de dayay de dayay de day ay ay O
daylight come and I don't wa - a - anna go.
another bright bright bright ... sun shiny day
ah feel good! whooo like I knew that I would now ...( little jazz feets)
belly dancing and belly laughs - cures the ills, at least for this morning - and that's all good ;)
for la diva and her homesick sister: we've started a meme for Kristen, each one is another flatlands hug :)
Who are your TOP FIVE FUCKABLE CELEBRITIES? (and it has to be celebs only, musicians are another species altogether) these are mine: in no particular order
1. Djimon Honsou
2. Sean Connery
3. Angelina Jolie&BradPitt ( if the diva can double up so can i)
4. Johnny Depp
5. Samual L Jackson
only 5 - that's just sooo limiting. now, what to wear .......
hmpf! , apparently I've been rather less involved with my digital life this week. i didn't answer my emails for like 4 days, or go on crack book more than twice and I haven't said hi here since last tuesday.
my humblest apologies.
i have been crazy busy at work, had visitors from out of town, friends with problems that needed my assistance, belly dancing classes, bronchitis, the hilly billy patio party, a friend's dad passed away, one of the adopted tribe is off to costa rica for 4 months so there was extended family supper, a son that should be moving out next week but i have no idea what the plan is and a distinct and recurring urge to curl up in my nice warm bed and sleep.
but today i am wide awake and bushy tailed and off on a journey once again... wish me luck.
busy busy - everything went well till sunday morning. which sucked. long story, suffice it to say that there is a certain person who has let himself in for a freakin' whack of bad karma - though it was not related directly to me.
note: do not piss off a mom.
1st belly dancing class monday night. amazing - had so much fun, though i did scare myself when we started shimmying - there were parts of me moving that i didn't even know were there! quite hilarious with such a wide assortment of women. there are a couple of girls 16 or 17 right up to a grandma of 68. so when we started doing chest thrusts and hip circles the resultant movements were not exactly synchronized. oh, and lordy the arm circles almost set me on a flight path - there's enough chicken wing on me to graduate to a great eagle. YUCK! but that is one of the points, or blobs of taking the class. i did last the whole class and for such slow movements it's quite the workout on concentrated muscle isolations and you work up a good heat. i was exultant that this morning did not begin with my imitation of "the crooked little man with a crooked little house". my knee was kind of twitchy but not really any worse than normal. let us all pray to the hundred little gods that this works to shove me off the plateau i've been stuck on for a few months. i absolutely detest being obese. (lovely word - the doctor tells me it means weighing over 200 pounds - thanks doc, i think i prefer hefty)
then of course there was the power outage last night. i woke up at 3 am to spooky black darkness and could not for the life of me figure out why if the power was out did i keep hearing this beep beep beep beep beep, silence ..... and again .... and again . i grabbed my handy dandy kinetic flashlight and started searching - after 15 minutes i realized it was the alarm on my UPS (pc back up power supply). so i had a smoke and went back to bed sure that i would as usual wake up sometime between 6:30 and 7.
HAH! not after having a completely restless sleep from the damn power supply warning every 15 minutes - and you don't really want to turn it off now do you? needless to say i woke up with my alarm clock reading 12:47 and it was about 7:45. i did make it to work by 8:15, but I've been dragging my ass all day.
Letter to the American Power tower that got blown over:
I just wanted to thank you for my uninterrupted sleep last night. it was so restfule. i am jubliant that even though we supply your country with power at criminally cheap rates, damages to your own power grid result in interruptions in ours. Thank you oh brilliant canadians in charge of signing the Free Trade Act. this is really helpful.
friday is here, finally. what a long week! work work work - but i was pretty damned productive even in my off hours. i managed to get "to done" most of what i could finish on my own from my "to do" list. you know those nagging little tasks that seem to fit so well into the "round tuit" category. sort the umpteen million tshirts that you haven't worn for 2 years and probably won't fit for another 2 years and give them away: done (i now have 2 empty shelves in the closet) finish deb's dress: done (she will be over to check the length tonight after work) sort & label the artsy craftsy stuff: done ( now i might be able to find what i am looking for) register for belly dancing class: done ( you got move it move it ) start the xmas list: in progress (it is only September, but I'm usually 3/4 done this by this date) go to the doctor and get some antibiotics for the incipient fall season bronchitis: done ( went tuesday & feeling much better now) get the photos i took for people resized, formatted and burned: done (with extra copies even) get all the interior plants moved inside before the frost: done (HAH! fie on you autumn) pick up cards and presents for September birthdays: done (that's actually a fun thing!) fix the computer: %$#@! - not done yet but not for lack of effort ( it appears it is format time) make arrangements to paint Murray's soon to be Deb's room: done (paint from Chris and Murray to do the labour) send out invitations for Darrell & Jill's last patio party: done (gotta love facebook) talk to the manchild to see what i can do to help with the move: done (will lend him my tower until he can get a new PC of his own - now THAT surprised him) make sure the daughter knows i love her: done call my dad: doing that tonight ( why do i always put that off? ) return the library books: doing today (i have to finish the last of them at lunchtime and they aren't even overdue yet) deal with the door with the missing panel: improvised ( switching office door for bedroom door and then when i can rub to fifties together get coloured glass cut to replace missing panel) catch up on my blog reading: twill be my evening enjoyment after supper
whew! what's really cool about all this is that i managed to read 3 books too.
and now the get rid of the round tuits list:
clean the self cleaning oven: this weekend (like that's hard - sheesh), make new steam caps for rads: next week (to muffle noise) paint the bisected living room wall and rad cover (have the paint just need to do the work) clean and organize the hall closet (on saturday's agenda before deck-a-dance) get the cat carrier from the sister: next thursday, do the seasonal change of wardrobe : 1st week of october ( it will be nice until then) lift a corner of the sawdust board in the kitchen to determine just exactly what kind of shape the 100 year old hardwood in the kitchen is in: by the end of september, fix my bedroom door knob: next week (need to get the hardware) oh YEAH! have a life!
so the weekend looks to be another busy one ~ Deb's birthday, Jaime & Curits engagement potluck, brunch with the family sunday and all the tasks already assigned. wish me luck :)
it's time to come clean (from abigail's http://abigailroad.blogspot.com/)
1. What Not To Wear
2. french fries & gravy
3. smooth pates
4. guinness
5. nakedness
6. frozen buttertart pie
7. good scotch
8. hagen das chocolate
9. bubbly baths
10. dancing till my feet hurt
11. Skipping out on work, just to do nothing at all.
12. Cigarettes.
13. KFC's gravy.
14. lacey frilly matching lingerie
15. the Enquirer
16. Elton John
17. scampi
18. Angelina
19. truffles
20. ignoring my email for a day
21. designing and redesigning the wish list for renos for my condo
22. writing naughty literature
23. Facebook.
okay so i got lost in my little rant last time so now i will make a studied effort at remaining focused on my subject. being good. this all started with "i had a long weekend" which just happens to include a thursday (ladies night), friday (fraturday on the patio) and saturday (also usually a fraturday and spent either on the patio or at some other thirst quenching venue) and of course sunday which is usually family day at the daughter's but has been known to end with trivia night at the pub. being good means staying away from all the places in which i have SO much fun and ingest all kinds of things that are bad for me (too many cigarettes, guinness and take out).
finding the middle way has always been an issue for me because i am an all or nothing sort. i have spent at least the last 15 years trying to stay the path, and inevitably i stray. well stray probably is not the right word. how about jump off with abandon. or abandon the path with relish i as i anticipate long sultry autumnal evenings of laughter and general debauchery. or i might convince myself that 10 guinness is the middle of the pub path (i'm a very good debater especially when i know the weaknesses of my opponent).
so now you have an idea how hard it is for me to be (oh look there's a shiny thing) good.
Thursday night i stayed home and for 9 hours attempted to wrestle this lovely trojan downloader worm off of my laptop. i did manager to remove over 300 instances of the virus or downloaded spam programs it had invited in but i cannot find in all the registry the actual key to get rid of the worm. no i did not download this virus. mostly it just launches IE broweser windows randomly when i least need it to. yeah yeah serves me right for running micro$uck$. i will just keep flogging it till i win or give up and flatten the machine. HAH - i have back ups of all my stuff, i just don't want to waste all that time reinstalling everything.
Friday i continued the clean sweeping of the office and started on the kitchen, laundry and the living room plus a trip to the Safeway to replenish the food stocks. after 2 hours of frantically looking for a replacement dinner partner (my friend Lu was supposed to come but ended up visiting emaergency with poor Nicki for interminable hours) my sister Liza and I headed out to the grand opening for Aspens - the Emerald Park Golf & Country Club, where my son is a sous chef. tasty tasty tasty and i won a mini Mike's Hard Lemonade miniature fridge to boot. prime rib, yorkshire, aparagus, several salads and appies, salmon ... and desserts to die for especially the triple chocolate torte.
thsnk you son for the tickets it was great to go out with just the sister. then it was another 3 or 4 hours of virus wrestling.
