One slice at a time.

Pumpkin Pie, Perverts and Penguins

2011-10-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

First topic: Pumpkin Pie

It's Thanksgiving this weekend in Canadaland and tomorrow I'm going to my sister's place to stuff my face with whatever she decides to make. Whatever it is, it will be delicious as she's an excellent cook. I've been reassured that there will be pumpkin pie. So I'm very... thankful.

In fact, I'm so thankful and this being Thanksgiving, I've decided to give my sister and her dude a special gift...

Horrific, ain't it? Hehehe... it's one of my uglies, painted during part of a painting class that focused on making an ugly painting on purpose (to get over 'trying to paint a perfect painting' phobias). I'm going to finish the edges of the canvas, sign it and name it on the back (like a real painting would be) and wrap it up and give it to them in feigned sincerity. And then watch them squirm in polite horror when the open it! :D :D :D Cruel, eh? Oh God, I can't wait!!! :D

Next topic: Perverts

The other day I was grocery shopping and turned an aisle corner and witnessed a man taking (what I now believe to be) clandestine photos of a girl/woman with his iPhone (or whatever).

It took me a bit to realise what I was seeing... but yes, some man in I would guess his forties (my age) was holding his iPhone down at his side, pretending to be buying milk, all the while taking 'upskirt' snaps of some girl/woman who was dressed in a mid-thigh length skirt.

Now, I'm no prude and I try to not jump to conclusions. And although my first reaction was, 'ewwww! perv alert! perv alert!' I tried to see other possibilities: 'maybe this is a couple playing sexy games in public?' or 'maybe this is a semi professional photo shoot?' But the more I watched (while trying not to be obvious), the more I came back to my initial reaction: perv!

Plus, the girl/woman. As I got a better look at her.... well, I can't read age very well but she looked anywhere from 14 to 20 years old and completely unaware. I asked myself, 'what if this girl/woman is actually 100% 14 year old girl?'. Grrr...

Alas, it was a busy grocery store, I was busy doing my thing and I was confused and shocked by what I had just seen. I didn't really think it all through until later and of course I'm now kicking myself for not at least warning the girl/woman that some perv was upskirting her.

It's really stuck in my head though: was that a crime? what are the ethics involved here? should I have called the cops? if she was an adult, is she fair game just being in public? what if she was 14? does that make the pervs photos child porn-ish? and what responsibilities does a witness of this carry, if any?

After, much thought, a conversation with my friend Simon and a google session, I've decided to phone the local police and ask ... just haven't quite worked out what to say and ask. Watch this space.

Final topic: Penguins!

Another excellent 'animal - soundtrack' video.

:-)

The Girl Who Screwed Up Her Sleep Cycle By (reading) Stieg Larsson

2011-09-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I am probably behind the times here but after about a month or two from starting, I've just finished reading the 'Millenium Series' by Stieg Larsson:

... and I've paid a nasty price. My 'sleep hygiene' (as they say) is all fucked up; I feel jet lagged and I bounce between having oodles of energy to turning a '15 minute nap' into a three hour snore-fest.

Seriously! I am normally very regular with my sleep. Asleep by 10-11pm and up by 6-7am and very much a morning person. I wake up full of energy (and gradually turn to mush by 9pm). So staying up repeatedly until 2am reading these damn page turners as turned me right upside down!

But wow! I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Very interesting plot, and sub plots, and great characters. I mean, how can you not love Lisbeth Salander? ... and not develop a crush on Kalle Fucking Blomkvist?

Oh, and I've watched the first two films (the Swedish ones) and I'm planning on watching the third this weekend. The first two were very good. Here's the trailer for the third:

OOOoooOOOooo, can't wait!

I'm also looking forward the American version of the first film; the trailer looks excellent although Salander will always be the Swedish version for me, I think. Still, the Americanization of a good film looks very promising!:

And while searching for the trailer above I found the following clip. It looks like it's probably from a Swedish comedy show and although it's entirely in Swedish and I have no idea what's being said, I find it very amusing. People who've read the books and/or seen the film would too, I think.

I am now going to bed with an algebra text book and hope to be asleep by 9pm!

OMFG!

2011-09-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am going to do this!

Next spring/summer!

Who's with me?

Terry Fox Trotting

2011-09-18T18:52:00.001-07:00

I happened upon the 31st annual Terry Fox Run/Walk/Wheel/Hop/Cartwheeling today. I completely forgot about it this year and hadn't heard anything in the local media (bad Marnie) but I cheered on the participants and soaked in the good atmosphere. It was nice.

Later in the day, I returned to the area where the run had been in the morning. All the signs, banners, etc had been taken down. There was no sign that there had been hundreds of folks there just hours earlier. I slowly drove by the Terry Fox statue and noticed that there was a single wee bouquet of wildflowers resting at his feet...

A pic of the statue taken on a cold day last winter...
see the toque? ;-) Folks look after Terry.

The poignancy of those delicate lone flowers contrasted with the morning's festivities absolutely floored me and I had to pull over for the tears. The 'Marathon of Hope' run is one thing, but the death of an individual is another.

I'm not entirely sure I understand why, but Terry Fox stirs some of my more profound emotions and has so since I was about twelve. This short video, accompanied by a Stan Rogers song, dissolves me to a puddle.

But I don't want this to be a sad post because really The Terry Fox Run has raised about 500,000 million dollars for cancer research and that is fucking fantastic.

I'll be out Fox Trotting next year and I've already marked it on next years calendar so I don't forget! Until then... here's some baby foxes and their doggy stepmom. She doesn't show until half way through but it's a lovely video et c'est tres francais! You can click the wee 'x' in the top right corner of the blue box to remove it - annoying!

C'est bon, eh?

Shake, Rattle and I didn't feel a thing.

2011-09-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

I just sat down here at my computer for a bit of a coffee (iced coffee, mmmm) break and brought up the Beeb to catch up on the news and the words "Quake hits off Vancouver Island" right on the front page sort of grabbed my attention.

Magnitude-6.4 quake hits off Vancouver Island

A magnitude-6.4 earthquake has hit near Vancouver Island, Canada, the US Geological Survey (USGS) says.

The epicentre of the quake, which hit at 12:41 local time (19:41 GMT), was 289km (179 miles) west of Vancouver, the USGS reported.

The quake occurred a depth of 23km (14.3 miles), the USGS added. Eyewitness accounts say buildings swayed in central Vancouver.

However, no tsunami warning has been issued.

The closest major settlement, Port Hardy - with a population of over 5,000 - has received no reports of damage caused by the earthquake.

Kinda odd to read a foreign news site and read about such a local news event that I should have noticed!

But it's true, I didn't feel a damn thing!

Understandable really, living in a wood-framed structure, you get use to it wobbling whenever a big truck goes by so you just sort of tune that out. And I'm a bit spaced out with the ol' PMS so maybe that lightheaded feeling I felt was actually my brain momentarily jiggling like seismic jelly.

EDIT: adding... Here's how it was reported this evening on the local evening news.

Good reminder though; we're right on a fault line part of the 'Ring of Fire' and best be prepared and all that. LOL! Like a windup flashlight is going to save my ass when the condo above me decides to meet the condo below me. Sigh...

No sense worrying about it. Crank up the volume and let's dance!

Jerry Lee Lewis' first TV appearance
on the Steve Allen Show - 1957
I love this!

:-)

Candid about Candide

2011-09-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Last week I read Voltaire's Candide. I knew the general story and the main points about the book, as it was part of some high school literature or history class, but I had actually never read it. We were assigned to read it and I had procrastinated and procrastinated (hell, it's just a wee book, right?) and when crunched for time, I couldn't find the book, whoops! Fortunately I had the 'CliffNotes' version and read that instead.

It's always sort of bothered me that I had never read it, so 25 (cough!) plus years later; mission accomplished! I enjoyed the read. It was funnier than I had anticipated and I now feel honest.

However...

Perhaps it's just the effect of time or some glossing over by an old school curriculum but I didn't recall any mention of the bum-biting monkey lovers when I was in high school. I think that's a detail I would have remembered!

Being the curious sort, I looked up Candide on Wikipedia and along with lots of interesting info there is an illustration of the two naked ladies and their bum-biting monkey lovers that are included in some editions of the book. Alas not the edition I have but here it is in all its erotic buttocksie glory:

Engraving by Jean-Michel Moreau, le jeune

And now it's time for the candid bit.

Somehow that image and feelings aroused by it, nibbled their way through my brain and resulted one night, in one of the most horniest dreams that I have ever had. I won't go into details because actually I don't really remember many; it was all very surreal and, well, dreamlike but, whoa! When I woke I tried for a good hour to return to that pervy paradise but it had evapourated. Sigh... it was lovely while it lasted though.

So, two thumbs up, as it were, for Voltaire's Candide.

;-)

A Scaredy Cat!

2011-08-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

Oh! This has made my day! Make sure you have your volume turned up, it's brilliant.

