Limes with Orange

Well, I never got around to writing the retrospective post about buying a car to replace poor Newt who got smashed last summer. But I did end up finding a beautiful '95 red Honda Civic SI coupe with tinted windows and a flowmaster exhaust (which I thought I was going to replace but I've actually learned to love it). I called her Ripley because--being a bigger, faster Civic--I kind of thought of her as Newt's older sister. (That will make sense to fans of "Aliens" but probably nobody else.)

But I never took Ripley's picture and now it may be too late. Ripley was stolen on Tuesday night. I think I'm still in denial, as I'm remarkably calm. Mostly.

BUT I WANT RIPLEY BACK!!! So if anyone sees a '95 red civic coupe (generic photo shown) parked or driving around Calgary, with a crack going straight up the front windshield on the passenger's side and a burnt out headlight on the driver's side (plus moon roof, rear spoiler, tinted rear windows and flowmaster exhaust, which you cannot miss hearing)... please call the police and report it ASAP. Thanks muchly.

Labels: newt, odds and ends, ripley

Well, my sleep restriction therapy went by the wayside on day three of my migraine (that Christmas day headache was, in fact, the migraine coming back and setting up camp for the rest of the week). I have an appointment with my sleep doc on Wednesday, so I'm just going to wait and talk to him before I try anything further.

As my last post of the year, I had been planning to post a 2007 "Hot vs. Not" List about my random opinions, such as:

Friends you can make films with... HOT
Friends who only know how to gossip... NOT

Intelligent and entertaining independent films (Walk All Over Me)... HOT
Yet another Hollywood sequel or remake (Spiderman 3, Pirates, etc.)... NOT

Evan Biddell, fashion designer who won Project Runway Canada... HOT
Elina Viola, local fashion designer... NOT

Bob Rae, politician with a brain and a heart... HOT
Stephen Harper/George W. Bush, politicians with neither brains nor hearts... NOT

And so on and so forth...

But I really can't be bothered with such trivialities right now. So let me sum up 2007 on a personal level: I overextended myself for people who weren't worth even extending myself for in the first place and my health has been declining all year as a result, but thankfully these people are out of my life and I'm working hard at getting my health back on track. My various and sundry opinions about pop culture, politics and pugilism will have to wait. (Okay, so I've got nothing on pugilism, but doesn't it make for an intriguing triple alliteration?)

I'm hopeful that if I can avoid toxic people and keep my health as a priority, 2008 will be a much better year. So I guess those are my two main New Years resolutions. And resolution number three is to finish the second draft of my feature-length screenplay (my film work being necessary fodder for my mental health). Now excuse me while I continue to hibernate in an attempt to recover from this sleep stuff and the mother of all migraines.

Labels: bush bashing, fashion, health, odds and ends, pop culture

If you're a regular reader, you've probably caught a few of my recent rants. I'm sure you won't be flabbergasted to know that the particular friendship that most of them pertained to is over. Well, last night I discovered my surprise "parting gift" in the form of onychomycosis (i.e. toenail fungus). Yep, my last act of friendship was treating said former friend to a manicure and pedicure at the spa of her choice. Well, I certainly will not be returning to the spa of her choice. Ever. Everything that could go wrong, did. It was a definitely Murphy's Law day at the end of a Murphy's Law week that capped a Murphy's Law month. But apparently the indignities of that particular day continue... because now I'm missing a toenail. What a perfectly apropos dénouement. Thanks ever so.

Labels: odds and ends

No wonder I'm having so much trouble connecting with people about this screening on Friday! In case that isn't a logical leap for you, you should know that Mercury is the planet that rules communication. So when Mercury is in retrograde, messages may be misunderstood, whispers may be overheard and mail or email may be misdirected. Now I understand why my attempts to organize people and things this week felt like I was trying to herd cats! Anyway, I'll be doing a separate post with details about the screening, so watch for it.

But speaking screenings, I went to a pre-release screening for "Rendition" on Monday night and it was excellent. In case you're wondering about the title of the film, rendition refers to 'extraordinary rendition' — a term whereby suspected terrorists in the US can be sent, without the legal consent of their parent nations, to prisons abroad (where there are no anti-torture laws) to be questioned and detained. So you can figure out where this movie is going pretty quickly by the title alone. I read a review on IMDb that argued the film had too many characters for you to get to know any of them in any depth, but I would have to disagree. There have been other movies that have made me feel that way, so I understand what the reviewer is saying, but I absolutely did not have that feeling here. It was a beautifully constructed story with current political relevance that was well acted and beautifully filmed. And the climax is quite brilliant. I highly recommend it.

Labels: film, odds and ends

I have lots of news about cars and weddings and such, but right now I'm under a deadline to finish my feature length screenplay for the screenwriting course that I'm taking. So those posts will have to wait until after Friday. Plus I want photos to accompany aforementioned posts and I don't have my hot little hands on such photos yet. But I promise I'll get back to posting regularly by the end of this month at the latest.

I do have a couple of new posts over at Weirdgrrl's Words and plenty of posts over at Music Musings (but most of those are about Canadian Idol, so if you're not interested in that you might want to wait until the season is over before checking that blog out). Okay, that's it for my very vague update. More to follow next week.