Saturday dawned bright and shiny and CRISP. the deck plants need to come in. where will i put them? then began a string of tasks that eventually allowed me to get the plants inside in the appropriate places, the extra long spider babies repotted, and the living room plants and rad covers rearranged. then it was attack the kitchen. clean & clear the fridge. pull appliances out and clean, attempt to scrub some crud off the walls, clean out all the drawers and shelves and throw away no less than 4 garbage bags of stuff that i had saved for some future use and reorganize what was left as well as packing boxes of kitchen stuff for the boy's upcoming move... then it was off to the grandkids for a sleepover.
i got home noonish sunday and immediately crashed until 3:30. got up and went to the store, made something to eat and went back to napland till around 8pm. up to read for awhile, a few hours on the phone, shampoo and shower and man i could not believe how tired i was ... and i was back to sleep.
that is a weekend of my being good. as a side note i found out yesterday (i've been hacking since Sunday) that i have a lovely case of bronchitis for which i am now on antibiotics. this also explains why i was so tired.
it was a long weekend for me just past. i work 47 minutes extra every workday for 9 days (2 work weeks) and then i get the 10th workday off with pay. this is called a, EDO - Earned Day off, which eventually gets shortened to DO and then expanded to Payday Fridays Off which then bred Thirstday... i needed to explain the details because i am quite sick and tired of the sneering little toejam lickers who feel it is their duty and their RIGHT to whine about the "freeloading government workers" out of the sides of their snide lipless mugs without even having the balls to make a comment to my face! cowardly 18 year old paris hilton inspired cuntcarriers.
there are several points i need to make here so i apologize ahead of time to those already have this information. i know it's a stretch that any of the bimbettes in training will ever read this blog since it doesn't have any shiny colours and OH YEAH - they'd have to be able to read.
i am 45 years old and have been working at one job or another since i was 10 (1971 or so - babysitting, newspapers, odd jobs ~ child labour laws notwithstanding) there have been very few times in my life when i wasn't working. a couple of short term unemployments a couple of months apiece, 2 weeks when i had my daughter and a month when i had my son. i did go to university for 4 years by living on my student loans (which i finally paid off just before i turned 40) and a series of absolutely terrible part time jobs like any other single mom who is also a student. i KNOW what working for minimum wage in a shifted no future service industry retail job is like. that's why i spent years and thousands of dollars completing a university education.
in 1994 i was released from my job and i made a list of the requirements for future employers. i was quits with the whole work harder for less ideal. i didn't use the classifieds, i wasn't finished my degree - still had a year and a bit to go. i made a list of what i wanted and then went looking for employers who had it. a pension plan, health&dental benefits and a union. so only after 10-12 years in the workforce and spending big buck$ on an education did i land a job with a crowncorp, and a temp - parttime one at that! but i stuck it out, turned down other full time jobs and after 2 years finally qualified for a full time position. after 14 years i have a job i love with good benefits and great people. but it did not just fall into my lap.
as for the whole government worker=useless employee that just pisses me off. in EVERY job there are dogphuckers and if the organization is a large one they just seem to be more noticeable. i work for my pay as do my friends. i am not digging ditches, and i am finally off the technical support desk and out of a call center environment but i do my job well and i put every effort into making sure that all of my work is completed. the occasional slack day is always balanced out by several weeks of run-as-fast-as-you-can. call it a personal work ethic. yes i know, not everyone does. but the unknown strumpets making remarks were commenting on my conversation (point of reference).
as for DOs the company bargained with the union and decided that it was more productive to have everyone work a little longer for 9 out of 10 working days, and have the 10th day off. there is no freeloading there. the time is already worked. never mind that even though we generally get paid well above minimum wage, we also pay well above the minimum wage earners' taxes.
last year i shelled out over $16,000 in taxes/CPP/EI deductions. and still had to pay another $1500 in taxes. i have my own pension plan and will be lucky if there is are any appreciable funds left in the Canada pension fund in 25 years. the extended sick leave plan at my work place is MUCH better than EI sickleave. i will not ever be pregnant again. i will not quit my job voluntarily. i hope that i will not get fired, and if the layoffs start over 2000 other people need to be laid off before me (bumping rights & seniority).
i feel MUCH better now, thanks for listening :) even though the original line of what i was going to talk about has been completely hijacked - ah well there is always tomorrow.
change is eternal ... and this time tis bittersweet. my boy/man/youngest child is movin' out on his own at the end of this month. i find myself swinging between joy at having a space of my own and trepidation because except for 6 months in 2002/03 i've not lived alone for 30 years. mind you i was just fine in a few days, when he moved to Banff some other members of the homely crew.
i am attempting to displace the mommy losing her baby crap (i mean c'mon - he's 24 for goodness sake) with all the positives that will come from the changes descending on me. i am welcoming the new lifespace we will both have. perhaps we can recover the friendship that has been so strained the past year. he is tired of living with mom and mom will be happy to have a break from the homely crew. the silence will be weird, but this time i have my faithful harmonic radiators, each of which sings a descant of slightly different pitch than the other ( 7 of them ). add to that my singing floor (100 year old hardwoods) and i'm sure i'll be fine.
i will certainly miss my friend and the occasional hug & his singing along with the computer, and his penchant for arguing just for the sake of arguing (though this does occasionally drive me bats, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree). oh yes - and the more practical things he gives me a hand with like grocery, garbage, and laundry haulage ( i live on the second floor & the laundry is in the basement) and replacing the light bulbs on my 10 foot ceilings. i will worry, but that's what mom's do.
my daughter has family dinners every Sunday, so i'll see him there when i drop in at least once a month, and we have already made plans to have dinner every couple of weeks on his day off. surprisingly enough even though he has left before it's just harder to see him go the second time, probably because i don't think he'll be moving back. i won't miss the mess in the kitchen or by the computer, tripping over shoes or the many phone calls that aren't for me (especially in the wee hours of the morning) but i do hope he and the homely crew drop by once in a while for a chat over coffee. i know i'm just being maudlin and will be quite happy to have only myself to blame if the house is messy or the dishes aren't done .... but still.
it seems like so many things are changing or maybe i have just decided that if there's a BIG change happening maybe i should implement everything all at once and only have to go through this crud once. so my girlfriend Carrie and i start belly dancing lessons on the 20th, i plan to stop smoking October 1st (maybe earlier but i doubt it) which will give me a month before Deb moves in and there's already have a "no smoking in the house" rule. i've re-inflated the yoga ball and will reintroduce myself to that. back to the healthy regimen where it comes to food, carbs and cholesterol. i am still clean sweeping the condo and reducing the "things", though my daughter said i shouldn't get rid of ALL my "stuff".
the TO DO list is getting longer. access to an electrician has sort of fallen into my lap so i am getting new light fixtures in the spare room, the office and the kitchen and 2 loose light switches tightened in early October, so at least those will come off the list. then all i need to do is finish Deb's dress, fix Mur's hoodie, replace/restore the kitchen floor, get the new sinkbase installed and a new back splash built for the wall taps,and get the viruses off my computer.
and it's not like i'll be alone long ... one of my best friends Deb is moving in at the end of October. we've lived together before so we know it works well. we like the same kind of music and share a cross section of friends, we both have adult children and enjoy similar after work entertainments. the financial benefits certainly won't hurt either, i might even get my kitchen cupboards by 2009.
and home sweet home, lu's little forest meadow with a half cord of wood to burn and chipymunks and big grey squirrels who come and play tug of war with us for peanuts.
i grab the broom and sweep away all the cobwebs and spiders from the deck and door while Lu brings the cooler. Then I do the spider sweep inside while she sweeps the detritus off the deck. (Lu REALLY doesn't like spiders but she has gotten up enough nerve over the last few years to even kill a couple herself - but it's much easier on both of us if i clear the place once right away). inside of 30 minutes we've got the bras off, (first things first) car unloaded, coffee made, deck chairs out, fire started, supper marinating and the cards being shuffled for hand and foot canasta. we're quick and we've been doing this long enough that we've got a groove.