:-)

Individualistic birds for Simon

2011-08-26T20:17:00.001-07:00

My friend Simon once proclaimed that starlings were an individualistic type bird, that they enjoyed their solitude and hermetic lifestyle. Ahem...

Of course he was wrong! But it's one of those very rare moments that he's actually wrong about something, anything! He's a walking encyclopedia and so I take advantage of any slight error whenever I can.

So, for Simon, a kerbillion individual starlings that just coincidentally perched themselves upon the same jumble of wires.

It has to be said that he stated this 'fact' probably over ten years ago but I will never, ever, ever, ever let him live it down! :D Yes, I'm that pathetic!

Sorry Simon. You know I love ya! ;-)

Ooo, errr!

2011-08-24T18:16:00.000-07:00

Seen while out and about today:

I thought it was especially funny cos I have a Norco bike with a flat tire leaning against the wall at the foot of my bed. ;-)

Jack Layton 1950 - 2011

2011-08-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

Canada lost a rare thing today: a half-way decent politician. Leader of the NDP Party and Leader of the Official Opposition Jack Layton died this morning.

I won't repeat all the information, career highlights, tributes and what not found elsewhere in the media - like the CBC's coverage. Instead I will post a fun video of him that I've always liked. This is from the Rick Mercer Report when Rick visited Jack's home in early 2010.

RIP Jack.

Edit! Adding a 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes' (Canadian news and politics comedy show) compilation that they're just put together:

Dog Watching

2011-08-10T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have no desire to get a dog but I do love watching them. So, I've taken up dog watching. I go down to Dallas Road where there is a big long park that follows the shoreline and most of it is an off-leach areas for dogs.

Voila:

Here's one usual scene: people drive up and unload their dogs. The people congregate in a spot and the dogs run to meet each other and the other people. Then off the dogs go to play and the people sip their coffees and chat.

Another scenario: people just walk by along the path with their dog and stuff happens. Like this man and his dog who decided he'd like to play fetch with a wee stick he'd found. :-)

Dog watching photos will likely be a recurring theme on this blog.

Back. And a Boat.

2011-08-08T12:01:00.000-07:00

I've decided that I like to blog. I think. Decisive as always...

...

The other day, I was out and about in my car when I saw a big-ass boat! I couldn't get close to it since it was moored pretty much at tourism ground-zero (traffic/people congestion hell) so I drove over to the other side of the harbour and looked at it from the other side.

According to the local news... it's 'The Pallada' a Russian tall ship (no shit) on an expedition retracing the 'discovery' of Russian America by Russian sailors 270 years ago. It sailed from Russia on July 1st towards Alaska and then down the coast to Victoria then soon it will be off to San Fransisco, then Honolulu, then Japan, then home.

A few tall ships show up in the harbour every year and Victoria usually hosts a 'Tall Ships Festival' (though it's been cancelled this and next year as people/organizations can't afford to get here thanks to the crap economy) but I never tire of seeing them.

They're fantastic!

Owl and the Pussycat

2011-05-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

I normally put the 'cute animal' video clips that I come across on the right hand column of my blog but this, in my opinion, is exceptional. A lovely black cat and a lovely barn owl as friends. Oooh, it's just so beautiful.

Awww...

Experimental Meatloaf and Salt n Pepa

2011-05-10T17:41:00.000-07:00

... because what goes better with meatloaf?

I think I am a pretty good cook. However, I don't get off on it; if I was rich, a personal chef would be something I'd seriously consider. I rarely even discuss cooking but today I am going to because today I made something that was either going to be very good or total shite ... and it was, still is, deeeelicious!

As per my previous post, I've gone a bit cave woman in terms of my eating. I'm not following any strict way of eating, no 'diet.' I'm just dropping the bread, pasta, grains while eating more meat, nuts and veggies. Essentially a paleolithic diet... except with some cheese. :D

Today, I bought some ground up turkey with the plan to make 'my mom's meatloaf.' Alas, it called for breadcrumbs and onion soup mix. Hmmm, what to do, what to do? Well, I thought, bread is just filler and texture really so I figured grated zucchini would suffice... except I had none. But I did have a bit of cauliflower and an apple. And a fried onion is way better than a soup mix. And I also had some capicollo and some cheddar that needed to be used up. So essentially I just went a bit 'mad scientist' and emptied my fridge.

Et voila!

Cave Woman Meatloaf... avec fromage

Fry up an onion in olive oil.
Add two hand fulls of chopped up cauliflower.

As that cooks...

In a bowl mix up:
- ground turkey breast
- an egg
- a chopped up apple (yes really, an apple)
- a few squirts of BBQ sauce
- a few splashes of Wooster sauce
- Salt & Pepa

Also: grate up some cheese but keep it aside to sprinkle on top.

Let the onions and cauliflower cool a bit then throw it in the bowl with the turkey stuff and mix it all up. It should look pretty gross. ;-)

Put half of that stuff in the bottom of an oiled dish*.

Then! Arrange a layer of capicollo (spicey ham) and then the rest of the turkey mixture.

Remember the cheese? Sprinkle that on top.

Bang it into the oven - 350 for 90 mins... ? or until it looks done.

Yum.

Anyways...

It's just been over a week of Cave Woman eating and I already feel a lot better. Oodles more energy already... makes me wanna Shoop!

* I don't have a loaf pan... so my meatloaf looks more like lasagna. ;-)

Lovely Fresh Sea Air and ARGH!!!!

2011-05-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning I went for a walk by the ocean and the breeze was amazing! The air is always cool and fresh but it was super-duper, uber-duber fresh that morning. Other walkers, joggers and bench warmers all commented, 'it's exceptionally fresh today, eh!'

It was wonderful!

Then I looked down. See in the bottom right of the above photo?

Here is it, up close, foot included:

Vote?

ARGH!!!! Don't remind me! Yes, I fucking voted and yes I'm fucking pissed off at the results!!! lol.

I dislike Steven Harper very much. I dislike that his 'Harper Government' now has a majority in Parliament.

But there was some good news. My MP, Denise Savoie (whom I voted for) was re-elected with even a larger share of the local vote; Elizabeth May, leader of Canada's Green Party was elected - the first Green MP!; and there's been a surge of support for Canada's leftist NDP Party, a phenomena nicknamed Orange Crush.

Here's a recap from Democracy Now! which I think is very good:

Anyways... who cares, really? Look, a pretty sailboat:

Aahhhhh.... that's better....

;-)

Paleopoem

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

Paleopoem

There's a woman on the west coast
A prolific burner of toast
She's not feeling good
Not good as she should
Just 'ok, fine' at the most

Her gusto for life has faded
Her energy stores; down-graded
It could be the meds
She takes for her head
That's making her seem so jaded

So many goals are in her head
Stuff to do before she is dead
But motivation's flat
WTF is it at?
And she does a duvet dive instead

I don't think her prob is mental
I think it's what's on her table
Too many carbos
'n blood sugar yo-yos
She needs to get herself stable

Deep history gave us our genes
We're not as evolved as it seems
Our bodies like meat
More than grains and wheat
And loves lots of nuts, fruits and greens

So for the next thirty one days
She will alter her eating ways
Gonna give it a whirl
Grrr! Eat like cave girl!
And hope to find the oomph that she craves!

Danger on the Streets

2011-04-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Victoria BC style...

;-)

Now THESE are hummmingbird piccies!

2011-04-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

I was out walking with my camera yesterday and woohoo!!! I saw a wee hummingbird zip across my path so I stopped and looked and looked and ah-huh! found it perched in some brambles. Unlike my previous post about a hummingbird, yesterday was sunny (better light to see their iridescence), I had my DSLR this time and a zoom lens on it and I could get much closer to it.

Result! Here are four photos - I took about 50! lol. I've uploaded the original sized photos - so do click on them to enlarge them. The detail is great.

A hummingbird when the light is not quite right.

"Hey! Are you taking my piccie?"

The colour in those feathers is amazing.

Iridescence, full on! Lovely wee bird.

I Spy...

2011-04-07T18:36:00.001-07:00

...with my little eye...

Yeeeesssss!

2011-03-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Un poste en français.

2011-03-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Salut!

Comment ça va?

Hier, je suis allé à un festival français. C'était une fête de tous les francophones locales; les gens de Québec, de la France, d'Algérie, du Maroc, de l'Acadie et d'autres régions de langue française du Canada et d'autres pays.

Je suis allée parce que l'amant de ma soeur est un francophone d'Ottawa et il vendait ses poteries et jouant de sa guitare et le chant.

Il a été un moment de plaisir et j'ai pu rencontrer des gens agréables et la pratique de communication en français. J'avais l'habitude de bilingues! Mais pas plus ... si je peux le comprendre, j'ai perdu la capacité de le parler.

Je ne suis pas sûr de ce que d'une unité d'élimination de la bombe a à voir avec les francophones? Je suppose que c'était la façon dont le gouvernement fédéral a fait don au festival. Bizarre, non?

