's tasks because they're on vacation.

2005-08-12T08:31:00.000-03:00

cooking date?

yesterday i had a sudden urge to cook again. i found a wicked recipe for these asian spring roll things i had last month in TO, and i've been wanting to try making sushi for a while [without nori paper, because i can't deal with the seaweed taste- thinking about using spinnach or rice paper instead]. mmmm...avacado.

so, since everything is more fun when you do it with friends- does anyone want to have an asian cooking date? i have chopsticks and a sushi mat!

2005-08-10T16:10:00.000-03:00

well fuck.

something came up? suddenly i feel like it's december all over again.
the brownie points are low.

2005-08-09T14:22:00.000-03:00

i was really looking forward to seeing him.
i know he didn't mean to, but i feel let down.
it's only a day.
i'll see you tomorrow.

2005-08-05T12:25:00.000-03:00

WOHOOOO!!

i finally booked my flights.
it's official- i leave October 16th.
The original plan was to have a few days in Fiji at the end right before i come back, but this arrangement with the Chinese airline ended up being over 500$ cheaper, and i can change the return dates for free:

Halifax - NY, NY - alaska? i think.. but i don't even get off the plane here. Then on to TaiPei, and TaiPei - Sydney!
On the way back [next july-ish], i have two mantatory over-nights stops, one in TaiPei, and one in New York. AirChina pays for 1 [obviously, i pick the NY night for free], and i chose to have a few days in TaiPei before i head home.

this is going to be one hell of an interesting trip.

2005-08-03T09:00:00.000-03:00

i think i'm dreaming in themes

i havn't remembered any of my dreams in a long time. yet last night i had two- in the first, i was back at mta for the fall, and living in residence. i was walking to mealhall with the same girls i first lived with. we were giddy, and it felt so good to be back in that comfort zone.. but i felt like i was setting myself up for something aweful.
then, in the second dream, i was visited at home by another past friend. but as i went into the kitchen, i turned around just in time to see their car leaving the driveaway.
oddness.

in other news- i'm buying my flights today! :) yay!! the globe is taking forever and a day to get my pay cheques to me, so this is happening much later than i had anticipated. oh well- it'll be nice to have it out of the way.
just think- while you're all getting ready for fall to come and the warm weather to end, i'm getting geared up for *second summer*! hehe. and the best news of all... it seems there is a chance, just a chance, that i won't be alone over christmas afterall..

2005-07-29T13:56:00.000-03:00

work satisfaction

different work places can have strong effects on the type of job you 'feel' like you're doing.
i help deliver newspapers. i coordinate different set of people and numbers to make sure that everyone gets their globe and mail [my boss would kill me for not capitalizing, but i don't like using capitals]. this is not a highly important task in the grand scheme of things. people can do without their papers for a day. [except for maybe paul martin- he got very upset when we couldn't get one to him last summer]. yet, this job somehow makes me feel more satisfied than others. i sit at a desk and punch numbers. shuffle papers. take and make phone calls.
i think the key difference is feeling appreciated. my boss sends us gift baskets "just because", and organizes catered office lunches for birthdays and other events.

when i worked at the st. margaret's bay sailing club, despite my fancy title as "assistant manager", i felt useless. between al [his full name was allison, believe it or not] and i, we handled all day-to-day affairs at the club-house including paper work, bar/kitchen facilities, building/yard maintenence. we were indespensible for the club to stay open: the faces of the organization to passers-by, when everyone else was hidden behind the scenes.
yet, when large events were held, al and i had to take the back seat. after working all week with caterers, race organizers, and wedding planners- instead of coordinating the events, or working the bar.. we were shoved in the kitchen to wash dishes. half of the executive volunteers could not remember my name. i felt utterly unappreciated.

at tim horton's, the work was hard, long, dirty, and underpaid. employees quickly slipped into the sub-culture of the workplace.. talking trash about the employers. making fun of customers. we valued our worksmanship, not for what it gave back to the company- but because it made us feel elite over the "newbies" who flowed in and out on a monthly or weekly basis. we weren't even trusted. our uniforms had no pockets to reduce stealing. i came home tired, smelling like coffee, with burn wounds, and sore legs. i made friends there like you would make in prison. we talked about our plans to get out- to find something new. we shared news when we heard that someone was talking about escaping. we endoctrined the new ones on the rules of the game, and how not to get eaten alive.

i still don't think this is the job i want as a career, but i think i'm getting closer. this summer i have many more responsibilities, and can fairly efficiently handle much of the office tasks on my own. [2 staff are on vacation right now, and the 2 others are working exclusively on budgets, leaving me to handle the majority of the daily tasks and all incoming calls].
next time around i would like the chance to work more closely with others, or become more involved in event planing... though, i think i'll hold off on the career hunt while i'm in Oz, and just enjoy some easier work for a bit- bartending, waitressing.. maybe even fruit-picking.