Luanne kicked my ass quite thoroughly that first game and it simply marked a trend that would continue throughout the weekend until the very last hand on Sunday. Scrabble was a toss up - a win apiece. the fire burned down to some good charcoal and it was time to cook the beastie steaks. mmmm... Tbone marinated and sizzling over a real wood fire, all tangy with sauce and still bleeding ... it's just heaven i tell you. with thinsliced potatoes with onions mushrooms garlic and butter all roasted to a crisp. we were so full we almost couldn't finish the steaks... but it was soooo good.
and the rest of the weekend flew by. crispy chilly in the morning and sultry in the afternoon. no phones, cats or boys underfoot. a well earned reprieve from reginatown.
sorry i haven't seen you in a bit. it was labourday longweekend which is the girl's ritual weekend away at Lu's camper in Sherwood Forest. it's not like tent camping, but then as we mature we find that we like to sleep off the floor and have a solid roof overhead in case it rains/freezes/hails/snows (all of which have occurred of the years) as well as having an unrestricted source of tuneage for the weekend. Lu has a 23' camper that breaks down to 2xdouble beeds and 3 singles if neccesary, and all the amenities as well as a huge awning over the deck to keep the drizzle out if we're playing scrabble out in the rain :)
This year the hundred little gods shone down upon us as the myriad difficulties that attempted interfere with the annual search for peace at the end of summer were fizzled into nothing more than some serious precamping stress. drop a note on facebook that you're gone til monday, a coupla emails to friends and a chat with the boy, then cash in hand & off to the market and the butcher's. Stop for that nastiest of habits - cigarettes - fill up with gas and get out of town.
ahhhh the open road, even just the 20 minute drive to the forest is so relaxin'. the grainfields are just beautiful this time of year - the wheat is all golden and heavy and the rye looks like a field full of whisk brooms brushing the dust out of the air. so we turned off on the road to the forest and couldn't figure out why the road was sooo smooth. DOH! well it might be because we were on the wrong road - it was paved and the road to the forest most emphatically is NOT! a quick uturn and 2 minutes and we were on our way once again.
so we got to the gateway for the forest and then we couldn't find the damn gate pass. after several scrambled minutes of searching we finally found the damn pass. Lu "but that pass is yellow" dk "yeah so - it's the only pass in the car" Lu "i think it's last year's pass" dk "I think you have too many cards and places to put them" Lu "I'm sure that this year's pass is purple" dk "it probably is but we might as well try this anyhow" Lu sticks the pass in the gate: nada bupkiss not even a tremor in the gate arm. Lu leans over and hits the intercom: "I forgot my pass to .." and the girl at the desk inside the clubhouse doesn't even let her finish and she lets us in.
the trees are green and the birds are chirping and the kids are playing touchfootball and the sun is shining and we have the windows rolled down as we drive into her spot ... SMACK ... freaking treebranch right on my elbow. yup we're in the nature now :)
cont'd ....
crisp breeze drying raindrops on the hood of an old chevy
sharp squawks, get up get up! crows announcing morning
wet grass rich loam pervasive in the park
misty light chasing shadows from the dark
diesel fumes choking swirling through the market square
people huddled mutant waiting for their scheduled routes
giant scarlett gladiolas straining for the sky
whistling humming buzzing laughing sound the passersby
electronic beeping tapping reminders of the workday
shuffling papers research resolution and response
conditioned air metallic dry and sneezing
elevators waiting chugging zipping and one wheezing
heat haze smoglike builds up blanketing the city
horizons smudged, the clouds diffuse, humidity peaking
the sweet foul air of intersections, leaving work behind
arrow straight o'er to the deck to meet some friends of mine :)
have a happy long weekend
wicke sweet - the sun's aborning and it'll be 29 degrees by the time i get off work! i told all my friends that it was only going to be cold and blustery until the kids went back to school (the schoolboard requested the autumnal weather in the hopes it will convince the children that it's better to be inside) and then it would get all beautiful out again. HAH! so there you doubting thomas/inas. most of my friends looked at me like I'd grown two heads ...oh yeah... sure it will... but it's still auguuust ... little miss optimist was my fave epithet mumbled/growled/whined at me with the wailing of "I'm cooold" echoed off the deck a close second. if you're cold put some layers on. if it warms up you can take them off - wait til old man winter starts to freeze of the appendages - then talk to me about cold.
it was so beautiful yesterday, better today - the sky a clear cerulean with not a cloud in sight and tomorrow 33 is the forecast - the long weekend's 24-28 - perfect camping weather. not so hot you're all sweaty and attracting bugs, but still warm enough to wear shorts and a t and appreciate life in general.
it's just soooo much fun to reach that point in your life where your body's monthly betrayal begins to come unglued. it seems that doctors either use it as a catch all and try and put you on some kind of magic bean to deal with the vaguaries of your traitorous flesh and howling hormones, or refuse to even recognize that the onset of this profound change should even begin to affect you until the hot flashes are close to nuclear. a woman with a beard and moustache is just not where I want to be!
and gods forbid that you take any joy in the fact that the days of mushy motherhood are soon to be fading memories. find me a sugar daddy and a plastic surgeon I say!
Though it may seem like it, it ISN'T all about surface stuff either. for those of us who are more fully endowed than others, a difference in mass and shape is a world changing thing. especially for those of us who have criminally poor self images to begin with! talk to some women who have reductions and they'll tell you that the reduced back strain from hauling the boulder girls around adds a spring to the step, and once the tatas are back to their pre-motherhood stature - holy crap, buttoned blouses fit again, and you can wear shirts with princess lines and darts without the clothes looking like they have been mis-fitted. and you can buy oh so many different styles of pretty lingerie that makes you feel even more feminine (if that's what you're int0 - i am). and wear tight tshirts without feeling like your tits are going to pop out the bottom if you walk too fast. I'd WAY rather have to worry that the girls will pop out of the TOP of my tshirt than the bottom - are you kidding?
Mind, I wouldn't give up my kids for anything. HOWEVER, they are adults on their own now and it's my turn. why shouldn't I make myself look better if that's what I want to do? I want a set of Wicked Wanda or Little Annie Fanny titties. full on the bottom, perky and with the nips pointing just a little bit upwards. Thank you dad for those magazines you stashed in the downstairs closet when I was in grade 4. They helped me deal with the fact that there was only one other girl with breasts in my class, and gave me a goal to shoot for for my 50th birthday. I might even get a tummy tuck too if I can drop the poundage before then (fat chance!) it'll be a groovy granny shakin her booty on her 50th. a bit of a nose job too if the funds are there.
ah well - big dreams. perhaps i should focus, now what was i going to say - oh yes, concentration can also be affected by the miserable malady - (hmm that looks like my lady - i'll have to look up the etymological root for that one) on top of the Bay of Fundy mood swings! by the hundred little gods I want some freakin chocolate - but NOOOO - i can't have that either ....
see what i mean? and I actually feel pretty good this morning. I have no idea what prompted this and now it's gone. hope y'all have wonderful tuesdays.
i believe that work today will be less work than staying home since i have a list of projects that need to get done. it seems that i just get the list reduced and murphy and his blasted get infest my home and gives me more to do.
I fixed the light switch (or thought i had) in my office 3 weeks ago only to have it go wonky on me again. the actual switch inside the wall keeps coming loose and it's affecting the contact so you have to wiggle the wall plate to get the light to stay ON! so now i need an electrician for a light fixture (previous problem) and a wall plate. right after my son went to work around 9:30 or so my lighter disappeared. usually not a traumatic event, however after spending time with my grands, my patience tends to wear fairly low and i knew that my stash of matches had already been rifled. i checked everywhere - it's gone (grrr growling under my breath at my son) i did manage to find some matches stashed in a box so at least i could have a smoke, but by the time i found them i could really have used a drink to go with it. the kids came and picked up seth at noon and i went for a nap.
i woke up around 4 - too late to get to the store of course. moved some plants back inside from the deck. did a few dishes, made a bite to eat and watched "Guess Who" a hilarious little tv show with Ashton Kutcher as the unannounced white boyfriend of the darling of a black family. a much needed diversion.
i was out on the deck reading when the boy came home with dreadlilocks in tow, to play on the computers of course - which still have some IE launching malware installed on them that i have been unable to remove after the boys attempted to patch a game they were playing last wednesday or thursday.
i went to go back into the house only to have my back door knob refuse to turn in my hand. fuck! enough! so there i stood banging on the damn door at 8 in the evening and my son looks at me when he opens the door like i'm some feeble old fool. "the door isn't locked you know..." eyebrow raised. so i showed him how the knob wouldn't turn. swore some more and went straight to bed. not 20 minutes later i hear a distant bang bang bang. oh yeah! it's the boys - locked out on the deck, and i have to get out of my nice comfortable bed to let them in. the boy says "well i made sure i had my keys ... and i tried to stop him from closing the door ..." keys will not open a door whose handle will not turn.
then it was up and down all bloody night & up for the day at the ridonkulous hour of 5:30 am - why? no freakin idea. showered went to have a smoke, i only have one left - and i cannot find the matches. found 'em and ID NOT lock myself out of the house. add to to do list - get new back door knob. very autumnal out this morning. first week that i'll be working 5 days since mid-May. think it may be a long one. heavy sigh ...