Il avait de la nourriture, la musique, des artisans et des kiosques d'information.

Malheureusement le temps était un peu humide et la batterie de mon appareil photo est mort, donc je n'ai pas de photos. Mais j'ai trouvé cette vidéo ... J'aurais pu utiliser hier!

A humdinger of a day!

2011-03-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Today while out on a leisurely stroll, I heard that sound. That low and lovely vibration of a hummingbird. I see and hear them a lot but it's often fleeting, more like, 'ooo, there goes a hummingbird!'

However, today I got a very nice treat! This hummingbird buzzed overhead and landed in the brambles right beside me. I stopped and watched... lovely. A 'Anna's Hummingbird' and a very tame one! And! I had my camera! I sloooowly get my camera out of my pocket thinking the birdie will shoot off at any moment. But nope, the birdie was still there, so I took a piccie.

Then, I hedged my bets and flicked the switch to 'video'... and OMG! The birdie is still there! So I filmed this:

I get sore arms holding my camera at a weird angle and so stop the David Attenborough impression. I say thanks to the birdie and walk on. As I do, I tell a couple walking towards, that there's a hummingbird there. They stop and watch it... cos it's still there!

Then I wait some more and see that they've told another couple... it's still there!

Aww. It's lovely to see the pleasure of a wee, teeny, widdle bird can bring.

I wish the pics and video could have captured the hummingbird better. Especially the red iridescent throat and forehead. Alas, it's an old cheap point and shoot that I had... it has it's limits, as do I! But here's a wonderful video another local got out his kitchen window of the same species building a nest over ten days last spring. It's gorgeous.

When I lived in Britain, I was so surprised to learn that there were no hummingbirds there. I shall pack and release some when I next visit. ;-)

I wish I still had my cat.

2011-02-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

She would have loved this!

Ok... I would have loved this. ;-)

A Valentine's Day Confessional

2011-02-13T08:52:00.000-08:00

Move over Robbie Coltrane, Jeff Bridges, Mike Holmes, Daniel Radcliffe (yes, I know, I'm now a pathetic cougar), Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard, Rick Mercer, etc... I'm adding a new 'I Would' to my list:

Why? You might ask.

I have been reading 'The God Delusion' and I've become quite smitten by Richard Dawkins' writing; so articulate, well reasoned and humorous. Plus, his book has put into words, thoughts that I've had my whole life though he's expressed them much more clearly and with much more substance. It's like looking into a mirror and seeing yourself, magnified and more beautiful than you once believed. His passion for life, or rather, his very existence as a biological life form in the natural world, is very contagious to me.

Though I'm devouring the book, atheism is not new to me. I've never believed in God/gods. I was never convinced of their existence and I've never had the need or desire to believe in supernatural entities.

I've never really advertised my non-belief and have just considered religion irrelevant. BUT! I think my perspective on that is changing. I just might be turning into a Raging Atheist! ;-)

And here's part of the reason why:

Isn't he just dreamy? ;-)

The Penis is Evil

2011-02-07T07:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the wind blowing a gale out there, I've been up since 2.30 am. After reading for a while, I remembered that on some discussion forum I read, someone posted a YouTube clip of an interesting film trailer.

It was for a 1974 film called 'Zardoz' starring Sean Connery and it was quite frankly the weirdest trailer that I had ever seen... so I just had to watch the entire film.

So earlier this morning I downloaded and watched it via iTunes for $4 CND - money well spent, imo!

What a head trip! I can't really describe it.

Just watch the trailer:

As for a review? Ha! I'm still reeling from seeing Sean Connery run around in thigh-high come-fuck-me boots.

It was, at once, one of the worst and best film I've ever seen. If you like movies like that, I highly recommend it.

I can't think of anything else to say, so I'll let Zardoz speak:

"The gun is good. The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life to poison the Earth with a plague of men, as once it was, but the gun shoots death, and purifies the Earth of the filth of brutals. Go forth . . . and kill!"

Ok, since Zardoz brought up the evil penis, I'll mention that there's another penis-related scene that's just hilarious:

It really is the weirdest film that I've seen in a long time. It's great!

(I have no idea what it was about though, lol!)

Mmmmm..... coffee....

2011-02-05T11:52:00.001-08:00

This is what a bit of coffee left in a coffee mug looks like after two weeks.

I didn't have it in me to photograph what a toilet full of 'a night of pee' looks like after festering for two weeks. Just imagine a layer of grey fuzz living in your bowl. =:-o

But, yippy! I got home a few days ago. Have been 'given occupancy' by the fire department, building inspector and restoration company. Talk about feeling a lack of control in your own life...

It's nice to be back but weird. Only about a third of us in the building are back so it's a bit of a ghost town, half the building is sealed off as an asbestos containment zone and it's still smokey and smelly in the corridors. Not an 'ahhhh home sweet home' feeling, really.

It could have been so much worse. Still, it sure makes one think.

I'm a Hateful Slut-Bitch :-)

2011-01-30T04:56:00.000-08:00

Hey! I've received my first piece of hate mail! And some charming new comments on a very old thread.

Remember me bitching about the Town of Tisdale's 'Land of Rape and Honey'?

Well someone doesn't like it and is letting me know.

I don't mind when people disagree with me, attack my argument, bitch back at me, call me a bitch, call me a slut... These things do not bother me. I'm an opinionated person and enjoy debate even when ad hominems fly. But one comment, on an unrelated recent post, was beyond the pale and I deleted that. However, I have published all of the other comments relating to the Tisdale post.

I have also decided to publish the contents of the email. I think an email that ends with 'go fuck yourself' does not deserve my usual respect for the other's privacy. The boldy bits are my words from my original post.

The email:

Offical Reply,

I just finished reading you blog and it shocks me how you think you can say these things about us strickly from the slogan that is on our sign. You think you can be offended becuase you came across a sign that reflected the resources of a town? Well number1 you dont live here and number2 we are proud of our acheivements and for Brent Butt, i dont think you should be posting public bashings on his name with our slogan.

"It's just another typically backasswards small rural Canadian town. A town that on the surface is full of friendly happy shiny people but contains an underbelly of red necked sexist machismo (and various other yuckiness, no doubt)."

this is disgusting and fuck you for saying shit like this, i can assure you that many of us have seen your blog and all feel as outraged as the anonymous comments that are being sent to you. If you think for one second that we are 'underbelly red neck sexists' than you are very wrong.

"Whichever way, this highlights another thing that pisses me off about Canada. Many Canadians will bleat on about how friendly, peace-lovin, tolerant, egalitarian Canada is yet behave in the exact opposite manner, turn a blind eye to anything that doesn't conform to their sugar-coated stereotypes or just be so incredibly ignorant of the world beyond their front porches."

OH yes, we are all ignorant when we are off our front porches because we nolonger have access to our shot guns right? because we all like to chew on peices of grass and play banjo's all day long, you think we sugarcoat stereotypes? well yes it is true we give the respect to everyone that deserves it, except for those ignorant bitches in America!

p.s.
Go fuck yourself you Canadian Hating Bitch

Upstaged ;-)

2011-01-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well it's day 11 of being out of my home. It's not been fun.

Staying in a hotel with belongings you've brought with you, in an unexplored city, on a holiday is one thing... ending up in a hotel because 'officials' say you can't go home, checking in wearing your PJs and staying in hotel in a city that you've lived most of your life in, it is quite another experience. That sentence doesn't make complete sense but it's my blog and I know what I mean. So, fuck it.

Anyways...

Yesterday, I kept humming 'Homeless' by Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo to myself. Not that I consider myself homeless but I certainly feel aspects of homelessness; stress, sadness, disorientation, insomnia, never 'at home, safe and sound' feeling and etc...

Last night when I was searched for the song on YouTube, I found this wonderful video of Paul Simon being upstaged by a wee girl on Sesame Street. I just love it.

And the song I was searching for:

Hopefully my next post will be from home.

RIP Cal, You Stud Muffin

2011-01-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

Oh crap, what a week.

First the fire.

And now the death of a neighbour and friend.

I didn't know Cal very well but I loved him. I've known him for 10 years. He was a man who lived in my building and his car was parked near mine. We seemed to have similar schedules, so we saw each other a lot.

He was 97. The youngest 97 year old, ever. He drove, he didn't need glasses, he danced, he went ice skating a few times a week, he was trim, energetic... and such a flirt!

We carried on 'an affair' for ten years.

If we exited the elevator together, and if people were about, he'd exclaim, 'Marnie! Please! Keep your hands off me! I've told you a million times, I'd not your toy boy!' or he'd introduce me as his stalker or his latest hussy or something similar. He was a hoot. And he was very inspiring to me. He had such a zest for life.

He died a couple of days ago. :-(

Fantasy vs Reality

2011-01-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

To a lot of women and some men, firemen are considered hot. They're fit and they risk their lives to save people, pets and property. Physical attractiveness, danger and service for good... what's not to like?