Labels: blogging, odds and ends

One of the contributing factors to my mini-rant last week (can you even call a single sentence a "rant"? Oh, I guess that's how I labeled it, didn't I?)... anyway, an overwhelming part of that was the fact that my car got schmucked by a drunken idiot in a rental car (that may or may not have been stolen). I'm fine, my car was parked innocently outside of my apartment building at the time of the accident, but her rear axle is bent and the place where there should be a brake light, a tail light, a signal light... well, it basically doesn't exist anymore (see photo).

With the help of my cousin and his wife, I liberated Newt (that's the name of my poor, wounded Honda Civic) from the impound lot and she now awaits her fate on the concrete pad behind my cousin's garage. I still haven't heard from the insurance company. I still don't know if anyone is going to be held responsible for this (because of the question of whether the offending car was stolen). I still don't know if I'm going to be able to fix my car at all. And until all this gets sorted out, I have no car and I live in a very transit-UNfriendly city.

There were, as there always are, other motivating factors for the rant that I'd rather not go into. But I think those other things became huge because I was already so overwhelmed with dealing with this mess.

But I'm back and I will get to that tag on my previous post within the next couple of days. I promise!

Labels: newt, odds and ends

Okay, I was waiting to do this post until I got the photo that I wanted to have accompany it... but the first photo attempt was a no-go and I just bumped the teaser post off the front page, so I figured it was now or never. A while back, I posted about The Police concert and how I wasn't going to have a chance to go. Well, I didn't go but I did write a little teaser that I had another post in me about that. So here's what happened..

Two days before the concert, just as my cousin Zenon and I were preparing to go to our Handmade Film Workshop, I got a phone call from I.A.T.S.E. Local 210 in Edmonton. For those of you who aren't familiar with them, I.A.T.S.E. is the union for film and stage crew and I'm a permittee member of the electrics department for I.A.T.S.E. Local 212 here in Calgary. (Not a lot of women in that department, but I wanted a chance to learn more about lighting from the big films that come through town.) Anyway, I got this phone call saying that 210 had a job for me in Edmonton for the following day and if I came up for that, they'd keep me over to work... THE POLICE CONCERT!

Alas, my mother was arriving in town the very next afternoon to stay with me before heading to another cousin's wedding the following weekend. So, even though it nearly killed me to say it, I had to say no.

About an hour later, sitting in our workshop, Zenon's phone vibrated. He checked the number and it showed an Edmonton area code. Zenon is also a permittee member of 212. I told him it was probably about the concert and he should go call them back ASAP. Which he did and, long story short (and the preparation for that trip was a very long story), he went and worked the concert!

I have to admit I was insanely jealous... until he got back and I heard about his 17 hour day on Friday and the all-nighter that was the concert teardown. Yep, that's right... he didn't work the concert itself, just the teardown. But he did catch a glimpse of Sting and he did drink one of Sting's expensive, imported-from-Norway water bottles (that was the photo that didn't quite work out). I guess I'm not quite so jealous now. I still have my Police Picnic memories and I didn't have the backbreaking labour that my cousin had, so it's all good.

Labels: film, music, odds and ends

Crazy weekend. I was up in Edmonton for my cousin's wedding. It was lovely, set outside in a beautiful grove and the weather actually cooperated until after the ceremony. Both the bride and groom were gorgeous and glowing and giddy with love. Everything a wedding should be.

But I'm completely and utterly exhausted, so that teaser post that I mentioned about The Police concert will have to wait for yet another day. Ciao.

Labels: odds and ends

Just a heads up that I will be taking a brief break from blogging as my mother is staying with me this weekend (and the spare bed is in my computer room!). Regularly scheduled blogging will recommence on Monday or Tuesday. And I happen to have a very interesting story to tell, so y'all better come back and read it. (Hint: it's about The Police concert.)

Labels: odds and ends

I don't know about you, but I'm officially sick of blogging about blogging. So, with it being lunch time and all, I think it's time to give food some thought. I was on CookingSpot.com, checking out the recipes and currently have my mouth watering over Blue Bayou Stuffed Mushrooms. Unfortunately, I don't have all of the necessary ingredients on hand, so that one will have to wait. One thing I like about this website is that it has a category for Vegetarian recipes that has all the subcategories like appetizers, main dishes, soups, etc. And if browsing categories is not your thing, it's also searchable. Very handy. If only all recipe sites were so helpful.

P.S. Seriously, I want those mushrooms. Where does one buy Creole Seasoning Rub?

Labels: food, health, odds and ends

I've been giving a lot of thought to what I want and need in a friend, because I seem to be having some problems figuring out certain frienships of mine. So to help me define what I mean by friendship, and potentially to help my friends understand where I'm coming from, I created this quiz.

Could You and I be Friends?

More IQ Tests and other quizzes!

P.S. When I created this quiz, I was under the impression that I would be able to embed the whole thing in my blog. Apparently, I misunderstood. But at least the code to open the quiz into another window seems to be working now.

Labels: odds and ends, quizzes

For those of you who visit here often, you probably know that I have a Honda Civic that I've named Newt and that Newt has had some problems this year. First she went Crunch! And needed a new radiator and hood. Then she stopped in the middle of traffic because she needed a new axle for her constant velocity joint. Well, THEN she started having a slow leak in one of her rear tires. A slow leak that soon became a fast leak. I took it in to get patched and they said that it's way past time that I put new tires on my car. *sigh*

I used to have some lovely Pirelli tires on my old Civic. That was when I was dating a car aficionado and he told me which tires to buy. But I don't think I can afford Pirelli's at the moment and since I don't have a handy car guy for a boyfriend anymore, I've decided to use this discount tires website for guidance. It has some very handy information about which tires are good for what purpose. Hopefully I can find something that will make Newt happy without breaking the bank.

