Friday Night Lights and sounds and paints and memes

Well, it's Friday night, and here i am...meme-ing. Somewhere along the line i got old. i used to party like a rock star on Friday nights. But today was kinda hectic for me - so its nice to relax and not have to worry about being social....plus there's the PMS...and the grouchiness....i wouldn't be much fun anyway.

i did get some painting done. I'm really excited about that. Don't bother checking the painting blog cuz it's not up yet. i made it as a present for someone...and i don't want to tempt her... i don't know if she has as much will power as saviabella (she commissioned the breast). So it was nice and chilled out relaxation time, i listened to Damien Rice - i might be addicted.



Seeing as i tagged my dear sis-in-law with the thankful meme, it's only fair that i do hers.

Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following... They MUST be real places, names, things...NOTHING made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name:
Laura

Famous Artist/Band/Musician:
Lily Allen

4 letter word:
LUST

Vehicle:
Lamborghini

TV Show:
Lost

City:
Las Vegas

Boy Name:
Leonard

Girl Name:
Lainey

Alcoholic drink:
Loose Goose

Occupation:
Lawyer

Flower:
Lilies

Something you wear:
lenses

Something you do:
laugh

Something that you like:
lust

Celebrity:
Leonardo DiCaprio

Food:
Lasagna

something found in a kitchen:
Ladle

Reason for Being Late:
Lusty Lovin'

Cartoon Character:
Linus

Thankful Tag

*just a reminder about the great MoFo Delurk*

Okay, so...

my good bloggy buddy Teeni tagged me with this Thankful Meme....

it's very simple: The purpose is to list 6-8 things that you are thankful for then tag 5 others to list what they’re thankful for.

i'm not sure if Teeni knew that i needed to be tagged. cuz i did. Today has been such a crappy day so far, i'm up to my armpits in paperwork, the phone keeps ringing, people are in and out of the office, and on top of all that - i'm cranky, hungry, PMSing, and craving chocolate... what better time for me to slam on the brakes and think of things that are positive that i am thankful for... and with Thanksgiving just around the corner (October 8th for us Canucks) i guess it's fitting.

alllrighty... here we go...in no particular order...

1. - doorknobs - i am thankful for doorknobs, because without them i would just stand outside looking blankly at the door wondering what to do next.... those shiney little doodads help me get inside places i want to be, and get away from places i don't want to be.... thank you doorknobs, you're the bees knees.

2. - Chocolate - in this crazy world.... chocolate is really such a luxery and a treat, we don't stop to think about it, but it is. Not everyone in world can hop over to the store and pick up something tasty... but i can, and for that - especially today - i am TRUELY thankful....and for THESE i am also truley thankful....

3. - Clean Water - i make it part of my daily routine to drink at least one litre (32 oz) of water everyday. I am thankful that i live in a country where we have clean water readily available. I'm also thankful that my Hot Water heater works again. mmmmshowers.....

4. - Music - for the ability to sing it, make it, listen to it, experience it... in general my live revolves around it. I am thankful for my talents and for the talents of others, and the ballz it takes to go out there and do something with that talent.

5. - B-rad - i am thankful for the man i call my husband. so very thankful that i have been lucky enough to find and fall in love with my soul mate, and for him to love me in return. I'm tankful for the man who puts up with my shit on a daily basis, and loves me anyway.... I'm thankful that he inspires me to be silly, that he makes me laugh, that he laughs at my jokes, that he strengthens me, that he encourages me....and i'm also thankful....for the bedroom.....wink wink......... fucktastic!

6. - Freedom of Choice - i am EXTREMELY thankful that i don't have to put up with your shit if i don't want to. that i have the freedom to walk away, the freedom to tell you what i think of you, the freedom to praise who (or What) i want to, to believe or not to believe, to wear my hair long or short, to wear pants or a skirt, to express my thoughts and feelings without persecution, to vote or not vote, the freedom to tell my government when i think they're doing a piss poor job and not be afraid of what will happen, the freedom to marry or not marry, the freedom to choose who i marry and when, the freedom to work at my job and to have independance, to be considered a human being, to be respected, to be a citizen.....to have all of these freedoms and still be A Woman. So many of these basic freedoms we take for granted.

7. - Guitar Hero - seriously.

8. - My family - if i love you, you're my family whether you know it or not. i am thankful to be close to my mom and dad again, to get to know my BIG-little brutha. I'm thankful to be closer to my inlaws...most of the time...lol. I'm thankful that i'm getting to know them better, that i'm around to see the kids more often. I'm thankful to be back in town where my friends are, but i'm thankful for the friends i made in Cowtown - even though some of them never call...jerks.... lol. I'm thankful all you friendternets... the ones i've met (love you!) and the one's i've yet to meet (can't wait!!). My family supports me in ways i never knew possible... and i loves ya!! all of you!!