With that in mind, one of my silly fantasies has always been being rescued from a burning building by a gorgeous fireman. I'm a bit embarrassed for being so cliched. ;-)

Fantasy:
I'm looking particularly gorgeous one evening as I'm at home, painting a masterpiece. I smell wood burning, mmmmm... hickory.

"Oh! 'Tis a wee fire!"

I go to my window and a firetruck pulls up and unloads a crew:

Reality:
I wake up out of a deep sleep to the sounds of a muffled alarm (hard of hearing, me) and not until starting to smell smoke and hearing pounding on my door does it register in my sleepy, deaf head that this might be not be a false alarm.

I have morning face, bad breath and greasy bed hair. I leave my flat wearing running shoes, jeans, my PJs top and a jacket. The smoke in the corridor smells disgusting and I run to the stairwell.

(photo unavailable!)

Fantasy:

Reality:
At the emergency exit, I meet five or six elderly folks trying to get down a flight of steps. I proceed to help each of them down and across a swampy path away from the building. One lady has no shoes on, some still in their jammies. It's very cold out. Everyone is a bit freaked out.

Fantasy:
I am brought down to the ground and given mouth-to-mouth... ya know, just in case. ;-)

Reality:
I see firemen putting up a ladder. They're rescuing a Princess. A cat called Princess. Awwwww.... still, I'm a bit pissed off, cos that cat should have been me. ;-)

Fantasy:
Mr Fireman and I have a romantic meal and an evening of wild sex. :-)

For the wild sex video, please send me your credit card details.

Reality:
The fire was so hard to put out, they had pizza and coffee delivered. Yep, it took that long.

I'm now a 'displaced person' - I left with what I was wearing, my meds, my laptop and my mittens. Now living in a hotel until I can have access to my flat, which might be a week or months, depending upon asbestos contamination tests.

It's all very romantic. :-/

Fantasy:
The fireman is there purely for my selfish pleasure.

Reality:
They work their fucking asses off.

While I've always appreciated fire-fighters, watching them for a few hours gave me a much more profound appreciation for the very real risks that they take.

... and will take willingly, even to save a wee Princess.

Fantasy:
I don't consider anyone but myself.

Reality:
There are about 100 people, many of them in the 80s and 90s, now 'homeless.' I'm ok. I'm 'young' and healthy - I can adapt. Many of my neighbours are not young and/or healthy and/or have life circumstances that are stressful enough as it is. They don't need this shit.

While fantasy nibbles my earlobes, reality bites. Sometimes very hard.

And now I'm afraid to fantasize about anything.

Public Service Announcement

2011-01-16T16:39:00.001-08:00

This is my favourite cereal. But...

Don't remove the inner bag from the box... then grasp that bag at the top... and proceed to shake it up and down to get the hazelnuts to rise to the top.

Just don't do it.

I hope that this blog post has been educational for you all.

I thank you.

Bite Me, Van Gogh!

2011-01-09T12:55:00.001-08:00

It's quite a rare thing to come across a finished painting by renowned masterpiece-maker, Ms Toastburner but this outstanding piece de resistance is now in the possession of a world-famous, European art collector. Oh oui, c'est chic.

Look into the hypnotic eye....

2011-01-01T10:02:00.001-08:00

Click to enlarge... and do it! It's so cool!

Amazing! Check out more amazing photos of eyes by Suren Manvelyan.

I see eyes so differently now... love it!

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

Roses are red, violets are blue,
I've PMS and a touch of the flu

Violets are blue, roses are red,
It's 8pm and I'm off to bed.

Happy New Year, Everyone!
... xx

Christmas Cloud

2010-12-24T21:28:00.000-08:00

The other day I was driving along Dallas Road (a stretch of road that follows the ocean shoreline) and I saw this UFO cloud. Oooooo! And I had my camera. So I pulled over, parked, got out and snapped a few photos.

As I stood there admiring the view and inhaling the fresh sea air, I got this sensation... like I was being watched... eyes burning into the back of my head. I turned a 180 and ah-huh!

Merry Christmas and Happy Doodads, Everyone!

:-)

Iconic Winter Canadiana

2010-12-21T12:51:00.000-08:00

My uncle (my Dad's brother) died a few weeks ago and my Mom was given some old photos, photocopies of old photos, newspaper clippings, etc by my uncle's wife. I was at my Mom's the other day and she was showing me a few old photos I had never seen before.

This one just leaped right up at me, 'Wow! I love this! What a great photo!"

Click to enlarge.

And it is, dontcha think? I just love it; happy looking kids, the old hockey equipment, the old woolen sweaters all jumbled together on a frozen pond. Too bad the photo was not in better shape... I'm not sure what that spotted blob is in the sky!

My Dad's the dark fella in the middle of the top row, pulling a funny face. He was about 15 there, so I guess the photo was taken in 1943ish. Cool, eh?

Rithet's Bog

2010-11-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Rithet's Bog which is a real wetland bog and not Mr Rithet's loo. I know you were thinking it. ;-)

"Rithet's Bog is the last of seven large bogs on the Saanich Peninsula. Many generations of the Tsawout people of Saanich traveled yearly to the bog to harvest bog cranberries, Labrador tea and Sphagnum moss, and to hunt ducks and game.

The 42-hectare Nature Sanctuary, named for R. P. Rithet who farmed this area, was donated to the people of Saanich by the Guinness family in 1994. It was previously drained for agricultural use, but is now being conserved and restored to optimize its biodiversity and recognize its heritage value for the benefit of present and future generations." (from here)

Yes, that Guinness family.

It's just north of Victoria, in Saanich, which is in 'Greater Victoria' ... make sense? Anyways... it's not that far away but I have avoided the area because Shithead Psychologist's office is right across the road. I had a terrible experience with Shithead Psychologist in the summer of '09 and just didn't want to be reminded. I guess I got over it cos here are some piccies of Rithet's Bog!

Looking very bog-like, with a nice cloud.

Bullrushes taller than me.

Icy bog.

Like usual, whenever I go to conservation areas, I never see one wiggle of wildlife. Here's the only beast I saw...

Oooooo, one of those really rare Mallards.... and he lands outside of the park, in a ditch, along the road. lol! :-)

Some lingering snow.

Bog-woman feet.

Oh... and while I was leaving the area, I drove by the Shithead Psychologist's office and flipped 'em the bird and yelled many bad words. :D

I love my popcorn ceiling!

2010-11-25T12:06:00.000-08:00

It's the most beautiful ceiling in the world! It's like my own personal Sistine Chapel! I love, love, love it!

Ha! No I don't! I fecking HATE it but I'm trying to learn to love it or at least come to accept it because it's not going anywhere soon.

"We hate it too!"

Most people in North America will know what I mean about a popcorn ceiling and most will share their non-love for it. It's just so... not sure of the right word... yuck.

A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed one morning staring up at it and wondering if I should get rid of it and if so, how. After some research... nope, it's staying (asbestos). But during my Googling I found a great little vid about how to get rid of them (spray the ceiling with a water/vinegar mixture). Be sure to watch all the way... the 'exciting' bit happens at about 2mins.

Cool, eh?

Sweaty Sunday: Snowy Monday

2010-11-22T12:38:00.000-08:00

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It's snowing today in usually snow-free Victoria, BC! I love it! I love it! I love it! Everything is so quiet and pretty. Lovely.

It's also my 'running' day but no way in hell was I running it that! But I did go out for a nice wander with my wee point and shoot. Some piccies:

Here's Moss Street, not looking very mossy, but very pretty.

I thought the old heritage houses looked especially lovely.

The local solar powered parking metres... Looking at the mound of snow on the panel, I'm guessing parking is free today!

The local tattoo studio looks very quaint and jolly in the snow! lol...

There's always one, isn't there.

I just love how the snow brings out textures and shapes.

And colours.

The requisite shoe view:

And me, feeling happy in the snow:

High on Music

2010-11-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure that The Lawrence Welk Show ever went beyond Canada and the US, but it was a very popular musical variety show on TV in the 50s through to the early 80s. It was a show that your grandparents watched; very corny, very wholesome. Yet, with the passage of time, pretty much everyone now feels it's safe enough to admit that they watched it too. ;-)

I remember watching it, every Saturday night. My parents liked it and, well, we only had one TV channel, so...

Many years later, it now has a bit of a cult following and is repeated now and then on PBS (public broadcasting service) as there are some real gems. Like this modern spiritual about Sweet Mary and Jeebus:

=:-o

Advice from a Tree

2010-11-17T11:17:00.000-08:00

Some trees in Beacon Hill Park

Advice from a Tree

Dear Friend,
Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb

Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

- Ilan Shamir

November 11th

2010-11-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Desert Island Discs

2010-10-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Ok, a bit embarrassing but I've just, yes just, found out about the BBC Radio 4 program 'Desert Island Discs' during which a guest chooses eight records they would take with them to a desert island.