2005-07-26T12:31:00.000-03:00

well my flight ticket may have said Toronto, but i could have sworn i spent the weekend down south at a summer resort. 4 days of lounging around poolside at a beautiful 1920's era house surrounded by trees, next to a river- a 5 min walk from Bloor street. caro's place is amazing. turn one corner and you can't even hear the city anymore.

ivan and i were picked up by carolyn and andrei thursday evening, and we proceeded to start the weekend off right. jon was able to meet up with us, along with a few of our friends from TO and MTA. swimming, BBQing, drinking, and playing music until 5am. gotta love it when the air is still hot enough to lay around in a bikini from dusk to sunrise. [i think i'm making the right choice with the australia thing].
her 3 yr old puppy 'Roxy' is too cute- the breed is called a golden doodle: golden retriever and standard poodle. tall and thin with floppy ears and little dreds/curls of blonde fur.

we did a lot of walking, and a bit of shopping- bloor and younge on friday, queen on saturday, and kensington market on monday morning. seeing a city with someone who lives there is definately the best way to travel. you get to see things that are uniquely interesting and get a feel for what it's like to actually live there- not just visit all the tried and true tourist destinations.

and for the record- i went no where near the CN tower.

PS: jon, sorry we didn't get to the Red Room. "plans" are tricky business with caro & co. plus, we were trying to save $ by not eating out much.

2005-07-20T14:22:00.000-03:00

went to see kathryn at work on my lunch break. wanted to see if she was ok. but i couldn't even talk when i got there. i was too shook up. the heat was insane- my shades fogged up as soon as i stepped into the car.
driving down oxford, i thought i recognized your walk. i do that all the time, so i assumed it was just my mind playing tricks again. but there you were.
looking the same. dressing the same. walking the same, with someone beside you. i don't drive by your house anymore. but i still scan pedestrians, apparently.. and cyclists.
i wanted to stop- to say something, anything. i was in traffic, i had to keep moving. you didn't even see me. i had a panic attack in my car. i've never had one before. hyperventilating, a huge head rush, and my face and hands went numb. i rounded the next few corners and stopped the car as soon as i could. didn't think i had the capability to react that strongly to anything, let alone to you. but there i was.
sucking air in by gasps.

2005-07-19T10:47:00.000-03:00

logic

this weekend i saw a 6 month old infant be "cleansed of his sins" and "exorcised of satan". yep, a good old fashioned Catholic baptism. that's great. i'm sure little Matteo has committed many sins in his 6 months of life. definately not an innocent child. there's catholicism for you- handing down guilt before you're even old enough to know what it means. he didn't seem to mind though- had his hair washed with holy water and got to chew on a candle stick.

on another note- someone's walking on my ceiling.
they've been doing work on the building this week. some guy's on top of my office for no appearent reason. yesterday a 'paid professional' came to fix the light in tanya's office. not only did he stand on her desk while she was at lunch instead of getting, say, a ladder... but he stood on her work leaving black work-boot foot prints all over her papers. them is some smarts.

however, this week is gonna be nice and short. i leave for TO thursday after work. and i am definately going to be ready for a nice long weekend. though i wish Len could have come with me- a mere 24 hours in a week just isn't cutting it. besides, it's his birthday today and i'm stuck here in my office. i'm sure he's making the most of it on the golf course ;)

jon- i'll have to get your number before i leave so i can give you a call when i get in.

2005-07-14T14:31:00.000-03:00

goddamn estrogen

this has been the worst week ever.
i'm super emotional for no reason.
i didn't see lenny last weekend, so i'm missing him like crazy but i can't get a hold of him.
our cable and network went down at work on monday.
i discovered i'm poorer than i thought.
my car didn't start yesterday.
i jammed my finger in a drawer this afternoon.

and yet i have no right to complain-
my thoughts are with you. this is not a wall; it's just an obstacle.