finished moving 700 pounds of office furniture 180 - 270 degrees as well as 3 largish bookcases (full) as well as sundry art supplies, hats, scrolls, sewing paraphanalia and disconnecting and rewiring all the office technology. much better. now the grandson is coming for a sleepover, I'm having a sandwich and a nap before he gets here. hope everyone's weekend is gorgeous.
wednesday & thursday - what a whiny mess i was: my knee hurt my left foot feels like it's broken, my back went out of place, the sun refused to shine, my rice didn't cook all the way through, i didn't win the lottery, i got the mother of all headaches and I have not been able to destrot the f@#$ing virus/malware that is randomly launching stupid IE browser windows (serves me right for using microsuck$ i guess)
however, i did write a few letters and did a dance for el Sol and it's here today. I also determined to get a bunch of little things done that i said i would do for people and then lost my round tuit. my to do list is almost ta done. plants, links, flowers, photos, website, letters, phonecalls - done. office - hmmmm half done. laptop is happening and all the storage, 1 desk moved, the other cleared ... gettin' there.
and karma smiles on all my dedicated focus by bringing me a loverly day on my day off and i have enough in my pocket for a coupla pints!
life gets better :)
it's still yucky. it was too dark to read on my deck by 7:30 pm last night (heavy sigh) i had to turn my fan off and use an actual blanket when i went to sleep.
this morning i woke up at 5am and the birdies weren't even singing. you are still hiding. i wanted to just stuff my head between my pillows and stay hibernated.
we love you. if you show up tomorrow we can guarantee that we will sing and dance to your awesomeness. we might even sacrifice a pint or two.
where did you go? school doesn't go back in until next week. there are still 10 days left in august. and labour day weekend is always our last chance for camping (except your are munificent and hang around a little extra through to October)
you peeked at me for mere moments at coffee break and then hid yourself again so fast i almost missed it entirely. please note i did not complain about your heat when it was 35 or 36 or even one day 37 degrees before the humidity. sure i complained about the humidity - but never the sunshine.
i love you. you make my flowers bloom, my grass greener and my skin tawny (to hell with the whole UV crap - i prefer brown to dead fish white thank you) my heart soars when you fill my sky. your rays illuminate my days and parts of my nights and that is reason to rejoice.
i miss you. please come back.
ahh, what a weekend it's been. SO much fun and damn but my knee is NOT happy with after the dead celebrity party Friday night. but it was too much fun. we had all the blonde bombshells: Anna Nicole, Courtney Love and 2 Marilyns, Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn in Holly-Go-Lightly mode, crikey it's Steve Irwin, Mr. Kinsey was on report and an on the spot makeover to Hunter S Thompson. Then there was the Joey Ramone/Howard Stern multiple personality, 2 Johnny Cash (both without the hat or the guitar), the famous roadie that doubles as a boy toy for the blondes ... a Waylon or Conway (can't quite remember which?) and Indira Ghandi.
i love backyard parties. everyone has a blast, the living room becomes the dancehall, cards are happening in the dining room and one is never ever bored! to abigail and the house of pain, our great thanks for letting us come and mess up your house!
on a more bizarre note, we were getting into the cab in the wee hours to boogie on home and the taxi driver puts on a mask ( in little old Regina no less)- you know the little white ones that you use when you're painting, that almost look like surgical masks ... yeah! being me and being familiar with this particular driver, I just could not resist asking "why?" he said there was too much smell of smoke and alcohol, etc ... i just shook my head and waited for the ride to end. i had no idea how disconcerting it is to sit beside someone driving with a surgical mak on ... kinda creeped me out.
saturday morning was housekeeping and phone calls - and my Devi come to sleepover. my little joybug. and angus bodhi cat behaved for the most part! we didn't go to the park because of my stupid knee but we did all kinds of other things. frustration, and the itsy bitsy spider game, monoploy junior (which she very quickly bankrupted me at) watched a couple of movies, read some stories, and made french toast and bacon breakfast for uncle murray this morning (she thinks the texture of raw egg is "completely gross" - too funny). she is just getting so big - she starts grade 2 in a couple of weeks though she says she's not ready for stupid school to start yet. then as we were waiting for amanda & chris to pick her up we made up about 20 new choruses to "Down by the Bay" - she's getting pretty good at imaginative rhyming! Seth is coming next Saturday - who hoo!
so today is lazy day. mur came back after his diner shift and laughed because I am almost NEVER just lying on the couch - but it's all cloudy and windy and I'm just not interested in accomplishing much else and it was pretty comfy. and my lovely daughter had brought me home made chicken noodle soup the day before so i didn't even have to cook myself supper!
in retrospect ... I do have photos from 3 different gatherings to crop and post and a dress to shorten, neither of which I got anywhere close to. it appears i will have things to do after work this week hmmmmm. and my cousin Marci and her daughter are coming to town for a visit this week and I need to rearrange the office to move the pantry from the kitchen to pull out the appliances and move in my new little retro table for the breakfast nook and determine where i will put all the outdoor plants indoors and reorganize the hallway closet and YUCCHH! dig out the autumn wardrobe ... you know :)
so to all my friends out there at play, have a happy productive monday
i was wandering through some blogs suggested to me by some of the nice people i know (see previous entry), when I hit upon I Am The Diva. she had a link to a colour test that she got from elsewhere. i love colour and i have done alot of research into it. all those psych classes and that is what interested me most... so I had to take the test.
my result: You're yellow, the colour of joy and energy -- two things you definitely bring to everyone around you. It's hard for anyone to be sad or lonely in your presence; your sunny disposition and cheery outlook just won't allow it. The warmth of your personality shines through in the kindness you show friends and family (and strangers, too). Always ready with a lighthearted joke or heartfelt compliment, you know how to make people feel good about themselves, so they can't get enough of you. Yellow is a warm and inviting colour for a warm and inviting person -- you!
HAHAHAHAHAHA - my homes have been painted 12 different shades of yellow like buddha gold, yak butter yellow and sunflower glory with serengetti sunset orange and arterial blood red for accents.
that was fun, thank you madame diva.
so my lovely friend of the orange scarf and dreadlilocks (knuckle toes) has awarded me for "niceness" and that after I was being my normally picky self and correcting her spelling on her profile. Here's what knuckle toes had to say when she bestowed this honour upon me own self:
"Clearly you deserve this prestigious award. You are always around to offer helpful advice, or an anecdote to go along with any problem or scenario. Your funny, caring, and just plain neat."
it made me start to think of the virtue of niceness. what does it really mean? when i look at the people who have already received the award, i know i'm in with the good crowd. these are all people who go out of their way to be friendly to strangers, help their friends and at the same time don't put up with crap from negative people. they smile. they're funny. they encourage niceness to grow. they live who are they are without masks or bullshit. they actually express their care for people everyday. and some of them make REALLY good cookies :)
simplified karma ~ what goes around comes around. so i am supposed to nominate nice people that i know and keep the niceness flowing. to Abigail who is pretty much one of the best people you could ever get to know and as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out. to schmutzie who makes me laugh and cry and makes me exercize my brain. and to palinode, one of the nicest guys i know, the squinty eyed portugee whose blog keeps me rolling on the floor.
and to a couple of people who don't blog and will probably never read this, my best friend Deb who is there - always. to Luanne who is THE nicest person i know and would go out on a limb for just about anybody, and for Renee who is even nice to the trees:)
Thanks, i'm in pretty heady company!
i awake - after a 10 hour snooze. am i rested? am i feeling alright with the world? do i have that lovely catstretch feeling that makes all the strange little bones in your toes and knuckles pop?
no.