Labels: newt, odds and ends

The lure of sites like Post Secret and Hidden Lives has made me realize that the way I project myself to others is somewhat misleading. I mean, I know we all keep parts of ourselves secret and I know we all feel like the world just doesn't understand us sometimes, and that's part of what I'm talking about but not all of it.

I write a lot of fluff on this blog. But if you read between the lines, especially my poetry and the music that I talk about, you might see that the fluff is simply a costume that I feel comfortable wearing in front of others.

No, I didn't write about Virginia Tech even though I'm working on a film to commemorate the Montreal Massacre that happened almost 20 years ago and that I still remember like it was yesterday. I don't write about a lot of what's going on in the world even though these issues are ever present in my mind and weigh heavily on me. I can't even bring myself to write about Canadian poltics much of the time because I get so frustrated that I become incoherent. I vent about President Bush's foreign policy by posting cartoons and clips from The Daily Show, not by offering up the deep political analysis that I know I'm capable of.

Why? I'm not entirely sure. I think it's partly because of my health. That I want to seem like a happy person because I really feel like a burden and I don't want to inflict my burdensome self on someone else. And I think it's partly because of my art. That when I talk about these things in every day life, I'm less likely to have passion to unleash when pen hits paper to write a poem or a script.

Since I've mentioned my health, I'd like to take a moment to talk about it. I've mentioned before that I have various health conditions: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with intermittent Hashitoxicosis and the occasional bout of IgA nephropathy. And let's not forget the migraines.

A lot of people compliment me on the positive attitude I have towards my life. Not to say that I don't actually possess a certain amount of optimism, but I feel anything but positive on the inside most of the time. It's not that I'm repressed or trying to be fake, I just can't stand talking about it anymore.

My rheumatologist likes to show me off to her residents as an example of someone whose lab results indicate that I should be non-functional and yet I "present like a well woman." What I can't bring myself to say to her is that I present that way because I have completely changed my diet, my lifestyle and my goals. I am incapable of holding down a job that requires regular hours. I need a minimum of nine hours of sleep a night which is very tricky as I am also an insomniac. It takes me at least one hour (if I'm lucky) to fall asleep. I'm thrilled if I sleep for four hours in a row; two and a half to three hours at a time is more likely. And then I have to try to fall asleep all over again.

I wake up in the morning feeling like I've been hit by a train and it takes a good hour for my morning meds to kick in, but because of the assortment and timing of my meds I can't actually take them all right away. So I'm not really functional until around two hours after I wake up. So there goes more than half of a 24-hour day. Then I need to take breaks every couple of hours so I don't hit the wall of mental and physical fatigue. Needless to say, this is very limiting.

I used to dream of competing in the Olympics as a member of the Canadian Three-Day Eventing Team until I developed my first autoimmune symptoms at the age of 19. I'd hoped that I would eventually figure out how to manage them and still compete, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Then I went to vet school. I figured if I couldn't compete, I could at least treat the top-level event horses. But in my third year of vet school, my Lupus took over my life and I needed to take a leave of absence. I was never able to go back.

Last year, I became involved in the film community here in Calgary. I was working as a freelance writer, text editor and graphic designer at the time and I come from a theatre background, so this wasn't much of a stretch for me. I threw myself into it with abandon because it had been so long since I'd felt such enthusiasm for something, anything. And I've recently realized that I have to accept that I will never be physically capable of directing the feature film that I'm writing. I'm not coping very well with that conclusion.

I hate it when people ask me how my health is because good days are very few and far between. Basically, I struggle with my symptoms every day but I get sick of hearing myself talk about being sick and I also get sick of lying and saying I'm fine.

I hope this doesn't sound like a pity party and I really didn't mean to go on about it for this long, but I guess seeing another dream elude me has been a little too much to bear.

Labels: film, health, odds and ends, writing

I was over at a Vonage information site, somewhat tempted by the sign up offers for Vonage phone service. I didn't realize initially that this site is actually an independent support site, but that would explain why it's not as corporate looking and why it allows user comments and such. (Though I could do without the horizontal scrolling.)

But the very best part of this site? The forum community where you can actually watch the highly entertaining Vonage commercials!

Labels: odds and ends, videos

Here's the thing. I've got two weddings to go to this year, one in June and one in September. They're both for cousins of mine, but on different sides of the family, so my sister will be the only person at both weddings... which is why I'm planning on wearing the same outfit to both. But what outfit?

My stumbling block: my pasty white legs. This is not just lack-of-sun white, this is scary-white-no-matter-how-much-sun-they're-exposed-to kind of white. And I bruise really easily, so those scary white legs are always covered in bruises. This is why I usually wear knee-high boots when I wear a skirt. But I don't think I want to wear boots in June. But I'm also not a pantyhose kind of grrl. So do I just give up and wear pants?

That's kind of where I'd landed until I found these Self Tan Kits. Now I've tried self tanners before and not had huge amounts of luck, but I like the look of the Salon Bronze Tanning System. I realize there are no guarantees that this will be any better than other products I've tried, even if the application method is different, so I would definitely give it a test run before the wedding just to make sure. If I do, I'll be sure to let you know whether I end up with orange legs!

Labels: cool stuff, fashion, odds and ends

Hey, I've been nominated for the Blogger's Choice Awards. Now I just need some votes!