I had heard of the concept eons ago but it wasn't until I was talking with my friend Simon that it really registered that is was a radio program... on a popular station in a country I lived in for five years. :-/ Simon has the patience of a saint.

Anyways... I've decided to make my own desert island selections. I practically live on one already.

Difficult, ain't it? I've done it with albums... but with just pieces of music, that's very difficult. But here's my list (for now) (subject to change) (many times).

Sooooooooooooooooo....

What are YOUR desert island discs?

BTW - if you haven't already found Grooveshark, it's great.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Scary, eh? What's scarier is that I look better as a zombie. =:-o

Hey! Crank the volume, click 'play,' and get up and shake your groovy goolies!

I love the dancing pot lid. :-)

Clouding over.

2010-10-23T15:35:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Post

2010-10-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, when I went to Island View Beach, I drove through an area where there are a lot of farms. That large building in the centre of the photo is a country market, selling all sorts of local produce, bales of hay, fresh eggs and, of course, pumpkins!

At this time of year, pumpkin patches are very eye-catching and are visited by families so that the kids can select pumpkins to take home and carve into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Brings back a lot of fond memories!

The customary blog drive-by shot:

Other people just go the grocery stores to get their pumpkins. Along the way I passed a tractor hauling a load from the field to the barn. I suspect from there they are trucked to local shops.

And yesterday, I was at a local grocery store and the pumpkin bins were out and full up! I just love that (small things, small minds...). Aren't they gorgeous?

This hefty pumpkin is the subject of a contest:

'Guess the weight and win!' said the contest dude.

'Win what?' I asked.

'Why, you win the pumpkin!'

'Ha! What would I do with a 300lb pumpkin!?'

But really, I already knew... I'd do this:

;-)

What would you do with a 300lb pumpkin?

Religion - is a smile on a dog.

2010-10-16T18:21:00.000-07:00

Shoes, Views and Lepers

2010-10-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

The other day, I had to take Rusty to his doctor. His 'engine fault' light was lit up and he was due for an oil change, some brake fluid check and a prostate exam... so, off to the clinic. After I picked him up, I decided to go for a buzz up the highway. Weee...! And ended up at Island View Beach.

There, I saw lots of driftwood:

dried seaweed:

wet seaweed:

pretty seashells:

nice sand:

and a salmon that's seen better days:

I did look up at times! And here's the view to the right:

The view to the left:

And straight ahead:

Straight ahead but zoomed so that Mt. Baker can be seen better:

Grim historical fact: One of the islands seen out there is D'Arcy Island and it was once the Chinese leper colony for Victoria and Chinese lepers from the rest of Canada (ie; the railway workers). They were sent there to essentially die... while Joe Whitey lepers were sent to other leper colonies where they received care.

On the plus side D'Arcy Island is now a national park. Part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada.

Disappointed With My British Friends

2010-10-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

You all know who you are!

For a whole month you've all known about it. It must have been on the news. It must have been in the papers. It must have been talked about. And you never, never, never told me!

You all knew that I'd love it. That I would howl with laughter.

Yet you held it back. You kept it from me. No URLs sent. Nothing... sniffles...

You thought you could keep it from me. You selfish, uncharitable, tightfisted meanies!

But I found it! Mwhahahahahaha!

;-)

Thanksgiving

2010-10-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

This weekend is that annual harvest celebration in Canada; Thanksgiving. Giving thanks to the good earth for the food and taking stock of what one might be personally thankful for.

This video sums up the occasion perfectly:

(Although I will have some pumpkin pie, yum!)

Otters

2010-10-07T13:34:00.001-07:00

A while back, while walking along the water, I saw the otter that I usually see. Then I saw him again and again and again - popping up here and then there and then back over there. WTF?! It wasn't the otter... it was him, his beloved and their sprogs! I was seeing a family of otters; six of the wee weasels!

There's been an otter living here for a few years but this is the first year I've seen a whole family. Sweet, eh?

Sorry about the crap photos. Not the right camera for the job. Here's a crap video of them (same crap camera!). The otters are on the big rocks:

A bit of light entertainment.

2010-10-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

I'm not that much into dance and I don't really like the Kenny Loggins song 'Footloose' but together all edited up with clips from various films over the years... the end result is, imo, entertaining:

Hypnopompic Jesus.

2010-10-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

That's what I woke up to this morning.

I opened my sleepy eyes and there's Jesus, yeah the Jesus Christ Jesus, propped up with a pillow, beside me, in my bed, reading a book. I immediately kicked out my feet towards his, 'Get your dirty sandals out of my bed, dude!' and then he evapourated.

I fell back to sleep.

For several months, I've been having hypnopompic hallucinations: vivid hallucinations that occur when I'm waking up.

The first one was waking up and seeing my late cat sitting on my bedside table. She was so real looking. I reached out my hand, 'hey there Buzz' but my hand went right through.

Since then, I've woken up many more times to Buzz and to other cats, a big beautiful chocolate lab, a goat, a tray of curries in little silver dishes and other mundane things. I've woken up, cuddled up to a mountain lion, a grizzly bear walking past my bed and a woman with silver hair looking down at me. Most excitingly, I awoke to a bull charging at me causing me to scuttle across my bed to avoid getting pwned!

These hallucinations also take the form of sensations. I've felt a hand on my shoulder, being covered by a blanket but the weirdest so far has been the feeling of my mattress moving as if someone had just sat on the edge of my bed. That one freaked me out a bit!

I can imagine how these hypnopompic hallucinations could be very disturbing to some people, or lead people to believe in ghosts, visitations from other worlds or the afterlife, or other paranormal weirdness and perhaps even convince people they have found God... after all, I woke up with his son in my bed. ;-)

From what I gather, not too much is known about hypnopompic hallucinations, except that about 12% of people have them and that they are more common in people who have sleep disorders (which I don't think I have). I suspect it's just a side effect of the citalopram (antidepressant/ssri) that I'm on.

Whatever the cause, I think this phenomenon is very interesting and I welcome it, ie, I don't suffer from hypnopompic hallucinations, I enjoy them.

Flowerballs

2010-09-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Or balls of flowers or balled flowers...?

Last night, out for a stroll, I saw these:

I used to garden a lot and got quite obsessed with it all but I have never come across these weird little doodads.

Whatever they are, they make a nifty silhouette planted amongst some birds of paradise:

Part of me likes the idea that they're actually 'real' daisy-like flowers and someone has come along and plucked and pocketed every single petal. :D

But, if you look real close (enlarge) you can see many tiny blooms on the right side of the ball.

Or I think they're blooms?

Does anyone know what these flowers are?

Urban Carcasses

2010-09-27T20:10:00.001-07:00

Hearing help required.

2010-09-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

When watching that Precious flic a while back, I became quite captivated by the performance of Mary Jones, the mother of Precious, played by Mo'Nique. She was a horrible nasty character yet towards the end of the film I managed to have a touch of empathy for her.

Who was this Mo'Nique woman? I don't watch much TV so I had not heard of her much before. I knew that she won an Oscar for the role of Mary Jones, it said so on the DVD box ;-) so I figured she was 'just' an actor.

But, I googled (of course) and OMG! She's fucking hilarious!

I love this clip:

I had to watch it a few times to hear much of what she said but I still can not understand what she said from 1:17 to 1:25... can anyone hear it clearly? Help?

If swearing bothers you, I suggest you pass on the clip!

Skywatch Friday: Air Traffic Control

2010-09-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

At the entrance to Victoria's Inner Harbour stands a wee inukshuk. I like to imagine that he controls the float planes that buzz in and out of the harbour.

It's not a real inukshuk though. Real inukshuks are made of stones balanced upon one another. When you zoom right in on this fella, you can see that he's made of driftwood that's been fastened together somehow. But that's ok by me; I like him. But what I like most of all is that he's wearing a snazzy wee backpack!

Cute, eh? :-)

See more skies - Skywatch Friday

Happy Birthday Handsome

2010-09-22T18:11:00.001-07:00

Is this dude dreamy or what?

Check out that dark wavy hair with the Elvis styling at the front and those turned-up-hem trousers.

This is a photo of my late Dad probably in his mid-twenties... so 1950s, I guess. Waaaay before my time (my Dad was in his forties when I appeared) but it's one of my favourite photos of him. I can see why my Mom, after years of his pestering, finally went out with him.

He'd be 82 today.

I miss you, Pa and Happy Birthday. Sending you a big hug, an eye brow tug and a huge slice of banana cream pie (like your Mom made). x.

The photo above is from a team photo of some sort - my Dad played football (North American football) in the CFL and other leagues. I'm not sure which particular team or league photo this is. But I bet the dudes in the back row were a bit unimpressed with this particular photo. ;-)

Driftwood Art

2010-09-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

The other day I went for a walk along the Westsong Way, a walkway that follows the north shoreline of Victoria Harbour from 'The Blue Bridge' to Westbay Marina. It's a gorgeous walk.