"shut up" what? "shut up" who the hell is that? "don't do it" don't do what? "it's okay go ahead" "go back to bed - take a sick day" who the hell is talking to me? i look down the hall - nada. the boy is still sleeping so it's not him "hey, over here" well there's angus bodhi cat petulantly waiting for his brekky, but definitely no talkin' to me since his voice is a little raspier. there is no one else in my house!
it must be me. damn i thought i had those voices trapped away forever "ever's a looong time"
please make the voices stop
change is eternal ...
and today my boss came back from her vacation and I am very very very glad. I did manage to hold downt the fort without any major fracas (albeit a few spelling errors and comma splices)while she was gone, but I was certainly a busy little bee.
wow - it's been 10 glorious days of summer weather since I last jotted notes to the few patient readers who pop in to see if I'm stil breathing. I am. the heat is wonderful but the humidity just sucks the energy right out of you like an electrolux after dust bunnies, or a summer-decker sucks back pints.
the Aug long weekend was a gooder. another fraturday night at OHees, off to the Jaw for my dad's 70th birthday (which for a while there we were pretty sure we wouldn't see - thank you oh hundred little gods for thine intervention) Sunday was my girl Renee's 49th birthday for which she had been planning a BBQ extraordinaire and of course - not only does it rain it freakin pours!
does she remember she has a 2 car carport? do I remember she has a 2 car carport? anyone else involved? of course not. but providence is a flighty thing and when I stopped by Luanne's for a ride over to Renee's - SHE remembered ... (open the locker door - "All Hail Empress Luanne") To hell with the rain tables chairs presents food beers people and hornets - off to the carport. we would have moved that spanking new bbq too but as Murphy would have it the rain cleared up by grillin' time. Guaranteed if we moved all the furniture back onto the deck, the rain would have reasserted its control and it would be back to drippytown. and we had a blast! ot two and the steaks were tasty, April made this mango corn salsa M-m-mm-mm and she bought liqueur filled strawberries - the stuff in the Elephant bottle that I love but always forget the name for ... and Lisa brought angel food cake and real whipping cream ... it was simply delightful
then it was back to work for 3 days shorter than I needed and it was fraturday again... with the hoopla reagining free and the folkfest tuneage drifting over the deck, old sots we hadn't seen for awhile kept randomly popping up and when the rain drummed it was off to Crazy Dee's for more laughter & frollicking.
then came funday (the day after fraturday) or in this case, another fraturday filled with the folksy dirges in the park followed by a happytime buyout from several escapees at O'hee's and on to the annual helpdesk pub crawl ... how can you NOT love summer? decadence to the break and on to the distrikt - the hooligans rejoiced and danced till we simply could NOT dance NO more (or at least some of us)... cause the bar was closing and they were givin' us the boot. and who were the last of the hooligans still astandin' on da corner eatin' hot dogs & waiting for a taxi - da goils!
then it was time to put away the glory days, clean up the act and get ready for work. Housework and laundry, a good book on the deck and family phone calls... life is gooood!
the famdamily was of to the EX Wednesday afternoon - thought we'd take advantage of the cooler weather 28-29 and the breeze that was blowing. WHAT A BLAST!
devi is now 4 feet tall and cannot fit on all the kiddie rides any longer, while seth is only 44" so he still gets to ride them all. she was some put out let me tell you. talk about the righteous indignation of a seven year old who has already measured herself on the chart provided and then the ride master says NO. she looked like she was ready to spit.
they love the rides these kids, especially the roller coasters and anything that goes high in the sky. this year devi is tall enough to go on most of the big rides so she went with her mom on the tidal wave ... OMG at least she started out having fun. by the time she got off her little face was tearstained and her knuclkes were still white. i believe it was a little more than she bargained for, but it didn't really slow her down. seth & chris were riding the bumper cars while devi was looking at the loop de loop ride. she turned to her mom and said "I think I can handle that" ye gods and little fishes children are resilent. so I had her watch both rides to see that they moved the same except the loop went right upside down. when we explained that your bum lifts right of the seat as you hang there she said, "I think I'll save that for next year" ... too funny. then it was on tho the gravitron tand the niagra - food and game prozes and shiny beads. I got some great pics of them which i'll get posted on the clansite or facebook or somewhere.
the kids also went on this bungee jumping ride. trampolines and bungee cords with safety harnesses. the people running the ride were great. it should be about 2 minutes but the kids got about 5 minutes of air time each. they were flying higher than the treetops and the roof of the Queensbuty building - what a rush! spiderman, spiderman ... they didn't want to get off, and they wanted back on...
Mandy & Chris and the kids got the old tyme phots done this year and I hovered in the background snapping colour pics to complement the sepia ones they purchased. devi loved the princess dress and seth loved the 22. I got shit from the photographer for saying "smile".
6 or 7 hours of treading hot pavement has taken it's toll. the dogs are just killing me and the next morning i could barely step on 'em. then i realized i also had a fairly good sunwind burn to go with it. to hell with it we all had fun - it was a great day.
Thursday was nice AC coolness at work and a put your feet up slather moisturizer on, get pics processed kind day. Mur is getting ready for Connect (heavy sigh-i want to go too), most of my friends are going camping for the long weekend and I will be going to MJ for dad's 70th birthday Sunday and my friend Renee's on Monday for a gala 49th last party before you're dead celebration (she's 50 next year).
today the feets is better, the burn's a tan and I only work this afternoon. life is good today my friends :) happy long!
It’s Guinness time on the deck at O’Hanlon’s this balmy last afternoon of July (or August eve if you prefer) . Hah! Never mind that it’s 30 degrees celsius and there’s not a breath of a breeze to cool our weary brows. Even the mosquitoes have gone to hide in the park! But there’s the crew, faithful sots that we are, shielding our lovely dark brews from the heartless prairie glare. Trying desperately to get just the right angle on the table umbrella, so that our pints stay colder longer and don’t lose their heads (while we lose ours). Ah well, just “drink ‘em quicker” seems to be the solution of the day. And so we will.
Tables burgeoning with glasses, the crew goes through a few shift changes, it’s all extended family here. And as evening creeps across our happy place, and the sipping of the pints reaches that critical balance where the last sip is still just cool enough to be tasty, the philosophers in the crowd start searching for the topic of the day…
Have you ever noticed how friendly great pubs are? I mean really. They go out of their way to make you feel more welcome than you do at home. You get a smile or a nod, maybe even a hug when you stroll in the door. The bartender knows your name and your favorite brew. The floors are wood, so spills are cleaned up easily with a mop (if there's time and the crush isn't to bad), you still have traction (though occasionally a little too much) and accidents aren’t quite so embarrassing. The tables are nice and heavy, so that you don’t knock ‘em over as you struggle through the sea of libertines to go for a smoke. The sturdy chairs embrace you so that when you start to wobble they maintain your stability and your butt doesn’t fall asleep. The bartenders might even take a musical request or two if you ask real nice.
To my mind and tastebuds the best pubs draw their potables from kegs on tap and serve them in pint glasses (schooner mugs being too large to drink quickly enough before they get warm if you want to last more than an hour or two). Both kegs and glasses are reused, nothing for the landfill here. So pubs are environmentally friendly too! You might get the occasional coaster that has been ripped to bits or used for numbers and email addresses and of course the inevitable napkins once the munchies appear, but there just isn’t a lot of wastage in the pub. Even the bathrooms use Exelorator hand dryers that sound like a 747 coming in for a landing (talk about overkill, they'll even dry your jeans if you were in the path of spillage).
Just think of all the garbage a “not on tap” bar produces never mind that the bottles may be outdated or just freshly put in the cooler so they're still skunky warm. Bottles, cans, beer caps and flip lids, plastic holders and cardboard boxes. Granted the bottles and cans are recyclable, but then you have to dump any leftovers, sort them and load them (inevitably a bottom will drop out of a case and then you have to pick up the crushed glass as well), and tote them to the recyclers, then wait in Murphy’s “the other line is always faster” queue, and put up with the fruit flies flying up your nose and avoid or kill the other miscellaneous insects attracted to stale liquids. Sounds like a fun afternoon to me!
I think I’d rather just mosey on down to the pub, find myself a nice sturdy picnic table with umbrella protection, and have another Guinness.
so it went up to 37 and it felt like 42 with the humidity today. i wouldn't have known it if i hadn't gone outside for a smoke around 2pm. just missed the 3 sec rain shower, it was evaporating before it even hit the ground. thank the hundred little gods i'm a smoker or i would have missed all the excitement.
first day back. damn but i have a great boss. everything she could take care of she did (my first day back & now she's on holiday) got some new correspondence in along with the half dozen on my desk. gives me enough to do to keep busy yet not enough to make me dislike my job. like a canter. and the AC sure doesn't hurt. the day just flew past.
then it was off to the library with the 40 or so pounds of books i read the last few weeks and pick up a couple holds that were waiting, which was good cause i've gone through the others including the 4 books i bought. 2 blocks - holy sheepshit batman. i love the heat but i absolutely detest the humidity that's been hanging around. so much for that bermuda vacation ...
so tomorrow's going to be t'another steamer an' i ain't gonna worry none 'bout it cause i be inside my nice office building in ma cubicle with my LED fan sending fake jamaican breezes through my forever 8 year old hair.
it's bright and early on a soon to be VERY HOT (38) summer day ... think I'm even happier to be in air conditioned comfort. now that I am back at work, I will be visiting the pc a lettle more often :)
hope all my friends have fun this summer, even the ones I haven't met yet.
vacatopn is loverly .. not spending much time at th 'puter, just a quick note to say hi y'all and it's back out to the glorious fantabulous summer heat!
the new phone books are here and this is my last day of work until August
WHO HOO!!!!
how much better can it get? you can find me in Bombay or on the deck-adance, or maybe camping or at the pool.