Given the competition that's out there, I don't actually expect to win in any of these categories. (It's an honour just being nominated, isn't that how the old chestnut goes?) But it would be nice to get enough votes so that it's not embarrassing. So please help out a weirdgrrl and vote. (Particularly in the Geek & Pop Culture categories... pretty please! )

P.S. I feel like I should now add a label for shameless self-promotion!

Labels: blogging, odds and ends, pop culture

There's a new online dating site called Just Say Hi that has one important distinction from other online dating sites… it's completely free. And I don't just mean free to sign up and make a profile; it's actually free to contact people. What a concept! And it's got forums which makes it much more of a community than the dating sites I've used in the past. And it even has testimonials about members by other members, which is kind of a cool concept.

Having said all that, I'm not sure I have it in me to do the online dating thing again. Three times was not a charm for me. But don't let that discourage you. After all, I did meet someone online that I ended up dating for a couple of years. So it might work for you... and here's a completely free dating site to help you find out.

Labels: dating, fun, odds and ends

In honour of today being Friday the 13th, I've included 13 links to sites that reference Friday the 13th in one form or another.

1. Friday the 13th, 2029
Exactly 22 years from today, Friday the 13th will be a lucky day... when asteroid 2004 MN4 does NOT hit the Earth.

2. Greenpeace: Friday the 13th is here
Watch your worst nightmare unfold.

3. Urban Legends at Snopes.com: Friday the 13th
Why do some people believe that Friday the 13th is a day fraught with peril?

4. Care2 eCards for Friday the Thirteenth
Celebrate the day... from the safety of your own home.

5. Friday the 13th Quiz
How much do you know about this superstition? I only got 3 out of 8 and was told I would have 7 years of bad luck.

6. Is the 13th of the month more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day of the week?
Enquiring minds want to know.

7. Friday the 13th Horoscope: Scorpio
Just follow the links to find your own horoscope for this "unlucky" day.

8. PsyBlog: Is Friday the Thirteenth Unlucky?
A bit of scientific research leading to no solid conclusions whatsoever.

9. Friday the 13th History & Cartoon Fun
The lighter side of this day.

10. Friday the 13th Special: Debunking the Myths of Bad Luck
Black cats and broken mirrors... what do you believe?

11. Friday the 13th: Film Theory Essays
You knew I had to start heading in this direction, didn't you?

12. Friday the 13th - From Crystal Lake to Manhattan (8 Movies)
Sometimes you just gotta go with the obvious. I'm actually not much of a Jason fan, though, give me Freddy over Jason any day of the week (pun intended... in hindsight).

13. The Gematriculator
And finally... How evil is your website? (Okay, not directly a Friday the 13th reference, but as far as I'm concerned it fits the general theme... and it's my blog so that's all that matters. )

Labels: film, fun, odds and ends, quizzes, special days, weird stuff

An acrostic poem for my shrimp-loving friends (and no, I'm not talking about characters from SpongeBob SquarePants), inspired by a recent conversation at Denny's of all places:

Sizzling, scintillating seafood delight,
Hunger abated, appetite sated.
Recipes for Pad Thai or Cajun Shrimp Stew
I know you'll find something to tantalize you.
Mouth-watering morsels in every bite,
Portions created, cravings then sated.

Some Shrimp Recipes just for you.

Enjoy!

Labels: odds and ends, poetry

I promise I will recommence blogging shortly. I am feeling somewhat better than I was last week, but now I have to catch up on work (in the immortal words of Bill the Cat: "Ack Thbbbt!"). But I will be back to the blog soon with Blue October concert reviews and more. So stay tuned...

Labels: odds and ends

Just a heads up that I may not be blogging for a few days. Feeling a little overwhelmed. Life is too much with me and all that jazz. Back soon.

Labels: odds and ends

I have a fun car named Newt. Newt used to be an all red car until she went Crunch. Now she's a fun red and black car. But last weekend Newt wasn't much fun. She stopped playing right in the middle of traffic. Bad Newt. Fortunately a Knight in Shining Armour came and pushed Newt to safety. Thank you, Knight in Shining Armour! It turned out that Newt needed a new axle for her constant velocity joint. Can you say "constant velocity joint" boys and girls? I knew you could. Now Newt is fun again. Now I am happy again. The End.

P.S. I suppose a Knight in Shining Armour is allowed to say "absolutely" once in a while.

Labels: newt, odds and ends

Pet Peeve of the Day...

Friends who say they'll absolutely call on a certain day, but they don't. Friends who say we'll absolutely do something over the weekend, but we don't.

To paraphrase Inigo Montoya from The Princess Bride: "You keep using that word, absolutely. I do not think it means what you think it means."

Labels: odds and ends

I'm not very good at asking for favours. Fortunately, there's this new site that makes it a whole lot easier. Zakle.com — do favours, get favours from anyone in the world.

How does it work? By providing a website that allows members to post requests for favours and offers of favours to which other members can respond. Individuals can earn Points when they grant favours and spend Points to obtain favours.

So I decided to sign up and see what happens. (Just a heads up… there's $2 verification fee that they don't explicitly disclose. If you've already verified with PayPal, you might expect that you're going to get that fee back after Zakle verifies you through PayPal… but you won't. Another registration note: make sure you enter your address exactly as it's listed on your PayPal account or the verification won't work.)

These are the offers I submitted:

Title: Métis Card - Genealogy Lookup
Details: Would you like to apply for your Métis card but don't have the documentation that you need? I have access to the Glenbow Museum Archives that has a vast amount of Métis resources for Western Canada. And I have professional experience in utilizing those resources. So let me help you get your card.