Whew.

thanks teeni, i really feel better now. Nothing like forcing yourself to realize how good you've got it to bring you out of a funk. You're a doll.

Now the taggy tags....

Paige - everyone go over and say hi... she's new, but she's fab.

Melsie - i'm going to do your scategories meme eventually, i promise.

Wenchwire - cuz i like you and i want to be your friend

Kristin - cuz you're cute

Saviabella - uhm, cuz i tag you everytime.... and cuz i love you...

Now go out there and get thankful....and don't forget to leave comments cuz you don't wanna be a MOFO do you???

The Great Mofo Delurk of 007

Okay everyone ....it's time!! The Great Mofo Delurk is happening.... in... SIX DAYS!! This is the brilliant brain child of Schmutzie and her pals. The gist of it is this... okay, so - it's time to come out of the shadows you lurking readers you... and tell us who you are.

to quote the schmutz:

It is time that all you lurking mofos delurked, and we have given you six days to prepare yourselves (and ourselves, ahem). On October 3rd, delurk you mofos! Say hello! Share who you are! Put an end to your m*th*rf*ck*ng lurking and leave a comment!

We want to hear your voices in our comments, and we will love you mofo'n lurkers for it. We really will.

So, make sure you say hello when you stop by. We'll start with October 3rd, then take it from there, i promise i'll love you if you just say hello!!

To join in and to get your own button go here

TT#7 - The Sally Ann

After posting 13 things about Growing up Mormon my friend Fourleafclover emailed me and said she found my list to be very informative and that she wondered if she could come up with 13 things about the religion she grew up in...

She did.

So, with out further adieu, here is her list - written from her point of view (a la copy and paste from her email) and posted with her kind permission:

Thirteen Things about The Salvation Army 1. - The Salvation Army has always been an institution that’s all about the music – particularly brass instruments. Being a woodwind player this always left me feeling a little out of the loop since they only have Brass Bands. Why have just brass when the whole range of strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion sounds so much better, in my humble opinion? After some Wiki-ing I found out that historically the band served as the bodyguards/distraction for the missionaries. The church officers would go do their thing and the band would play nearby. “Look – a band!” folks would say in the late 1890’s instead of “Look – there are those uppity-Methodist types doing another salvation march. Let’s throw rats at them.” 2. - The Salvation Army has a youth program for the young’uns in the church to become Junior Soldiers. This starts you on the path to becoming an officer in the Salvation Army. After a certain allotment of hours in summer youth programs I was offered a spot as a Junior Solider. I turned it down. I don’t mind my church – I just don’t have that level of commitment. 3. - Historically the Salvation Army started as a church that ministered to dregs of society, prostitutes, alcoholics and addicts. (They were detested by The Church of England and other polite society Christians as a result) They still do the street level ministering. Soup kitchens, outreach centers, etc. They always preached against the evils of gambling and alcohol and it’s use is prohibited by Sally Ann officers. 4. - Now people have always loved their alcohol and this preaching against the consumption of it resulted in a major late 1800’s backlash against them in the form of a group called “The Skeleton Army”. They don’t exist anymore but they use to make a point of showing up wherever the Sally Ann officers where going to be “doing their thing” to tar and feather them. Or throw stones and rats at them. Or rip their uniforms. Or in a few cases fatally beat them. Anti-Sally Ann sentiment faded as soon after the Army became known for its disaster relief efforts. 5. - They do this fundraising thing for missionary work called Self-Denial. It’s sort of like the Salvation Army’s version of Lent. I must confess that I’ve never gone through the Self Denial process so I don’t know how denying yourself something equals fundraising but they always had one of those big thermometer posters hung out where you fill it in with a red sharpie to indicate how much money was raised. I never really participated in Self Denial. 6. - When I was little I was in the Salvation Army’s Singing Company. That’s what it was called – The Singing Company. We put on musicals that were fairly glitzy for a church production, with giant props, costume changes, set changes, dance moves and a man dressed up as a giant Hymn book. Remember that song that the Flanders family sang to Homer (that he tried to run away from?) “God said to Noah… there’s going to be a floody-floody! Get those animals up on the arky-arky!” We sang that! We had a giant cardboard ark with floating animal heads on sticks behind it and everything! 7. - Apparently only Canadians affectionately refer to the Army as “Sally Ann”. I wonder where that came from….? It’s neat that they’ve finally embraced it – now they’re just calling their stores “Sally Ann”. My Mom and I always called the community living charity receptacles “Sally Ann Bins”. 8. - Ah….. Sally Ann thrift stores. Thrift store shopping is great and I’m proud that I have even a loose association with a church that does the thrift store thing. Better than Value Village but not as good as your local small-town Mennonite thrift store. 9. - I’m not sure how often the officers in the army have to move around but we never kept a set of Majors more than four years… I think. Then, as a Salvation Army Major or Captain – you get moved to another congregation somewhere in the country. My mother hated it when her favorite Major was shipped out to Vancouver . He helped council her through a particularly hard time after my cousin snapped, robbed a bank then committed suicide. I can still remember his answer after my mother asked him if my cousin was going to hell. “No he won’t because that wasn’t really him.” Maybe I’m clinging to semantics but I always like to think of that as true. 10. - When Hubby and I got married by the current Captains – we had to go to their house once a week for “marriage training” but I don’t think that’s particularly unusual to the Salvation Army. We had lived together for two years prior to marriage so the training was moot and we got fast-tracked through the course. 11. - I must confess I always found the designation of “Major”, “Captain” and the like to be a little odd. I understand the link between basing your organization off of an armed forces template to be at war with the evils of the world, onward Christian soldiers and all that but still….. Jesus wasn’t about war, was he? 12. - When I was little I had an argument with my best friend about wine and wafers. She maintained that I didn’t go to a “real” church because we didn’t drink the blood and eat the body of Christ. I responded back with “That’s because we have a lot of alcoholics in the congregation and we don’t drink the wine out of respect for them.” She rolled her eyes and said “Use grape juice like you’re supposed to!” I found out, much later of course, that Sally Ann doesn’t do the communion as they felt (upon conception of the organization) that people had become more devoted to rituals than to their faith. I gotta say, even tho’ I’m not into religious organizations – they’ve got a pretty good argument going there. 13. - Lastly, I have found them to be nothing but nice folk in general. I go to church so seldom and they don’t push it. I don’t get phone calls telling me about the latest church picnic, I don’t get visits masquerading as friendly reminders to come to church sometime. They just leave me be and let me come when I’m good and ready. Despite the fact that I haven’t been there for a long time, they through me a really nice baby shower. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Add your name to the Linkey Machine... but don't forget to leave me the love in the comments!!