cheers y'all
so I've been off work for 4 days, the temperature has hovered in the high 30s with the humidity or it's been raining for the last week, i spent way too much time in deck-adance last week and yet ... i'm quite the happy camper or maybe happy campy (depends on who you ask). so the attitude swings are gettin closer together and i'm a thinkin that the "change" is creepin' up upon me.
shit.
the only good thing will be the cessation of the plumbing leakage really, BUT the crap you have to put up with before that happens (for maybe 10 years), never mind the 37 years already invested makes the payoff at least as overpriced as the regina housing market ( there's a 420 sq ft condo in my building for $69,900!)
so it's rollercoaster time once again, been here before when my testosterone & adrenaline levels went wonky when i was around 29-32. mon to thurs happy & manic, friday mad panic, saturday chillin and sunday swillin'. monday was donnacake day, fairly laid back and calm and here it is tuesday good news day .... i guess that's how i roll! so for now i'll just have to try and figure out what my sine curve is and handle the side effects as they come. all my friends who see me as a positive influence ... heh heh heh ... might be in for a rude awakening, cos when i hit the bottom of that curve i am one nasty piece of work. not on purpose - shit just happens.
c'est la vie - saves me $200 bucks for the exhibition.
the ladies auxillary discovered that we are all gangStars yestereve. mr upsidedown hat guy, he showed us we were representin in style n'all. . . ask crazyD she had us rollin, then add the ninja's dry wit and bitter accompaniments and the hilarity rolls on. needless to say it was a deckadance day. the ladies were called by osmosis to to yattle and prack and have decided we need a little pampering.
so it's gin & juice on the menu tonight, abby's bbq tomorrow and jo's bday sunday ... the heat is on, no really on. spent the day cleaning and fixin and launderin and now it's time to do some more yattle & prackin'
cheers mates
change is eternal ...
up & at 'em early, gotta go to work today. went to get my yogurt and found that the fridge door had not been completely closed at some point late last nite, so though it was still refrigerated the items on the top shelf by the light (which comes on when the door is open) had become less than the desired chill. that would be my yogurt, tuna and half a pineapple none of which are good lukewarm.
...something had been tugging at the corners of my consciousness in the wee hours, and having gone to bed quite a bit earlier than usual I found myself quite wide awake around 5 am. so i took my dailies out to the deck to contemplate the morning and have a smoke and was contemplating the nasty roofwork on the opposite building when i realized that today a very good friend of mine is having her hysterectomy.
what amazed me was that though i empathize and truly wish that disease had not interrupted her path, i am more filled with thankfulness that it was found, diagnosed and today will be treated so that my friend will still be here, albeit not "all" here, but then again she is in some pretty good company :) (most of our crew aren't really "all" there)
once i realized what it was that had been nudging me to wakefulness i took a few moments and sent all the good vibes out into the ether for her to pick up and felt much better. sometimes it is the recognition of the changes life requires of yourself and your friends that provides a great foundation for your day.
camping was such a release. beautiful day and the weather dudes were completely wrong about their "severe thunderstorm warnings". watched the cutest new growth chipmunk try and find the peanuts we stashed in the woodpile. i lost the majority of the card games but i did have one that was awesome, the saving grace. slept better than a baby - for an entire 7 and a half hours - in a row - with only a slight recognition of consciousness when Lu made a trip out around 6 am. glorious morning, exactly warm enough with just a touch of the earth's breath to keep it fresh yet redolent with java deepness. absolutely did not want to leave. i do so love the quiet.
mournful ride home (very short) greeted by angus bodhi cat with a rumbling purr. stow the gear, find a snick snack munchie .. why look at that = it's my super soft feather bed and a fan to imitate the tropical breezes of belize ....
4 hours later i am trying to determine what page i was on when i drifted off to la la land missed supper time entirely, hmmmm ... basa all pepper buttery crispified with lemony rice and greens, juicy fresh cherryness to freshen the palate. tasty tasty.
holy crap! just about dropped my coffee - fireworks in the park, car horns and alarms blaring for blocks from the shock waves as they are launched. sounded like a wonderful display. for once the cat didn't freak out either, just kind of noted my response twitched his ears twice and went back to his gangster dreams. the new arrangement for the office popped into my head and i actually drew it out before i forgot. and i scrubbed the bathroom fixtures and did some dishes.
to top off an already good day, the kids brought the grands over for hugs and a quick chat after the park.
the only thing missing is a guiness.
okay so i have now posted the pics from deckadance last friday night.
unfortunately for some - i have posted them on facebook under the Regina "network region" in the OHanlon's group. if you're not a member you'll have to join. i don't feel too bad since someone else posted pics i wanted here and that's why i joined. come on, we can all be miserable together :)
the longest day ... drags on and on and on ... it would help if i could have slept properly last night!
but a beauty day it 'tis! good and hot with just enough wind to keep the bugs off.
it has been a social butterfly week and i have so many places i am supposed to go this weekend that there is NO way i will be able to get to them all. now i'm not complaining this is just a simple observation. so here is my attempt at saying hi to all those whom i may not get a chance to see.
Happy Birthday Sean, d'ackerman, Kory, care bear, chuckie, luanne, amanda and autumn!
Congrats sassyb on your last day at the helldesk.
to devi & seth : i am so proud of you for successfully completing your school year and for making the leaps and bounds en francais this year.
i bought new shoes yesterday they are black & white with little skulls all over them. heh heh heh
so to all and sundry a most magnificent solstice - carpe diem!
a lovely evening and I found out the surprise ... our clinton was home ... and many of the crew were there to celebrate. the sun came out and though we got some rain later it certainly did not put a damper on the arty goin' on. I took my camera and took about 400 pics. still sorting and resizing and then will post :) there are some REALLY great shots!
lazed away the weekend with friends and a couple of good books. did some cleaning and clearing and most of the famdamly went to the Jaw to see dad for papaday. it was a great visit.
spent Monday on my deck reading and working through all of the pictures I had taken over the weekend.
think I may have to get a haircut this week. Cut it short 2 months ago and already it is too long :) (probably another of the reasons I grew it out in the first place)
There is a new labour agreement between BC & AB that the SaskParty and some business leaders are endorsing, that I personally have issues with. Much like our "beloved" NAFTA agreement, it will negatively impact the lives of Saskatchewan citizens in favour of business perogatives from outside the province. There are public discussions on TILMA (Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement ) in Regina and Saskatoon this month, and I urge each and every one of you to attend one, or do some reading. The largest point in the debate is that TILMA seems to be beneficial for business at the expense of public interest. Become educated now, before this agreement is brought to bear on Saskatchewan and YOUR life.
Entire Article here
Excerpt:
In April 2006, without public consultation or legislative debate, the premiers of Alberta and British Columbia signed an unprecedented inter-provincial free trade deal called the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA). This deal extends privileges similar to those in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to corporations and individuals, allowing them to sue provincial governments and their official agencies for any regulation deemed harmful to investment (i.e. profits). Under TILMA, even provincial or municipal policies designed to protect the environment and public health are vulnerable to attack from corporate lawsuits.
TILMA creates a legally binding process for parties to the agreement as well as private individuals to challenge:
* Government programs and regulations if they “restrict or impair” investment (Article 3)
* Regulations in one province that are different from those in another (Article 5.1)
* The establishment of new, stricter regulations (Article 5.3)
* Initiatives by one province that the other does not agree with (Article 7.2)
TILMA disputes will be arbitrated by independent panels with the power to penalize governments with fines as high as $5 million for violating the agreement, and governments can be hit with repeated complaints against the same program or regulation. Gary Mar, the cabinet minister responsible for negotiating TILMA for Alberta, says that its dispute resolution process is “everything Canadian business asked for,” and that it means TILMA “is backed by some very big teeth.”
Another article concerning the public discussions held in Regina and Saskatoon this week:
Excerpt:
After a week of public hearings in Regina, the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on the Economy has moved to Saskatoon. Fortunately, CUPE was able to import Steven Shrybman for some expert testimony. Luckily, he wasn’t caught up in any “inter-provincial barriers” on his way from Ottawa. Some of his testimony was reported in today’s Leader-Post:
Ottawa-based trade lawyer Steven Shrybman, who was hired by CUPE Saskatchewan to analyse the agreement, said TILMA favours private holdings over public interests.
In his condemnation of the agreement, Shrybman said TILMA sets the stage for deregulation and privatization. The enforcement clause would also create a system where businesses in other provinces could invoke a review process whenever they felt their interests weren’t met, he said.
“If you took out the enforcement aspect, no one would be interested in TILMA,” he said.
The lawyer said TILMA would open the door for private health care in Saskatchewan. Other public interests would also be jeopardized by the agreement, he said.
While TILMA contains provisions that would protect labour groups, CUPE Saskatchewan president Tom Graham said inclusion in the deal could have a negative effect for all Saskatchewan residents.
“We are citizens of the province as well as working people,” Graham said. “It concerns us that a business or an individual could decide how we’re going to live.”