About halfway along, you see this:

It's a sort of shore boat made of driftwood, constructed by local folkartist Rich Rico. You can climb aboard, sit on a bench inside and kick back and enjoy the view. See the people in the boat?

It's quirky...

and whimsical...

It has clam shell teeth... chomp! chomp!

and it's surprisingly structurally sound...

It also reminds people of important stuff...

But beyond the zen and folly, there is a more important message here...

It's about biznus weenies wanting to exploit the natural beauty of our public spaces to allow a parking lot for the floating winnebagos of the rich. No. Fuck off. Go park your 'I have a small penis' yachts in the snotty yacht club in the Uplands.

And breathe, Marnie...

Save Victoria Harbour cos I love it just as it is... and so do they:

Movies Reviews

2010-09-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Ms Toastburner style...

Crazy Heart
OK-ish. A bit dull.

Jeff Bridges was great but obviously the Oscar he won for this role was not really for this role but for his performance in The Big Lebowski. That's my very biased take! :D

Robert Duvall was great too. I wish there had been more of Bridges and Duvall together in the screen as their characters and chemistry were the only really good bits in this film. The rest of the characters were two dimensional and cliched.

Tested my tolerance for country music.

Precious
Pretty good.

Irritating pretend amateur documentary style cinematography.

Fantastically frightening acting from Mo'Nique. She was brilliant.

Into The Wild
I couldn't finish watching this one. Two reasons:

First, it's not a good film if you're hard of hearing. There is a lot of 'narrated thoughts' in this film - mainly from a woman whose voice is hard to hear. And she talks aaaaalll the friggin' time! There's a lot of reading of subtitles while flashback scenes are happening in the film. I had to rewatch so many bits; once to read the narration, once to watch the flashbacks.

Second, it's telling that when the main character was getting beat up by a railway worker, I had the thought, 'give him one for me.' I didn't like the main character at all. I didn't care about him nor find him compelling, just irritating.

That all said, I've just found out that there is a documentary of this Into the Wild tale called 'Call of the Wild' -link- (not the Jack London story). I would be interested in seeing this as it is an interesting story. I'm going to try to tract this down locally.

Harry Potter
I've now seen the first two Harry Potter flics. These were fun. Loved them.

I survived the willy thing. ;-)

Winging it.

2010-09-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent the day at my Mom's; it was her birthday and 'the fambly' had a wee get together. The teevee is always on at my Mom's and yesterday it was tuned into PBS - one of the few decent channels. They were showing 'Winged Migration' - a sort of documentary about birds. I mean 'sort of' cos it wasn't informative really. It was more of a visual feast.

Here a wee clip following some geese:

It was made in 2001 but I had never heard of it before. Strange really cos this is the sort of thing I really like. It is stunning and hypnotic. The cinematography is amazing. It took four years to film and involved imprinting birds to accustom them to cameras and paragliders, ultralights and other filming techniques (dodgy?).

The end result, for me, is watching it and wishing I could fly.

Wonderful news! You can see it all on YouTube ... at least right now.

Part 1 of 8 is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lYEor72YQ The rest you can find from there.

But I think kicking back on a sofa with a DVD and a big screen would be ideal.

Enjoy.

For my British friends...

2010-09-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

I just saw this on the teevee...

=:-o

Harry Potter and his Nimbus 2000.

2010-09-01T10:06:00.000-07:00

This is a post loaded with confessions and ends with a dilemma.

Unrelated photo of a very cool car. Love it!

Confession One:
A few weeks ago I read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. I have since read The Chamber of Secrets and I'm now just getting into The Prisoner of Azkaban.

I purchased these three books a few years ago for a dollar when a local bookshop went tits up. I was actually intending to donate the books to a charity. Somehow I didn't.

Then a few weeks ago I was in the mood to read something light and easy and as I scanned my bookshelves I kept coming back to Harry Potter.

Confession Two:
I've really enjoyed what I've read.

It's not intellectually challenging nor thought provoking but it does take me back to my childhood and the discovery that I could go on adventures through reading. Very simple and very nice.

Confession Three:
I've seen Harry Potter's willy.

It happened long ago when I was reading an article about 'child stars' and how some manage the transition to serious adult actor and how some (most) do not. Daniel Radcliffe was presented as a current example of going about it the right way, ie, do some serious theatre and get your lad out.

When I saw the the nudie shots that the article had mentioned, I thought that they were rather arty and sexy and that he's an attractive young man. And never thought about it again... until a couple of days ago when I rented the DVD of Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone.

Dilemma:
How do I watch wee Harry Potter after seeing what I've seen without feeling like a right perv?

;-)

Sweaty Sunday: Let's try that again!

2010-08-30T06:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, well! I don't think I'm going to achieve my Fitness Challenge:
Run 50 Miles in August! (see right). I can't run 10 miles in two days. And I won't cos I've learned the hard way what happens if I push too much, too quickly.

Just a turtle I see occasionally. Someday I might run faster than him. :-)

I may reach 46 miles but the goal of 50... nope!

Here are my excuses/reasons:

1) Heatwave! A week of temperatures over 30 degrees. No way should people, especially more heavily insulated ;-) people, run in that heat.

2) The day after the heatwave, I was literally on my way out the door to go 'run' when I dipped into my top drawer for a pair of socks... and shut the drawer...a bit too hard... which caused the 'heatwave fan' I had propped on the top of the dresser to topple... and fall right, smack on the top of my bare foot.

Much swearing, bleeding and swelling... it was really quite gross!

And another few days of not being able to run cos I couldn't even walk because of the swelling.

But, once it was better I eased back into it.

I didn't get to the 50 mile mark but I think that I did pretty good at trying despite a heatwave and a hurtie. I'm gonna give it another go in September!

Another heatwave...

2010-08-26T12:11:00.001-07:00

Another scarf.

And it's ribbed... for her pleasure.

See? See how pleased she is?

Shhh...

2010-08-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

:-)

Sweaty Sunday: Some Inspiration

2010-08-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

I used to be fit; good cardio going on and I was very, very strong. Though I'm getting my cardio back and gradually shedding lard, I miss my strength.

I loved feeling strong and I loved lifting weights. Not dainty pink dumbbells but rusty plates of iron on a barbell (grrrowl!). I sweated and groaned and at my then best could deadlift just over 200lbs/15 stone. I felt like She-Ra Princess of Power!

I loved the mental and physical challenge of the actual lifting, the release of stress and tension, the completely shattered feeling that followed, the solid sleep and the slight yummy ache the day after.

For many months, I've wanted to return to this exercise that I truly love but lots of excuses have gotten in the way. The result is feeling more like this version of She-Ra:

Image swiped from here.

A few days ago my friend Jayne emailed me wonder video (thanks, Jayne!):

A much needed perspective adjuster for sure and just a beautiful wee film in its own right.

I have just finished my first 'back at it' weightlifting workout. So that along with my 'running' I hope to regain my fit self. :-)

What motivates you? What gives you a different perspective?

Laundry Day

2010-08-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Keep watching, it's worth it...

This is now on my bucket list. I'm that mature. ;-)

Hee-hee...

2010-08-02T11:13:00.001-07:00

Careless Goat-Love and Madeleine Peyroux

2010-08-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

It's weird how things work...

For the last few weeks I've been trying to find some music that grabs me and I was not having much luck. Then, yesterday on a forum I read, someone started a completely off-topic 'link to uber-cute YouTube videos' thread.

Aww, aww, aww and then I click to this:

Very cute goats (aww) but I was instantly mesmerized by the music. 'I know the song but who is this singing?! What a great voice!' It turns out to be a woman named Madeleine Peyroux and I googled her and went out today and bought one of her CDs; Careless Love. I've been listening to it all day. It's wonderful.

It's very weird that I had not heard of her before because her influences are some of my favourites; Bessie Smith, Billy Holiday, Patsy Cline etc... and she's been around for a few years. I guess this should be expected when I spend a year and a half under a rock. ;-)

But, thanks to off-topic forum thread, I've found some music that really lights my fire!

And now I also want baby goats...

Aww... :-)

Ooo, happy day!

2010-07-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

A happy ending in my search for a stretchy, comby hairband thingy. I found one!

Actually I found seven of them and I bought them ALL, mwahahahaha. Stocked right up! I will be hair-tickle free, when desired, for many years to come.

Strange though... nowhere on the packaging does it call them anything, just 'Stylize.' I still have no idea what these things are called... so 'stretchy, comby hairband thingies' it is!

This is gonna hurt...

2010-07-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

:-(

A Morman-y Monday

2010-07-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'm an atheist but I've always been interested in religion; why people believe in what they do, how religion and other elements in societies mingle and just the weird and wacky aspects of religious practice and belief.

Relating to this... a few years ago, I 'dated' a man who was a Mormon; a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was a nice bloke and we got along very well but, long-story-short, our different approaches to life made a relationship impossible.