Sounding Board

Facebook is a crazy phenomenon.

If you're not down with the Facebook - and you've been living under a rock...Paige....facebook allows people from your life keep constant tabs on your life. I, personally, use my facebook account as another form of Email with an oh-so-convenient stalking functionality. Because you're able to check up on all your peeps, read their wall posts, look at their photos and check their status updates (similar to Twitter) and stalk keep yourself updated.

the downside to facebook is the inevitable day when you'll have to decide if you want to add that guy from high school who was super creepy and liked to smell your hair from his desk behind you.... or even better still... whether or not you want you Grandma to be your facebook friend. (both of which are scenarios i have encountered) what is the facebook etiquette on ignoring friend requests? i have decided to just say Fuck it. That's right people. Fuck it. If i don't give you the time of day normally, why would i allow you access to pictures of me licking another persons face while doing tequila shots? i didn't lose too much sleep over it, i just decided one day to start deleting people i had no interest in 'friending'.

Now, i don't think twice about ignoring a friend request if i think that having that person as a facebook friend will add stress to my life.

Until last week.

i recieved a friend request from a name i didn't know... "Who is this Shelly Smith-Lohan?" i thought to myself... "and why would they want to friend me". Now, when you are being 'friended' on facebook - if you are the recipient of said 'friending' - you are granted access to that persons profile so you can look around and decide if you want to accept or deny their invitation. it took me a while to figure out who she was, as i hadn't seen her in over five years, and she looked a lot different then. it turns out that it was Shelly, the little girl i nannied on the Uber Mormon California Road Trip.

Mr. Plant, her stepdad, was a real creepy ultra religious type dude. He was the one in church who - when he'd get up in church to speak - everyone would roll their eyes and stop listening. He liked to point out how much doctrine he knew, and show how much holier he
thought he was. He believed he would be the next Mormon Bishop - once the current Bishop was released, because he thought he was the best for the job. The most knowledgeable and the most pious. I guess he didn't add humble into that mix. instead, my dad became the next bishop.