The standing committee’s report to the province is expected on June 29.
Past:
First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Flom
Last sentence(s) you said: "I might even find something useful at the trade show"
Last song you sang and when: "Cat Power - livin' in bars", reading Abby's blog
Last person you hugged: me, when I got up this am
Last person you laughed at: Rose when she told me to go back to work because I was making her laugh too much.
Last time you said I don't remember: the last time someone asked my age.
Last time you swore: at coffebreak when i stubbed my toe
Last person you talked to online: i blog and use email.
Present:What color socks are you wearing: socks? in June? are kidding me?
What's under your bed: perhaps angus bodhi cat. an antique suitcase full of jewellry. a filofiche with all my legal docs and taxes. a milkcrate full of shoes. a retro red travel case with hair accessories. a crate full of books. a big plastic box full of photo albums I have yet to scan. a bag with all the instruction manuals for all of the apliances in my home. a rubbermaid container with my 2nd wedding dress. As you can tell I have a lot of space under the bed. my sister and I built a box fram 3 ft high, double bed size and you can fit 6 large rubbermaid containers under it.
What time did you wake up today:the firstime 3 am:birds, 4:47 sirens, 6 I gave up & got up
Current taste: dark coffee
Current hair: short and sassy makes me feel like an 8 year old
Do you like someone: yes
Current worry: finish renovating my kitchen
Current hate: i do not hate anything. Currently despise: my feet
Favorite physical feature of the preferred sex: hands, eyes, smile, ass as it depends on whether they are coming or going
Last CD that you listened to? Billie Holiday: Lady in Satin
Favorite place to be right now: in the pool
Least favorite place to be right now: in debt
Play any instruments: the piano, used to play drums, bass guitar and the comb, play one song on the tenor sax and the flute, and could make noise on the bagpipes.
Do you believe in an afterlife: how about transformation through the cycle of lives?
Current favorite word/saying: I will.
Favorite book: this week I'm back into the Valdemar series by Lackey and this curmedgeon of a book titled "cunt", in an attempt to reduce not get rid of my sensitivity to that word. it's very very hard to read.
One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: my mom
Future:
Are you going to have the white picket fence and the whole bit?: hahahahahaha !
How many kids do you want: given the day - fewer than I have?
If your dreams could come true, what would your lifetime career be?: a student with an unlimited inheritance
friday friday friday
someone tells you you should be somewhere on a certain date but doesn't tell you why ... and it is now 2 days away. how close to the snap point do YOU get?
arrgghhhh!!!!
the child crept silent as snow towards the corner of the kitchen doorway. the nubbin of its nose just peeping into the living room along with a wisp of curly locks. the interminable waiting thunping thumping in time with the only heartbeat in the room. moonglow floating in the windows as the terror tree shadows twist and twine in the winter gale. will he make it?
please please please don't get stuck in the blizzard. i only asked for one small thing this year because i know i wasn't very good. mummy told me i was bad and daddy doesn't barely speak to anyone anymore and it's all my fault. if only i get my wish it will make it all better!
ears perked. what was that. a nightie twitched at a muted scrabbling on wood. fragile fingers clinging to the doorframe neck stretched and on tippy toes to get a quick peek around the corner (no going in the living room till mummy and daddy are awake). a light thud over to the left in the darkened corner by the hearth.
tears sneaking down the rounded cheek not daring to breathe lest her wish disappear before her very eyes she crouched wound tighter than a coiled spring. mrow... mrow... silken fur and baby claws catching on the hem of the nightie. gently cupping the ball of fur to her neck she sank into the rumbling purr of her newest bestest friend, a sandpaper pink tongue wiping away her tears of relief. it was true, she had been good enough.
and down the hall the muffled sob of a mother who had understood too late, the effect of her too quick words said in anger. all the while wishing that the kitten her daughter had wished for would provide the unconditional love all children crave.
i just wanted to note that i have arranged my vacation days to provide me with 3 day work weeks from now until mid august, so with a munificent number of 4 day weekends i may just lose track of myself occasionally. i think that's a good thing.
i went to sleep last night at 8 pm - what's up with that?
having been away from the office for a week i returned to find the 100 little gods very much in evidence. there were no huge stacks of work waiting for me, no lists of emails to reply to. everyone seemed to be in good moods. i got my work all done except for some reports i need to complete today - all good. i love my job.
now all i have to do is get the house done - AGAIN ...
my son is talking about moving out in September or October - whatever will I do with all that space to myself?
and May whizzed past me ...
I realized today that I had not posted anything for what - 10 days ... i must have been busy?
well i participated in a Covey training course, 7 habits of highly effective people. it was 3 days long. and like many systems that work it is built upon a foundation of positivity, relationships and vision. alot like "the secret", with a touch of the Celestine Prophecy based on the Golden Rule.
it was good. the best part was the profile analysis. 2 weeks before the course we had to do a survey, then have our boss/supervisor and 4 peers fill out the same survey. the questions covered a wide variety of "I can ..." or "I need to work on..." or I am..." and then they analyze all the data and present it as a profile, which allows view of where you gauge your own abilities versus how other people see you. it was quite enlightening actually.
i found that i judge myself far more harshly than others do, and that others really didn't have anything to criticize except that i tend to put myself (health) at risk in order to complete tasks i have given my word i'd help with. so i get things done but i tend to over stretch myself. so this weekend i planned to just chill out and recuperate from the mental and emotional barrage of the week past (i got to hang out with some friends i hadn't seen in a while - it was great) ...
... when i realized it was the grandson's birthday party and mehendi for the dancing girls (Autumn, Mazi & Maya) and that i had already made commitments to several other things ... no rest for the wicked.
why do they only make weekends 2 days long? sure it's good for the winter but there is just too much to do in the summertime.
deck-a-dence or perhap drunk-andance was the prevailing wind on last Friday evening. the girls were havin' a p-a-r-t-y night! so were the guys, but once then hen party begins, good luck at gettin in on the convo. great tunes and we were doin some of mick's dancin in the street
please remind me to stay away from the cuervo. it doesn't like blueberry juice in the morning.
and off and running for meditation in the park (cancelled due to lack of interest) groceries (cancelled due to arts festival)- arts festival (cancelled due to other intervening interests) - creating a very zen space on my deck by bringing out the plants and just generally enjoying my space - then a little nap and no call from the girlie so cards with lu and sean - and i actually won - WHOHOO! great game - all on the C hand at the end.
early sunday i dragged my laundry down 2 flights of stairs to discover the damage created when some low brained ham fisted mother fucker decided to break into our laundry room - wrench the faceplates of the washer & dryers off to get our measly quarters and loonies and didn't even have the couth to turn out the light when they left.
let it go. breathe ...
off to the nece's annual ceremony for cadets where she got the last medal she can earn (she has the rest) many many pictures - i am SO proud. and then an afternoon of fun and frolick with my kids and the grands. and many more pictures. and mmmmm tacos for supper - tasty tasty. the hilarity continued as mur and chris squared off in the alley to play horse ... amanda and i just howled at the antics... especially their ability to multitask while dribbling!
work tomorrow - later....
deep inside in the darkest little redoubt, cringing from the brightness that threatens to overwhelm my subterfuge, my masks ... ego lurks embracing shadows eschewing the stillness of infinite terror. unwilling now to slough the fears that keep me walking. unable now to express the wrongness ghosting there. where have i gone?
the open laughing touchy feely wench, feet firmly planted in the ground, toes wiggling in the grass, gaia. heart on my sleeve, passionate intense demanding friend, goddess of creation.
yet here i am shod sleeveless and empty.
haiku foundation
nature season emotive
sounds five seven five
golden fish tumbling
head over tail bubbling
waking the still pond
reuse recycle
landfill treasure hunters find
midden heap lotus
some anger is healthy, some is avoidable and some just smacks you upside the head and will not let you let go. now i am a relatively well balanced individual (except for a few obsessive/compulsive tendencies that i usually manage to keep in check) but it continues to amaze me that after 4 decades of dealing with the cycles of life I still get so fucking angry when horrible things happen to the most brilliant people. and it is inevitably something i can do absolutely nothing to stop/fix/help.
cancer is an insidious evil that chooses its victims willy nilly with no ryhme nor reason. in my experience it often gets the best first. and we the observers can mouth platitudes and pat shoulders, it just doesn't matter, we are helpless to help our friend, who in the end must come to their own terms with the great evil. what is worse is that it is inside them and they can not get away from it. there it is staring out at them through the mirror, their body a traitor.
so what can i do? i have never found a satifactory answer except let them know i love them and then give them enough supportive space to find some acceptance. i can also not bring it up unless they do. the big C scares us all because we are all susceptible. we need to remember that our fear is nothing compared to abyss along whose edge our friend is treading.
how many other adults over the age of 30 are generally pissed at these little twenty somethings that have decided that this is "their" world and that we should just get out of their way? i am sick of sketchy little brats just barely out of diapers telling me i am too old to be in a particular bar or to be participating at a particular party.
i have a right to enjoy myself any damn place i want to. if i want to dance all bloody night then go ME! they can take their disrespectful uptight prepubescent narrow minded attitudes and F@#$ right off. stupid bints.
too old ~ my ass. i'd like to see them try& keep up.
i have to go for a walk now. aaarrrggghhhh!