Title: Short Story Editing
Details: I am a professional writer and editor. I would be willing to edit and provide feedback on your short story, up to 3000 words in length.

Title: Review your website
Details: I have several blogs, one of which is bound to suit your website. I also have some background in website design. My offer is to review your website, applaud what's good, suggest things that could be better, and provide a permanent link to your site.

And these are my requests:

Title: A photograph of the Ashbel Woodward Museum
Details: The former home of Dr. Ashbel Woodward, a Civil War surgeon, was turned into a museum a few years back in Franklin, CT. My ancestors lived in the house next door (which may or may not still be standing). I would love to have a photograph of the Woodward home. And, if the Mumford home beside it is still standing, I would love a photo of that as well.

Title: Link to my Film Blog
Details: I've started a Filmmaker's Blog on MySpace (blog.myspace.com/weirdgrrl). If you have a blog with some decent traffic, I would love to have you review my blog and provide a permanent link.

Title: Film Editor Needed
Details: I am in the process of editing a short film. I have basic knowledge of Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects and I have my rough cut done. But this short film requires sci-fi effects like wormholes which are somewhat beyond me. I would love to sit in with an experienced editor while they finish my film. Estimated time: one day.

So I did the Zakle. And you can do the Zakle, too!

Labels: blogging, cool sites, film, genealogy, odds and ends, writing

Apparently mailboxes across the US are being dressed up as R2-D2 to celebrate 30 years since the release of the first release of Star Wars. Um... sure, why not. But couldn't they at least have made them round?

Anyway, I found this tidbit thanks to a new blog I discovered: CastleNottingham.com presents High Strangeness Altoona. It's "a chronicle of strange happenings, news, opinion, original fiction and true tales of the supernatural." Very cool!

(I was so tempted to copy the original post title: A Long Time Ago, In A Mailbox Near You. Now that's my kind of title! But since I didn't think of it myself, I didn't feel right using it... *sigh*)

Labels: cool stuff, film, odds and ends

Here's an interesting idea. This legal site that's trying to educate people about mesothelioma has tried to make the site more interesting by including medical humour and information about bizarre diseases (like WALKING CORPSE SYNDROME or BLUE SKIN DISORDER). Personally, I think it's a great idea. I would love it if the Lupus Foundation—and the other medical sites I visit frequently—were to use this approach.

They've got cartoons:


And jokes:

A young doctor had moved into a small town and was setting up a new practice. He had a new sign painted and hung it in front of his office, proclaiming his specialties:

"Homosexuals & Hemorrhoids"

The town fathers were greatly upset with the sign and asked him please to change it. The Doctor was eager to please, so he put up a new sign:

"Queers & Rears"

The town fathers were really fuming about that one, so they demanded that the Doctor come up with a decent sign that would not offend the townspeople. So the Doctor finally came up with an acceptable sign:

"Odds & Ends"

I think it would be even better if the humour could be more focused on the disease in question, but there probably aren't a whole lot of jokes and cartoons about mesothelioma. Go figure.

Labels: health, humour, odds and ends

I have a car named Newt. Newt used to be a fun, red car… until she went CRUNCH! Newt was hurt. Badly hurt. Newt had to go to the hospital…er, garage. Newt's boo-boos were expensive. Can you say expensive, boys and girls? But Newt's grandpa came to the rescue. He paid for the doctor…er, mechanic. Newt is better now. Newt is home now. Newt is a fun red AND BLACK car now. The End.


(Yep, Newt is now two-toned. The cost of painting the hood seemed like an unnecessary expense at this time. But hey, you could say that I'm multi-tonal also… or at least my hair is. So I guess Newt got highlights! Or would that be lowlights?)

Labels: newt, odds and ends

I have a car. My car's name is Newt. Newt is a fun car. Newt is a fun, red car. Yesterday, Newt went BANG! CRUNCH!


Now Newt is no fun. Now I am sad. I miss Newt. I hope Newt will get better soon. Then we can have fun again. The End.

(I really have to stop reading those kids' books!)

Labels: newt, odds and ends

There are many days when I don't think about Toronto at all. And other days, like today, when I miss it like crazy.

I miss being able to walk down the street with crazy hair and not have people point and stare. I miss being able to go to movies by myself and not have to overhear people whisper, "Isn't it sad, I think that girl is actually sitting all by herself." Which makes me feel like turning around and saying, "I'm here alone because I choose to be. How sad for you that you are incapable of making such a choice for yourself." But I don't because I'm trying not to provide anyone with supporting evidence that Torontonians are snooty. I'm not snooty, just homesick. (According to this site I found, one way to cure homesickness is by sending flowers. That sounds lovely… too bad my cats would just eat them.)

I miss Kensington Market and Portugal Village… oh what I wouldn't give for some Portuguese sweet bread. I miss hot dog vendors that sell veggie dogs. I miss streetcars. I miss the Royal Alex Theatre, as well as all the tiny little plays performed in crappy church basements. I miss having a diversity of culture everywhere I look, in people, in language, in the arts. I miss the Toronto Film Festival and the Royal Winter Fair and all those other Toronto festivals.

I was reading over this 10 Best Things to do in Toronto list and it made me even more homesick. Now I miss the museums. Not just the Royal Ontario Museum (although I miss that, too) but the odd little museums like the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the Bata Shoe Museum. I miss the Henry Moore sculpture, Two Large Forms, that stands outside of the Art Gallery of Ontario. (I'm very curious as to why the Ontario Science Centre didn't make their list… it's a fantastic place to visit!)