Here's a few examples of his craziness - he was engaged to Shelly's mom for seven years.... (kinda like how in the bible Jacob worked for seven years before he was tricked into marrying Leah...and then another seven before he could marry Rachel?? hmmm). He prophesied that when he was married to Francesca they would be 'blessed with four young boys'. He told me he saw it in a vision. When he and Francesca did get pregnant, they had a girl. sucker.

When we went to California, every problem we had was solved through prayer.
Oh no, we're lost in the middle of Wyoming? Let's NOT ask for directions, instead let's pray and God will find us a way out.

At the time of my California trip, i was having a lot of trouble at home with my exboyfriend, Dickface. Every time i talked about the problems i was having, Mr. Plant would spout off some scripture or quote by some person i didn't know or care about and then tell me he would 'give me a blessing'. (a blessing by the laying on of hands invokes the power of the Holy Spirit) and he would gather Francesca and Shelly around me to bare witness to the event. it was embarrassing, uncomfortable, and unnecessary. i soon learned to just keep my mouth shut.

after the trip to California i wanted nothing more to do with him, church.... and also because of him, Francesca and Shelly. When i moved away to Cowtown, i was glad to never have to deal with them ever again.

then a few days ago - out of the Facebook blue, i get this friend request. Now, from what i remember of Shelly, she was hard core Mormon - but i didn't recognize her because she was going by a different last name, not Plant. i decided, after some thinking, to add her to my list - but to send her a message being very blunt and open that i didn't go to church anymore because i didn't believe in it, in church, in religion in general, that i drank like a fish and swore like a Sailor. I told her that i saw Mr. Plant on the street and i wanted to run him over with my car.

Then she messaged me back - and i was at a loss. She said that shortly after that trip to California her and her families lives turned into hell. Mr. Plant began molesting her at 14 and beating Francesca - an continued to do so until Francesca took the kids and left him 2 years ago. After they left, Shelly told her mom what had happened to her, and now Mr. Plant is being charged.

i felt sick.

all those years. it's not like i didn't think it was possible. but it didn't do anything, i didn't say anthing, i didn't do a thing. Years after, when talking about Mr. Plant and how truly fucked i thought/knew that he was... i would casually say things like: "Y'know, he's so borderline fundamentalist and fucked - i wouldn't be surprised if he tried to make Shelly one of his wives." unfortunately, i wasn't too far from the truth.

I didn't know what to say to Shelly. i mulled it over for a few days. and then i wrote her back. She seems so different, all our messages show her to be such a different person from the 10 year old girl i went to Cali with... and even more grown up and beautiful than the shy, quiet 18 year old girl i would see at church at christmas....

She told me she's had enough with church. After living something that traumatic that is infused with doctrine and scripture, i can see why she's turned away.

i've chatted with her a few times on MSN. she wants me to call her sometime, but truthfully, i don't think i'm ready or willing to be roped into the drama, it's more than i am willing to try handle right now. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person. it makes feel guilty when i think about it, i know that all those years in church she looked up to me.

So for now, we chat online once in a while, and send each other facebook messages.

another quicky....

substansial posting will commence soon, i promise....until then, read this:

my blogging sister Kristin may have unknowingly started a meme, if you'd like to play please link back to her blog - cuz she's a tad narcissistic and has what some would call 'an ego' and it would make her day and she just moved to Edtown and she's homesick and this is my blogging equivalent of a hug... so here we go:

what are your TOP FIVE FUCKABLE CELEBRITIES? (and it has to be celebs only, musicians are another animal all together) these are mine:

1. - My boyfriend Johnny Depp
2. - Romany Malco from Weeds
3. - Ryan Gosling but all shaggy like his character in The Notebook.
4. - Jude Law - yeah i know, skeezy nanny guy - but sooo sooo cute in The Holiday
5. - and then it's a tie between: Hugh Laurie, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant... so i'll take all three at once in an all Brit 4 some. Meeow!


anyone wanna play? c'mon it's easy and fun to think about...mmmmmdreamy.....

a quicky

i just went to the ladies room to discover i'm wearing my underpants inside out.
yeah.....i'm hoping to start a trend.

Contest for FREE STUFF!!

So in my comments from the last post, i was invited over to Amy at Amy's Random Thoughts to participate in a comment contest. I think the idea is to read the posts and comment on each one. The winner gets one of the fabulous prizes listed on her site. So, as i am a sucker for free stuff, i'm joining up.