Saturday was a whirlwind of get it done. out to the Beach early for "Rudy's" grand opening. great little shop run by my friend Lori. great photographer that i am i didn't want to miss the chance to snap some pics of her tres cool wares. and lo and behold - every picture i took, there was like a 6 second delay before the flash went off and they were all fuzzy and out of focus - splttt! so i tried to figure out what button i had pushed on my expensive but now useless toy - and could i find it. no! however later that night i looked at the stupid thing (the camera) and realized that the main dial was set to AV mode not picture mode. i bet i checked every setting on the blasted thing except that one. figures. i had been murphinated.
then it was lunch with Lu and grocery getting followed by another dk attempt to haul all the groceries up the narrow opengrill fire escape ... now that's when i needed the AV mode ... cussing and swearing and banged my nee on the stair rail, and i STILL forgot the thrice bedamned coffee filters. ENOUGH I SAY! the voices are calling ....
and off to the deck i go. beauty day - a little wind but c'mon - this is the canadian prairie and it's good to keep the squitos at bay. some pints and a mutilated attempt at a croosword and it was off to Darrel & Jill's for BBQ. You should see the new barby - HUGE all stainless steel, there must be almost 5 sq feet of grill with a funky little side burner - and it's so shiny - beautiful - I just wanted to get a cloth and polish it till it sparkled, pretty as new chrome on a 57 chev. and the food was good too! great company and a chillaxin' evenin'. new friends & old and the kids with the marshmallows were a howl!
spent sunday am sorting some pics and wrestling with the ^$##@##%#%$# printer.
read a bit on the deck and then it was of to ACDS's for dindin which the boys (Chris & Mur) made - apparently mostly Chris. tasty tasty too! then back home to relax and crash by 9:30.
what a glorious week! I only had to work 2 1/2 days, I had union training (learning about arbitration ins and outs) and met some new members of my largest extended family and caught up with others. tuesday evening the angels at the gates of heaven must have been gettin' down with their bad selves by the number of pinters that showed up for deck-adence, even a few souls who've been on sojourn arrived to partake in the festivities. now i'm not complaining about the weather - i adore the sun and the heat - but it is now the season where my guinny gets warm before i'm done so it's time to switch to bombay and lime as the nectar of choice.
glorious Ra beat down on wednesday and an afternoon in the park discussing elliott kicked the braincase back into gear while searing the tender deadfish white flesh a brilliant scarlett - especially my forehead, tightness the next day, not too much pain and here it is friday and it's lookin' pretty tanned.
planning vacation days - and i only have one 4 day week this month, then not another until mid august. much rather have 4 day weekends most of the summer and then a couple of solid weeks off. the air conditioning at work is always a midweek refresher!
my son sent me a note today about the Dalai Lama. Apparently he is considering retirement in the next few years. he's 71 now, so one can hardly blame him. his successor was 6 when he was chosen (may have been under house arrest since 1995). how do you retire from being one of the great compassionate lights in the world? how does one put off the mantle of goodness and harmony and care that is rooted in self to retire? or maybe he is simply retiring from the public and administrative duties required as head of state of Tibet in exile. it certainly makes the point that time is passing faster than we know. in 2009 the Dalai will have lived exiled from his heartland for 50 years. he carries it in his heart wherever he goes.
well enough for now, coffee break is over. looking forward to visiting with my sister after work and then off to Regina Beach for Lori's store opening on the morrow.
cheers and have a VUNDERBAR weekend
If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year - why do they have locks on the doors?
or
Do infants have as much fun in "infancy" as adults have in "adultery"?
... come on it's monday ~ what do you expect - limericks?
cheers
dawn, drizzly and damp stealing the warmth from the light. cool greys and and the splish splashing of drops impacting puddles. cozy nest humming sweetly in the back brain - stay here ...
up and at 'em girlie. you've a list of chores more extensive than the day is long. but that's usually the norm after play day. spent my whole weekend with my friends - it was lovely! lunch and cake with PJ and Shereelee, then off to Henry's for some shopping, deck-adence served up a buffet of camaraderie, cards with Lu was a win this time, life is good.
cheers!
well the way things are going these days, i'm not likely to be winning any mother of the year awards - maybe MF of the year ... who knows. here's the deal. before you have children realize that everytime you tell them no you will feel bad and they will be angry. if you do not tell them no you will feel worse and they will still be pissed at you because you did not give them the tools to deal with reality. it's a lose lose. so if you cannot suck it up - do not have children.
and when you get through the teens and think you see the light at the end of the tunnel hahahahahahahahahaha - yeah right.
and if you have more than one child, you will just get the relationship on an even keel with 1 child and something will upset the applecart regarding the other. i do not even want to contemplate having to juggle 3. i stopped at 2, in a moment of enlightened self preservation.
mind you, this is all coming from a woman who needs to fix things, make it all better, help them along and i am sure that a goodly portion of this angst i helped to create. doesn't matter. i still don't like being made to feel that a situation is MY fault when all of the causal effects had everything to do with choices that person made for themselves, but i do feel badly and it makes me sick at heart.
after much frustration it was determined that my hosting provider had deleted my website in it's entirety. yeah. what's worse is i work for my provider.
i have finally posted at least the home page and will continue to work on it as i have time.
all my photo albums ... wah!!!!!!!
I came across 2 quotes today that made me stop and appreciate all the voices in my head.
"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night." Edgar A. Poe
"When one burns one's bridges, a very nice fire it makes." Dylan Thomas
i think daydreaming is a symptom of the creative imagination which leads one to think new thoughts that breed original ideas. if you dream when you're awake, there is a larger percentage of remembering those ideas and putting them into action. anyone who has ever kept a dream log knows how hard it is upon waking to recall detail or to intuit or infer just exactly what the dream represented.
as for burning ones bridges ... heh heh heh ... occasionally the merry little fire becomes a blazing glory lighting the new path you have chosen to take. live now, release the hold the past has on you and stride forward fearlessly. it's risky, but it's best.
Abigail has an inside track on 5 question interviews for bloggers ... here's my 5.
1.Who would you consider the greatest love of your life?
Hmmm – now I have to determine what “the greatest” means as in inspiration, good for me, most intense, happiest, most fulfilling, best learning experience, or longest lasting … Who made up this question???
Inspirational would be my mom.
Most intense Chris Dyer when I was 13.
Happiest would be me.
Most fulfilling my children and grands.
Good for me would be the sugarman.
Best Learning experience would need to encompass all the longterm relationships I’ve had because they all taught me what not to do next time. That would make it GlenRickLorneDaveJohnMike.
Longest lasting would be my great love affair with music.
2. If you could party with any rock star, living or dead, who would it be?
A date is two people, a party takes three – so I would choose Bowie and Zappa. can you freaking imagine .... oh the trouble i've seen .......
3. Where are you happiest? on the deck or with the grands. it's a win-win, either way i'm with my friends.
4. What is your morning routine?
Wake up, stretch, thank the hundred little gods that I’m still moving – or not, listen to the noises, look at the clock, feed cat, take meds with juice, eat yogurt, wet & scrunch hair, check email and awaaay we go
5. Is there a fictional character in literature that you really identify with?
There aren’t many that don’t vibrate with me somewhere, or else I wouldn’t be such a voracious reader. the tasmanian devil ... perhaps eugenie, the marsellaise french waif who married the marechale who was adopted and made King of Sweden, and all of the heroines from the torrid historical fantasy novels that are just so much trash and suck you right into them. especially piratical wenches, and tawdry wenches, and the great amereuses' (kept in wealth wenches) of Louis 14th & 15th era. like that.
... and why would I choose to associate myself with a term that most used used in a derogatory manner?
In order to change the meaning of a word or create a new meaning for a word, one must own the word. Over time and use the word may evolve to mean other than was originally intended & to that end...
my definition: an independent woman
dictionary definitions:
1. informal term for a (young) woman
2. an unsupervised umarried woman
3. a young woman or girl, esp. a peasant girl.(usually facetious)
3. a woman servant
4. a wanton woman
5. Archaic: a strumpet
[Origin: 1250–1300; ME, back formation from wenchel, OE wencel child]
synonom :"dame"
acronym:
Women Entitled to Nothing but Complete Happiness
International Wenches Guild