That same site listed 10 Top Attractions in Ontario. So now I miss Ontario Place and the Cinesphere, Toronto's IMAX theatre. And the Canadian National Exhibition (aka the CNE or the Ex, to its friends). I mean, I know that Calgary has an IMAX theatre and the Calgary Stampede, but they're just not the same. Not for me.

I miss hot summer nights (not the ones that made it too sweaty to sleep, but the ones that were just perfect for sitting outside on a patio until 2 in the morning... with not a jacket in sight). I miss places being open all night long, places other than truck stops and Tim Hortons.

I am not saying Toronto has no equal, but it's a damn fine place to live. And a damn fine place to visit. And I, personally, can't wait to see her again.

Labels: odds and ends

I just found out that there's an online Jewish Dating Service that seems to work much like Lavalife, except it's specifically for Jewish singles. When I was growing up, my mother started the process to convert to Judaism. She was studying with a Rabbi and learning Hebrew, we were going to synagogue and observing Jewish traditions in the home. My mother never ended up converting but after years of being raised in the only faith that ever made sense to me, I think it would be ideal to meet a nice Jewish boy. (I keep intending to finish what my mother started, but I haven't connected with the Jewish community here in Calgary so I'm a little intimidated to start the conversion process. But I digress…)

But back to jsingles.com: I'm not sure how many members there are, and I can't find any place on the site where they mention that. Maybe they'll add that feature once there are more members. But there are certainly no other members in this area at the moment, but again maybe it's just too new (or maybe I just need to move back to Toronto). In any case, I'll be interested to see how the community grows.

Labels: dating, judaism, odds and ends

I'm a list person. I don't know how people manage to make it through their days without a to-do list of some kind. I usually write down my list the night before, so I can go to bed with a head empty of all that prosaic stuff… all the better to dream fantastic dreams. Otherwise I dream of things like leaky roofs, piles of paper attacking me, you know… not the Hollywood blockbusters of entertainment type of dreams.

Anyway, I just discovered this super easy to use downloadable software To-do List application (sorry Mac people… Windows only). It just sits on your desktop or in your system tray and you can check things off or add new things throughout the day. Or you can print it off and take the list with you. And it's so, so easy to use.

At the moment, I use a spiral bound notebook that is essentially a collection of to-do lists. I kind of like being able to flip back and see when I did something or if there's anything I missed. But with this To-do List app, I'm not sure yet whether it keeps any sort of archive (because I doubt it's a feature that many people would care about for something as mundane as a list) but at least you don't have to keep transferring those unfinished projects to a new list. It'll just stay on your list until it's finally done.

So maybe I should just try this program out for the 60 day trial period and see if I can't save a few trees with this digital To-do list.

Labels: computers, odds and ends

The last time I went to visit my mother in Peterborough, we decided it was time to decorate the apartment that I'd helped her move into the previous time I'd visited. So off to Wal-Mart, Winners, Canadian Tire, etc. to stock up on everything we needed. Unfortunately, my mother has problems with mobility and walks with a cane, so marathon shopping expeditions were not something to look forward to (not that I ever look forward to marathon shopping expeditions… I will just never be one of those grrls who loves to shop).

So we get to Wal-Mart and we see the courtesy scooters and my mother decides to try one out. Now here's the "fun" part… my mother doesn't drive, she never got her driver's license and she's a nervous passenger to boot. So I'm sure you can imagine the nerve-wracking hour that we spent that first time in Wal-Mart. My mother kept wanting me to scout ahead and make sure there were huge clear paths for her. And reverse… oh my god, reverse was a nightmare. I'm not sure who was more drained afterwards, my mother or me. But each shopping trip and each scooter ride got a little bit better, a little less stressful. And shopping was definitely more productive with the scooter and my mother was definitely in less pain afterwards. So it was worth it.

And I just found out that my mother took her first scooter trip on her own recently. Hallelujah. Maybe she'll be willing to consider getting her very own electric mobility motor scooter now. I certainly hope so. I think that would make everybody's life a little easier, especially hers (subtlety may not be my long suit at this time of day, but apparently stating the obvious is… oh well, I can live with it if you can).

Labels: odds and ends

So there I was last night, walking from the drug store to the laundromat—waiting for the light to change so that I could cross 14th Street—when this lunatic in a white BMW SUV drove up onto the island in the middle of the street with the "No Left Turn" sign and the arrow indicating that traffic should flow to the right of the islands. Obviously, the driver saw neither the signs nor the island and he actually snapped both signs right off at their base. How fast must this guy have been going to do that? So then he simply backs up off the island, pulls back into the lane and proceeds to attempt to turn the wrong way onto 12th Avenue. Fortunately, he realized there was nowhere for him to turn before he crashed head on into somebody, at which point he drove blithely away.

I was a little freaked out watching this maniac... oh, did I mention that it was rush hour? So I decided to call the cops. I got a good look at the front of the vehicle as I was crossing the street but, since this silly province doesn't require vehicles to display license plates in the front, I only caught a glimpse of the rear plate... from a distance, in the dark. And I got the plate wrong. I so wanted to be a better witness than that. The sensible part of me is feeling like maybe I should start wearing my glasses all the time, even if it does make me queasy to wear them while I'm moving. But the quirky part of me thinks I just need some night vision binoculars instead! I even went so far as to check out these scope reviews online at Optics Planet.