2005-07-13T10:18:00.000-03:00

You are water. You're not really organic; you're
neither acidic nor basic, yet you're an acid
and a base at the same time. You're strong
willed and opinionated, but relaxed and ready
to flow. So while you often seem worthless,
without you, everything would just not work.
People should definitely drink more of you
every day.

Which Biological Molecule Are You?

2005-07-11T11:57:00.000-03:00

light show

i think someone just turned off the sun.
it's so dark outside from the dense cloud cover that it looks like we're having an eclipse. [plus, my tinted windows don't help]. thunder and lightening are just starting now, but our agent from the valley says it's been going for about 2 hours there, along with buckets of rain.
my power has flickered 3 times already, locking up my computer for at least 10 mins while it resets each time.

i remember working at Tim's when the power went out once. we played cards and waved customers away because w/o power we had no access to the cash registers and no water for coffee. we were informed that it would be off all day, yet due to tim's being open 24/7, there are no alarms in the building. so we couldn't just close up and go home. we had to 'man the fort' and keep vigil on the donuts.

2005-07-08T11:48:00.000-03:00

*selfish whining ahead*

pet peeves at my work:

-hotel clerks that call in paper orders w/o having their numbers ready, then make me wait while they shuffle around deciding.
-customers who spout off their address and phone number the second i answer the phone, without saying what their issue is, or even "hello".
-cust. service reps who send all their complaint reports to our halifax branch, even complaints from vancouver.
-corporate clients who don't know how to pay bills or can't do math [*cough* sobeys/irving *cough*]
-the new "voice activated" phone service.

2005-07-07T08:32:00.000-03:00

Le Chateau- Men's

there's just something about having an ex-boyfriend come out of the closet that makes me smirk. i wish i had been there. i wish i had seen the pink shirt. the bright eyes and shakey smile.
i can't decide if it hurts, the tiniest bit.
it both validifies and falsifies everything about that time.
i need to see him, that much i know. and if nothing else i'm very proud of him. can we go for gelato again? listen to the 'navy blues' album? spill popcorn at the theatre?
would you laugh if you knew?

2005-07-06T09:34:00.000-03:00

the windows in my office are tinted.
from the outside, you can't see in and are instead faced with your own reflection.
this means that occasionally, people forget that there is in fact someone on the other side who can see out. they'll wander by, picking their nose.. or stand right next to the window while having their smoke, and examine themselves in my window. my desk is situated directly on the other side of the glass. i stare at them glaringly, hoping they'll peer close enough to get past the reflectivity and suddenly realize what they're doing. ut hasn't happened yet.

amusingly enough- usually the only people who walk by are from the set of offices next door... who have the exact same windows.

2005-07-05T11:39:00.000-03:00

*rubs eyes*

melissa's blog just gave me a mini case of cardiac arrest.
*puts on giant aviators*
ok... i might be ok now.

2005-07-05T11:03:00.000-03:00

'fireworks emulating heaven'...

went to see the fireworks in bedford last night with my parents. how the hell did bedford, of all places, end up getting what was promoted as the 'largest fireworks display in canada'? well, they didn't last more than 15 mins, but it was a pretty spectacular 15 mins. didn't really know where to look next, there was so much going on at once, right over our heads and into the water.

but the really interesting part was how ridiculous all the traffic was. the bedford highway and hammonds plains rd were lined up for kilometres. when we got down to the main road [walking], we followed the crowd past sobeys to cross the railroad tracks to get to the park. but there were police there turning everyone back. so we walked down the tracks for 5 mins or so, [mom and i nearly running to keep up with dad] climbed up a hill [slipping on the grass in my flip flops] to a bridge, and finally made it into the park just as the show started.

apparently when everyone was fighting to leave as soon as possible, someone got hit by a car. and i don't doubt it. that was one of the largest masses of people in a small area i've ever seen, with the exception of the floor section of the metro center.

2005-06-30T10:48:00.000-03:00

the first thing i see

when i come into work, is the front page of The Globe and Mail. This week's papers made me very happy. the senate will be sitting [through their vacation] to vote on bill C38, and it is likely to pass within the next week. this was the most government action i've ever taken in my life. lots of calls and emails.
the funniest part is that now ralph klein wants alberta to stop legally recognizing marriages altogether. i call this the "if i can't have my way, no one will" tactic.
what a clown. luckily i never plan on living in alberta [aka- the bible belt of canada]. i could never live anywhere under shady politics like his.