However, from this experience I got to learn about Mormonism and though Mr Mormon is long gone, my fascination with Mormonism is not. I still read a lot of Mormon/LDS blogs and forums and once in a while I consider going back to university to study and research Mormonism academically. I've a BA in anthropology & sociology and think that there is a lot of research that could be done. It's a good fit, but...

Anyways...

This past week was very Mormon-y one.

I read 'Escape' by Carolyn Jessop and Laura Palmer about Jessop's life in an FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter-Day Saints) polygamist community and her eventual escape. Fascinating reading of an insider's view of a cult and of polygamy and life on the outside.

I would recommend the book... if cults, polygamy and unique life experiences interest you. Here's the first 10 minutes of a book reading Jessop did a few years ago:

I also watched '8: The Mormon Proposition,' a documentary about the LDS Church's involvement in revoking same-sex marriage rights in California. Very damning for the LDS church indeed.

Here's the trailer:

A great documentary if you want to get pissed off about something.

I should mention that there is mainstream Mormonism (LDS) and there is fundamental Mormonism (FLDS). They share many beliefs but the FLDS is much, much more into cult territory than LDS is... but they're both nutty, imo. ;-)

Only in Scotland...

2010-07-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

Click the picture to enlarge and click the link to see for yourself - click! :-)

The Healing Power of Toast

2010-07-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Look what I found!

Cool or what?

And a 'Free Toy Inside!'

Why, it's a wee psychotic man holding a cup! lol... small things, small minds.

:-)

And finally, a video for any fellow geeks who read my blog:

I don't know what's come over me.

2010-07-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

But, I've just knitted a scarf.

WTF?

Sweaty Sunday: Here It Goes Again

2010-07-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

During my holiday to Scotland, I ate and drank a lot... waaay too much! Lots of great beer, wine, cider, crisps, fish n chips, the best 'coriander chicken' I've ever had, 5 million full Scottish breakfasts, an amazing steak, a memorable chili burger, scones, baguettes, etc... etc... and I did SFA in terms of exercise.

I loved the food and booze binge but wish I would have kept up with the 'running' cos I was finally making real progress. Alas, I didn't... so the last 2 weeks have been all about easing my way back at it... well, really the first week back I pretty much slept 24/7... but this last week, I've been back on the golf course trail, walking -->walk/running. It was tough at first but I've improved a lot in the last couple of days.

I've just looked at the forecast for the coming week... hot and sunny... like 30 degrees hot (ugh). Hmmm... I just might have to stick to a treadmill in a gym with A/C. I've never run on a treadmill before... Hooray for YouTube and instructional videos:

;-)

Polytechnique

2010-07-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

I briefly mentioned this film in a previous post and I've finally just watched it.

It's not a feel good movie by any means. It's dark and meditative and excellent.

It's based upon the 'Montreal Massacre.'

More info about the film here.

Worth seeing, imo.

Here's the trailer:

Happy Canada Day :-)

2010-06-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

Stretchy, comby hairband thingy?

2010-06-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Help!

I've been trying to find a specific hair accessory (I don't think I've ever use that phrase before!).

It's a headband but it's also like a comb. It's like a round comb with all the fingers pointing into the centre... and it's stretchy like an accordion... and you wear it like a headband... and it's great for keeping your hair off your face when you're working out.

They were a bit of a fad in the early nineties (I think?) around the same time as the 'banana comb' trend. Actually, what I'm trying to find is sort of like a banana comb...

... but instead of looking like a big vagina is biting the back of your head, it's position on your head is like a headband and it's stretchy, not ridged like a banana comb.

Am I making any sense? I can't seem to describe it, so I've not had any luck finding a pic of one online or what it's actually called to find someone who might sell them. I've looked everywhere locally and have come up empty-handed.

The last time I saw them was in the Co-op where I lived in England. I bought oodles of them then but they've all gone to 'stretchy, comby hairband thingy' heaven. And like the dork that I am, I forgot to look in a Co-op for more when I was in Scotland.

Does anyone have a clue about what I'm looking for? If anyone can find me a stash of these things I will reward generously!

Cadboro Bay

2010-06-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I went to one of my favourite areas of Victoria; Cadboro Bay.

It's a very nice area with a nice beach:

A pub:

An excellent independent book shop:

Varied types of housing:

Residents selling flowers, veggies and plants from their gardens:

And, of course, there's Caddy...

Though this is the only version of Caddy that I've ever seen:

Still. I believe....

Do you?

Eat shit and...

2010-06-26T19:27:00.000-07:00

Today I went to Fujiya (a local Japanese grocery store) to buy some stuff. Though I'm pretty familiar with Japanese food (I worked in a Japanese restaurant/sushi bar for five years) I still like to browse the aisles and see what's what.

Today, I was in for a treat! Tah-duh....

Mmm-mmm! Nothin like a nice little box of Collon! And for just $1.65, Canadian, I just had to buy it. When I got home, I opened the box... ooooooh! pink interior and a brown wrapper... lol...

Then I opened the brown wrapper... oooooh! Wee little colons... just like on the box!

After reading and re-reading the list of ingredients, I tried one... mmm! very nice. Very similar to those Belgian rolled wafer cookies, but not as sweet. I suspect they'd be very good with mug of coffee... and there's a coffee enema joke in there somewhere I'm sure. I'll leave that to you regular readers.

;-)

For Inukshuk Rob

2010-06-25T21:44:00.000-07:00

I made an Inukshuk at the summit of Bealach na Ba!

This Inukshuk points to where one can find a pub. ;-)

I googled and found this groovy clip from a motorcycle ride of the road. The pic above is at about 4.20 of the vid.

Now I want a motorcycle...

HP Sauce is da bomb!

2010-06-25T11:31:00.001-07:00

And according to the security people at Heathrow, they mean that almost literally. This wee little fucker... this cute little jar of HP Sauce...

and my stupid packing skills... could have blown up a plane! I shit you not! ;-)

Though I had diligently put all my hand sanitizer, moisturizer, perfume, etc in a clear bag (as per instruction), I had earlier chucked the HP into my carry on bag at the last minute, not even considering that it could pose a threat to international airline security. The x-ray dude spotted it and I was pulled aside, felt up yet again and then had to let them go through my bag... the bag with my bras, panty liners and Wind-Eze tablets in it. Serves me right for endangering the lives of thousands...

On the brightside, after my forth security feel-up of the day, I actually started to enjoy it and I finally found out that the underwire in my bra was making the security thing you walk through to go 'beep.' So... when you travel, for the sake of airline travel security, stay off the sauce and freeboob it.

Skywatch Friday: Who da thunk it?

2010-05-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

In a few hours I'm jumping on a plane and I'll maybe have a view like this:

Why?

Cos I'm going here:

Wha???

Ok, another clue...

A gorgeous song: Calendonia by Dougie Maclean

Yes, I'm going to Scotland! Woohoo!

As excited as I am about going to Scotland (and I am!) I am ooooodles more excited to be going to meet someone who has become very special to me.

And Skywatch Friday is a very fitting blog post today... cos that's where we met! Amazing! Thank you Skywatch Friday! :-)

Go here for more Skywatch Fridays... I'm going to go pack! ;-)

Is there anything cuter?

2010-05-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

:-)

Finally!

2010-05-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

A worthwhile cause I can get behind!

MY SISTER SAID IF I GET ONE MILLION FANS SHE WILL NAME HER BABY MEGATRON

Please click on the link and join to show your support! ;-)

Scenic Sunday - Whetting my appetite

2010-05-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

In a couple of weeks, it's the May Two-Four long weekend in Canadaland. In Victoria, there will be 'The 147th Victoria Highland Games & Celtic Festival.'

Yesterday there was a wee taster, a promo, held for the event; The Victoria Tartan Parade featuring a local pipeband, some highland dancers and a few heavy event athletes. I walked down to the harbour and took a few snaps.

I'm a sucker for an old pickup truck.

I liked the various cultural uses for poles in this scene.

I took a few videos too with my cheapo point n shoot and had to convert the vids using freebie software... but they're not too bad, considering.

A successful caber toss (if that's the wording?):

And the pipeband not trampling on the flowers:

I intend to checkout main event in a couple of weeks... watch this space!

For more Scenic Sunday posts, click here!

:-)

Well I think it's funny...

2010-04-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm on Facebook but only to play Mafia Wars, an embarrassing addiction, and I was just reading the news feed and someone in my mafia (this makes sense if you play the game, lol) posted a link to a page called "WHAT CELEBRITIES WOULD LOOK LIKE IF THEY LIVED IN BARRIE, ONTARIO."

I just about peed myself...

Johnny Depp

Sharon Stone

Posh & Becks

Click on the above link for more. It's brilliant! :D

Sweaty Sunday: No Sweat.

2010-04-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the local 10K race, the TC10K, the Times-Colonist 10K... the Times-Colonist is the local rag. It's the second largest road race in Canada with over 13,000 participants. Not bad for a wee city on an island, eh?