Granted, I doubt I'll go and buy night vision binoculars just in case I have another chance to be a witness in the future. And I doubt I'll buy the night vision goggles just because they remind me of "Silence of the Lambs," but it's kinda fun to think about.

Labels: cool stuff, odds and ends

When you think of Christmas, what leaps to mind? Snow? Santa? Nativity scenes? Cranberry sauce? Presents? Whatever it is for you, I'll bet that I know one thing that doesn't leap to mind: a Chihuahua with a rifle! But I was visiting Boing Boing and found this link to a Christmas card from 1895 that might just change your mind:


Who thinks of this stuff?!

Labels: odds and ends

My friend's daughter is on the cover of this week's Calgary Sun Extra! The photo was taken last week at the Calgary Fire Department Toy Association Christmas Party at the Stampede Corral (a really fun and worthwhile cause, I might add). Apparently, the photographer took one look at her in her little Santa hat and a star was born.

Anyway, I'm not normally a sucker for things that are "just too cute" (although I have to admit that I loved "Happy Feet"), but isn't this picture incredibly, unbearably cute?! (Bad pun fully intended! )

Labels: odds and ends

Having recently been talking to a few people about new TV sets (it being Christmas time and all), I thought I should check out this handy "TV Guide." And no, I don't mean the thing you get each week that tells you the TV listings. I mean the online Guide to Television & Accessories that helps you in choosing a TV from leading brands. The site is definitely thorough, but I would have loved to have seen an interactive guide where you could have narrowed your options by selecting answers to specific questions. But maybe that's just because I'm inherently lazy.

Labels: odds and ends, tv

I came across this website that has cool historical figurines for sale. I was particularly interested in their ancient Greek, ancient Egyptian and ancient Roman figurines. The Centurion Roman Helmet with Red plume (see pic) reminded me of the helmets I used for my demons in the short film I shot over the summer. Unfortunately, my budget (or lack thereof) only allowed for cheap vinyl versions. Maybe someday I'll have a real budget and can use real helmets ("someday I want to be a real boy"... ahem... or girl, in my case ).

But back to the site, my favourites were the Egyptian Sphinx figurine (see pic) and the Ancient Roman Gladiator Helmet (see pic). This might sound very strange to many people, but I think that helmet would make the coolest candle lantern ever. I’m not entirely sure how exactly I would make that work, but I can just picture the candlelight dancing through all those little holes. You've gotta admit it would be unique.

Labels: odds and ends

I came across this cool site called U-DOO that lets you create custom ringtones with matching avatar characters. Check it out here. You can then download them to your cell phone or publish them on your MySpace page. None of which is why I like the site; I just happen to think it's lots of fun and kind of like a dress up game... or that create-a-South-Park-character site (see my Create a Character post).

Come to think of it, maybe it would be fun to make one for my film blog over on MySpace. Excuse me while I go create...

Labels: odds and ends

Without going into the genesis of my good mood (that has been lingering since Saturday), I figured I would simply post a video to express it. Granted, it's not exactly representative of any warm and fuzzy feelings accompanying my particular happy happy joy joy, but it's Ren & Stimpy so it's fun (and a little weird and wacky, which makes it even better). Enjoy:

Labels: fun, odds and ends

Okay, I know it's pretty pathetic to be posting a weekend update as late as Wednesday, but hey... I was painting my bathroom all weekend and I was kinda pooped. Especially my poor hands, that I'm forcing to continue typing even though they are stiff and sore and protesting. Not the kind of protesting that ends up with everyone singing "We Cannot Be Moved" or anything like that... come to think of it, maybe if my hands knew sign language they would be singing... or "signing"... protest songs (gee, just switch two letters and you can go from one to the other just like that *snap*).

Apparently, I also breathed in a lot of fumes, if the rambling nature of this post is anything to go by (not that I don't always ramble a little bit, but even I think this is getting ridiculous). So maybe I should wrap this up before I ramble my way into something I can't get out of.

Weekend Activities:

1. Cleaned bathroom (ashamed to realize that I never scrubbed the walls when I moved in earlier this year... years of accumulated grime... ick)
2. Prepped bathroom (I hate this part)
3. Painted bathroom a sort of apricot colour (some might call it peach, but I stand by apricot!)
4. Reinstated all bathroom accessories... except my light fixture, which I was planning on replacing with an identical but newer fixture (the original being about 20 years old and in pretty rough shape) only to find out today that it's not up to code so they don't make it anymore.

So, now I need to decide whether to put the old crappy light fixture back up or buy a new one that doesn't have an electrical outlet ('twas the only outlet in my entire bathroom... *sniff, sniff*). Decisions, decisions.

And here my weekend tale comes to an end. Hey, I should have asked my gay neighbour to help and then I could have called it my weekend "fairy tale" and we could have all lived happily ever after... oh, I slay me!
*sigh*
... Good thing I make somebody laugh.

Labels: odds and ends

I've probably mentioned my past attempts with online dating. Some successful, some not so much. My conclusion was that it was a logical way to meet that man who's "good on paper" but not necessarily someone that I wanted to date. Having said that, I did end up dating someone for two years that I originally met online. And I ended up becoming good friends for even longer with another man that I met online (and, at one point, actually ended up dating someone that I met through said friend). So obviously, I'm not entirely averse to the idea, I just no longer expect to find love that way.