Remember here are the rules
1) Post the contest on your blog.
2)Make comments on this blog and over at Valtool's Box for 1 point for each comment starting today and ending midnight next Friday.( I love to post so keep an eye on it.)
3)Keep an eye out for extra points
4)You don't have to answer every day. Example, You can catch up Wednesday for Mon-Wednesday
5)The blogger with the highest amount of points wins. the highest will get first choice, and then so on. A random prize will go to someone who posts on both blogs at least twice.If there is a tie, it will all work out.
6) Can you play if you live outside the US? Absolutely. The only prize I can not ship outside the US is the football appetizer dish. Last contest we had a winner from South Africa.

Sweet. So i'm gonna try it out and see how it goes. From what i gather from her site, she and her husband are both preparing to go to China to get their brand new little one. How exciting for them!!

If you're interested in playing this game, hop on over and let her know you're in like flynn.

TT#6 - 10 Years Ago

Thirteen Things I WISH I COULD HAVE SAID TO MY 17 YEAR-OLD SELF Trust your instincts. In the next 10 years they will prove to be very beneficial to you, so learn to use them now You are beautiful and funny. Don't stress over 'finding love'. Love will find you - when you least expect it, and it will be worth waiting for. Never let boys treat you like less than you're worth. And you are priceless. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself Stop worrying about what people think of you - because high school fucking sucks, and odds are you won't speak to any of them ever again anyway - and the ones you DO keep in contact with will be worth it. Stay out late, and have fun. Getting a B on an assignment won't kill you. Party more, enjoy your teens. It's okay to masturbate. You won't go blind, you're not evil, and it will be worth it... trust me. Besides, if you don't know what an orgasm feels like, how will you ever be able get there during sex? oh, and every guy you've ever met in your entire life time has...and DOES...some of them many times a day. Sing! Every chance you get, even if you're scared. Treat your mother with respect. She's a really great person, and she understands more than you think she does. also, she'll love you forever, no matter what, so you might as well talk to her. Don't keep things locked up. Get your damn drivers license! don't wait until you're 19 and B-rad forces you to go get it. Be kinder to the people you know you should have been kinder too. it will bite you in the ass later. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! add your name to the Linkey Machine

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

something to ponder...

...what does it say about your relationship, when your husband quickly changes to the porn channel to hide the fact that he was watching the Fishing channel??

Ghost of Halloween Past

part of me is wondering... "Is it wrong to be eating Barbecue Corn Chips for breakfast"

the other part of me is screaming: "Fuck no! it can't be any worse that eating a CrackDonald's breakfast, or NOT eating any breakfast at all"

i love that part of me.

*Crunch crunch crunch*

------

In the past, Halloween has been a big production. My friends Fourleafclover and Batman have always made it so, and believe you me - their enthusiasm is contagious.



The first year that i got involved, we dressed up as the gang from Scooby Doo... yours truly was your fabulous Velma, natch.

Oh the events that followed that night...

it went over so well that the next year we were able to round up a few more people to do the Addams Family! (Wednesday Addams)

i think i really am that pale...

That spring i moved to Cowtown and i thought my days of halloweening with them were over, until they called and said: "We're bringing Halloween to you!" and we went as Batman/Batgirl and Superman/Supergirl.

Seriously, check out those boots... we completely wrapped my boots in red electrical tape! kick ass! Also, the Crow in the back is my littlest Brother Willy Billy McNilly

The year after that, we didn't do anything for Halloween - we handed out candy to about 9 kids and then went to bed. And last year we were so busy getting ready to move back home that it came and went and we hardly even noticed it. But now that we're back, with the whole gang, the question is "what kind of costume can we come up with for large group of people that is relatively easy to pull off and cheap?"

They thought: "How about Spartans?" well, really Spartans are only good for the dudes as the ladies had such a minor role in the movie - yes yes, i know that the main spartan's wife was hot and political and stuff... Okay, hm... how about other characters dressed up as Spartans? i.e. Napoleon Dynamite in a spartan costume, or Borat in a Spartan costume.

hmm. Still pretty gender biased.

there have been other ideas - like Ghostbusters. I mean, we don't have to be one of the main four, maybe business has expanded.

or Zombies. That's pretty easy to do.

the plan, i believe, is to get our big group together and get on a pubcrawl bus and dance dance dance the night away... so the costumes have to be something relatively cool so we don't die from the heat. Like one year (the Addams Family year) there were an entire pack of dudes in CareBear outfits. all i could think was : "they must be dying!!"

But the thinking caps are on! and i will keep you posted, it's only six short weeks away!

blurby

the leaves are rapidly changing colours 'round here.

The air is crisp.

This morning, i scraped the frost from my windows.

The river is turning into a beautiful Fall landscape

It's time to pull out the warm sweaters.

Fall!!

All Hallow's Eve is fast approaching, with no costume ideas in sight.