2005-06-29T09:09:00.000-03:00

canada day

i want friday to be awesome. i want it to be sunny and hot. i want to eat great food. i want to get drunk and wander around halifax.
does anyone have a couch or bed [or yard i can pitch a tent in] for lenny and i, so that i don't have to play DD again? we'll be good, i swear. i'll buy you beer.

we've been invited to go camping saturday night in elmsdale, but if anyone has a better idea, let me know.

2005-06-23T11:38:00.000-03:00

Evolve

The 3-day Evolve Music Festival takes place every August in Antogonish [this year it's Aug 26 - 28]. I've been planing to make it out to this every summer for about 4 years, and this summer i hope to actually do it. Anyone interested in tagging along? it's a great excuse to go camping, and gent drunk/high/etc for an extended period in the middle of summer. and of course, listen to some great beats.

here are a few of the names i'll be looking forward to seeing. Most of them are people i know personally, or have seen live, but you can view the whole [preliminary] line-up here ...most of the headliner names havn't been released yet.

-MATT ANAKA: Sackville, NB Evolve Tribe /movethemasses evolvefestival.com movethemasses.com
-DJ BOLIVIA: Sackville, NB movethemasses.com [this is scooter]
-DJ TOMMYKNUCKLES: Halifax NS KNUCKLES Productions / Evolve Tribe knucklesproductions.com
-SLOW COASTER: Cape Breton, NS houseofrock.ca
-JIMMY SWIFT
-GRAND THEFT BUS
-SOUNDSYSTER
-SEAN KEATING
-DJ RAIN FORCE
-DJ ISIS

2005-06-21T20:43:00.000-03:00

No one can break a blog like Kel can

i am yet to find anyone who can make their blog repeatedly implode quite like kelly. even carolyn has managed to keep hers running [albeit by never using it in the first place]. and to think you had just started fresh..
oh well- i enjoyed the sweden pics while you had them up.

speaking of being half-way across the world.. i signed up with SWAP on friday- so things are beginning to take shape, and my bank account is significantly lighter. i'll be gone from mid-october until the end of july. havn't booked the exact flight dates yet, but i'm told the prices for this area don't change much unless there's a big sale. i've also logged onto their web-site and already spoken to several people from the maritimes and even halifax who are also leaving for Sydney at the same time. i have to learn how to be a light packer. i'm only good at that for short trips when i know what i'll need. when i'm going for close to a year- what the hell am i gonna need??

2005-06-20T23:20:00.000-03:00

Step Up

There are rumours that because of the amount of overwhelming support coming in now in favour of same sex marriage they may actually vote on it within the next week. The "against" or the "NO's" on the same-sex marriage issue have flooded all sites with their "no's" so the referendum option is out. Your help is urgenlty needed. Please take two quick minutes and take one or all of these quick steps:

1. Email the Prime Minister at pm@pm.gc.ca or martin.p@parl.gc.ca. Even if you emailed the Prime Minister earlier in the week, please do so again.

2. Phone the Prime Minister's office at 613-992-4211 - it is open 24/7. Call at any time of the day or night and leave a message at the switchboard.

3. Go to equal-marriage.ca to obtain your local MP's name and contact information.

Here's what to say:

"Prime Minister Martin, I am counting on you to take leadership. Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe are willing to ensure the bill gets passed in the next few days and weeks. All that's needed now to pass the equal marriage bill before summer is your commitment. Please show leadership. Stand up for human rights. I am counting on you."

Opponents of the bill are actually claiming that the legislation is being fast-tracked. Two years after the first legal same-sex marriages and Parliament still hasn't dealt with the issue. And it's been a busy two years -- cross-Canada hearings of the Justice Committee, eight court decisions, one Supreme Court reference, one election campaign, three House of Commons votes, six months of debate on the Hill. It may be a lot of things, but fast isn't one of them! Check out our Turtle Timeline for a full-colour graphic overview.

Even the National Post says "the marriage debate has had its day."

Equality opponents have been clear on their strategy. They want to run out the clock on this Parliament. They know a solid majority of current MPs support the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They want to bring down the government before it has an opportunity to pass equal marriage legislation.

The government has clearly stated it could pass the equal marriage bill before summer, by extending Parliament past its scheduled June 23 end date. To do so, the government must make that motion by Tuesday, June 21. But anti-equality Liberals are putting huge pressure on Paul Martin, and many MPs simply don't want to give up a few days of their summer vacation. It's time for Paul Martin to show some leadership!

Thank you.