Which is why I was intrigued when I came across lifeknot's Google gadget. It's not set up as an online dating service, but as a way to meet new friends based on common interests and shared activities. At this time, there are over 1,200 member-suggested activities. You can click the gadget's "Shuffle" link to see five random activities. Click an activity to see profiles and pictures of people who enjoy that activity. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

You may not find your soul mate, but you're sure to find a friend (and who knows... maybe that friend knows your soul mate).

Labels: dating, odds and ends

So here's the long promised post about my trip to Toronto. Main point of interest: my high school reunion. Unfortunately, Leaside, my alma mater, doesn't do reunions by year or even by decade... it's all 60 years at once. So it's really hit or miss as to whether you'll find anyone from your year.

In my case, I only came across one person from my graduating class but it turned out to be one of the people from my inner sanctum of friends, so that was pretty cool. And she had updates on some of the other people from that group (aka XYZ*), so I got to hear about how they were doing.

Jeanette, the friend in question, has just released her first independently produced, self-titled CD. So allow me to suggest that you check out her music and her website: Jeanette Lee.

One of the other friends Jeanette updated me on was Jennifer Griesbach, a harpsichordist now living in New York and involved in a variety of projects, including an early music ensemble called Sympatica.

Besides Jeanette, there were probably another dozen people there that I had actually hung out with and considered friends at various points in my high school career. And then there was the ego-boosting comment from one guy who exclaimed, "you're not supposed to look BETTER than you did in high school!" Gotta like that.

*You may be wondering about the XYZ... to make a long story short, one of our math teachers decided to hand pick students for an advanced Calculus class. The course code was Calculus XYZ. We all ended up becoming friends and often referred to our group by that invented course code. Why do I remember that silly piece of trivia? Because I immortalized it in a poem that one of those friends asked me to create for her high school yearbook:

From limits to lines,
derive it three times,
take the integral of the sum.
From strange biochemistry
(what rhymes with "emistry"?)
playing P and C on the run.

Fine food before lunch,
the cafeteria bunch,
first semester with X, Y, and Zed.
Doing phys ed in physics,
broad shoulders and biceps,
formal dates with awfully swelled heads.

All in all it's been great,
all our friends, loves and hates,
doing school work once in a while.
Next year, well we'll see,
Waterloo, U. of T.
XYZ will continue in style.

Okay, now I'm going back into hibernation because National Novel Writing Month has started and I have 50,000 words to write.

Labels: music, odds and ends, poetry

I thought you might be interested in what searches people make that direct them to my blog for the first time. And if you're not interested... well, too bad, because that's the subject of today's post anyway. So here ya go... (updated with a few links to some of the relevant entries, just in case this post ends up making you land here...)

Recent searches that landed folks on my blog:

"Bridget Jones" "attention deficit disorder"
Stewie Now is the winter of our discontent (Peculiar Dreams post)
Lord and Lady Astor (Apropos of Nothing post)
"red cockroaches" (Film Fest post)
Triskelion tattoo (Triskelion Tattoo post)
"go betty go" (A Pathetic Excuse for an Update post)
drunk cowgirls
Hallelujah different lyrics cohen (Hallelujah post)
Billy Klippert guitar chords
why am i craving limes?
bridget jones myers-briggs
"Butterfly effect" "theatrical release ending" (Time is on My Mind post)
design qualities of donnie darko website (Dark. Darkest. Darko. post)
hallelujah leonard cohen meaning (Hallelujah post)
"pornographic apathetic" (In the Wee Small Hours post)
lyrics shrek hallelujah (Hallelujah post)
"plot cards" writing "index cards" (NaNo Prep — Plot Cards post)
teen girl squad arrowed (Teen Girl Squad! post)
explain lyrics Leonard Cohen hallelujah (Hallelujah post)
meaning of song Hallelujah (Hallelujah post)
"Calgary municipal election"+results+2004
"how to handle office conflicts" (A Pathetic Excuse for an Update post)
foamy's rant scripts (Neurotically Yours post)
"green man" + "lovedeathbeauty" (Celtic Fusion post)
"War corporatism" film (War Corporatism post)
counterflux gallery calgary (Meet the Artist post)
mocking shadows
NaNoWriMo Graph
where can I find lyrics to Stranded in Suburbia (the newly added Melissa McClelland post)
calgary mayoralty candidates 2004
comparisons between bridget jones diary and "pride and prejudice"

And no, there's no great import to this post. Just categorize it under "Things that make you go: Hmmm."

Afterthought: Perhaps I should actually address some of those search items in greater detail... something to mull over.

Labels: odds and ends

The inaugural post of my inaugural blog and I've been concentrating so much on the design of it that I find myself with nothing much to say. I guess I blew too much of my intellectual budget on packaging and there's not enough left for product development. Hmm... hopefully not a sign of things to come.

So, who the heck am I? I'll opt for the enigmatic description of an eclectic and discerning eccentric who enjoys epicurean delights and ephemeral diversions... and today's show was brought to you by the letters 'd' and 'e'.

What to look for in the future:

1. More "So You'd Like to..." guides;
2. More bells and whistles (nature of said bells and whistles yet to be determined);
3. More deep thoughts (technically just "deep thoughts" I guess, since "more" implies that deep thoughts have been posted already... and if you can find a deep thought in this piffle, you're awfully talented at reading meaning into stuff and I bet you did really well at bullshitting your way through English 101).

So tune in next week (or whenever), same Bat Time, same Bat Channel...

Labels: odds and ends