Photograph by Adrian Lam, Times Colonist

Last January, I signed up to 'run' the event but last week I decided that I wasn't going to participate. My knee is finally feeling good again and I simply do not want to rescrew it up.

I thought about walking the race but I know myself too well. I know I would have gotten caught up in the energy of it all and start running ('running' being running and walking). Plus, my decision to take up running was to run for it's own sake; I just want to do it. Getting my fitness back and shedding some lard are secondary (and necessary!) motivations. Participating in races is a tertiary objective. I don't think I've ever used the phrase 'tertiary objective' before, lol. So, the decision not to participate was dead easy and without any regret.

I did go pick up my t-shirt, bib and shoe timer thingy though! haha!

Next year I will enter again and hopefully I will not only participate but actually run the bugger!

Aside: the winner of the mens was a dude named Kip Kangogo. What a great name!

Earth Day, Shmearth Day

2010-04-23T11:03:00.000-07:00

After many years of carlessness, organic gardening, hugging trees and various 'green living' lifestyle choices...

I find it very hard to disagree him.

Would write more but I've got to go out and participate in consumer capitalism. I may even not use my reusable canvas shopping bag. ;-)

Sweaty Sunday: A Convert to Chips

2010-04-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Gawd Allmitey! Praize da Lawd! Sweet Jeebus! I have converted to chips.

No, no, no... not these kind:

I'm already a dedicated and faithful follower of the above and these too:

Too faithful really.

And depending upon where I am on the globe, spiritual nourishment can be found here (hi Neil):

Or here:

Or, depending on your interests, it can be found here (hi Jayne):

I've never been faithful to these chips:

But, at one time in my life, I was a worshiper of these chips:

Sinful, I know... but I was only 12!

I have no idea what this sign means but obviously some forms of chips are of Satan and not to be done (in that area):

But these chips are from Heaven! I have seen the Light! Halleluja!!!

Salvation is a six inch deep, 2 mile long spongy trail of freshly laid wood chips.

Amen!

More seriously, both Neil and Jayne had been ~~bitching at me~~ suggesting to me ;-) that finding a wood chip trail to run on would be good. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... but the view is so inspiring!" ... where I used to run, before a second round of knee pain knocked some sense into me.

Now, I 'run' here; on a chip trail around a golf course. It's a very beautiful, though hilly, trail that looks mostly like this:

Though from the top of the brutal 'Big Hill' I can still see my inspiring view:

The trail is on the far right... see the ant-people? Killer hill.

Weather permitting, the Olympic Mountains cheer me on. And they're a great excuse too. I can stand there and appear like I'm admiring them, when really... I'm just standing there cos I feel like my lungs are going to explode after hauling my ass up that fucking hill! ;-)

Pilipina's Got Talent?

2010-04-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Or a one trick pony?

The Holy Gospel of the Easter Bunny

2010-04-03T22:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Hareatic Day!

;-)

Where's I 'longs to, b'y?

2010-04-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got back into researching my family tree. I initially became interested in genealogy many years ago when I had to dig up various 'long' birth certificates for a 'UK Ancestry' visa. That required my mom digging through a few boxes of stuff; old documents, letters, postcards, etc that belonged to her parents who had migrated from Scotland to Canada in the early 1900s.

What captured my imagination was a small notebook that belonged to my granddad. In it was addresses of people to contact for work and housing once they arrived in Canada, various 'to do' lists and, most interesting to me, a list of the possessions they had brought with them.

The list was so detailed and so short: various cooking pots, some dishes, 4 pairs of wool socks, some shirts, some coats and a baby cot. Essentially, not very much at all.

It made me wonder. Why would two people put themselves, three of their children (my mom was born in Canada) and a few bundles of possessions on a boat, in cattle class, to a different part of the world? Was it a push from or a pull to? Both? I've since learned a lot more about their likely motivations but my curiosity about my ancestry has not dwindled.

On my dad's side, when I first started my research, all anyone knew about his mom, my grandma, was that she was a Newfoundlander, born in St John's, Newfoundland and the names of her father and mother. Nothing else! She had died by the time I got interested in genealogy and because of Newfoundland's very unusual history, according to inquiries I made with their Vital Stats office, she didn't even exist!

Just a tree; visual appeal. ;-)

I had long since accepted that that branch of my family tree would be one big question mark. Where did my grandma's ancestors come from? Ireland? Scotland? England? Portugal? The Basque Country? Were they First Nations? All possible based on Newfoundland's history and my dad's 'look' (he could pass as First Nations). But then, a few days ago, I had a major breakthrough! I plunked my grandma's name into the Ancestry.ca site, like I do every now and then, and voila! I found her name on someone else's family tree and kinda creepily her progeny; of them, my dad and his children, especially lovely is the youngest daughter, ;-) though anonymously (living female).

I haven't verified the information from this other person's family tree yet (I'm a stickler for proper research), but if it does turn out to be accurate, my great, great, great, great grandfather arrived in Newfoundland, from a village in Dorset, England, in about 1750! You can't really get more Newfoundlander than that! Incredible!

Doing a brief search about the area they settled in, I found out that it is also the area of Newfoundland where The Shipping News and a Canadian mini-series called 'Random Passage' (which, to me, sounds more like a title of a cottaging flic, lol) were filmed. And even cooler, there is a site - a re-creation of what life was like in the early 1800's. It was used as the set for the mini-series and it's now a park or site or something. The website's not too clear: Random Passage Site.

And neither was the weather in this youtube video I found of it! But it has its charm.

I feel compelled to go for a screeching. Someday soon...

So much research to do now!

Caídas!

2010-03-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

I learned a new word! I think it's Spanish (do you know, Jayne?) or maybe Portuguese?

Either way, Caídas! It means fall, as in tumble, in English and when you plunk it into the Google video search thingy, you find gems like this:

Am I a sadist for loving this sort of thing?

Sexy ducks and lotsa ducks.

2010-03-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Seen during recent run/walks...

A pair of wood ducks. Gorgeous, eh?

And, how to pull birds:

Local news...

2010-03-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Muffet and Louisa must have been having a sale!

Sweaty Sunday: Mumbai Motivation

2010-03-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday to Tuesday, I felt pretty gross. Wednesday's 'run' was not great but ok considering I had been ill. Thursday, I walked a million miles. Friday, I did some leg strength work (squats, lunges).

All good but Saturday's 'run' was my best since taking up this masochistic activity. I still alternated walking/running but I was impressed with my myself all the same! Eventually I'll string all these mini running segments into a steady, continuous actual run... and when I do? Neil Tasker has promised me that he'll send me a bag of Bombay Mix* when I can run a full mile without stopping!

How's that for motivation? mmmmmm.....

Anyways...

Here's where I'm at! The meat of Saturday's 'run' (excludes the warm up and cool down):
5 mins - walk
1 - run
3 - w
2 - r
3 - w
2 - r
2 - w
3 - r
2 - w
3 - r
2 - w
1 - r
2 - w
2 - r
1 - w
1 - r
2 - w
3 - r

40 minutes of sweat; 19 of it running.
No knee pain. (thumbs up!)
No pain or DOMS today (tomorrow's still a possibility though!).
It felt good and, most importantly, I enjoyed it!

One whole mile at once? Bring it on!!! (eventually...!)

*Punjabi Mix in Canadaland... imported from India by Indo-Canadians for Indo-Canadians, ie, it's very, very, very hot!

Sweaty Sunday: On a Tuesday

2010-03-02T15:07:00.000-08:00

I keep forgetting to do my Sweaty Sunday posts on Sunday. So, Tuesday it is!

Warm up walkies - Ross Bay Cemetery, beautiful.

My knees have healed up nicely and while they did I focused on strengthening my quadraceps, walking, stretching and rest. It was frustrating but a good lesson in patience.

About two weeks ago, I started to run/walk again... very gently. I bought a stop watch and made sure I only ran for one minute (yeah, one single whole minute) at a time. A total of four minutes of running... but I just wanted to go very easy. All was well, no pain before, during or after. Great!

Stretching on the sea wall.

Between then and now, I've gradually upped the duration and frequency of the running segments of the 'runs' to this:

Warm-up walking/stretch.

Click 'go' on my stop watch.

walk 5 mins - brisk walking from here on in
run - 1 min
walk - 3
run - 2
walk - 3
run - 3
walk - 2
run - 3
walk - 2
run - 3

... and then cool down with 5 mins of slower walking.

I run from here to the top left bit of the bay...

and back and then through a bit of a neighbourhood.

This past Saturday's run, however was not very good. Actually I barely ran at all. Ok, I mostly walked. Ok, I strolled about 100 feet and turned around. I had zero umph. Then Sunday I felt all achey and spaced out. Then Monday, yesterday, ugh... upchuckitis. I must have caught what half the people in my art class had. I suffer for my art. (ha.ha.)

I feel better today but no energy to run, maybe tomorrow.

The photos are where I run... counter to Neil's advice to find some grass or chip trail. I don't listen very well but look at the view!

Can you blame me?!