oh internets... you're my best friend...

I was so overwhelmed with the comments and the love that i got from everyone about my last podcast... you're all so sweet. you sure know how to make a gal feel loved. So, to thank you all for that, here's another one for your listening pleasure*

*again, you don't have to download it, you can just stream it if you want. :D

31/31 - x365 Ardath M.

i can only imagine what it must have been like for you to be an unwed mother in a small Mormish Town in 1955. I always compared you to my other grandmother, while she was all full of hugs and kisses and 'i love yous', you were standoffish and closed. You bonded through crafts. As an adult, our relationship changed, and i'm pretty sure i'm your favourite grandkid. I sometimes wonder, though, if your bonding with me is because you didn't know how to bond with dad, and maybe somehow that makes up for it. When i found out you had breast cancer, i didn't know how to act. I hardly saw you or talked to you - but living in Cowtown, only a few hours away, i was able to visit more often. I remember sitting on your couch and you telling me the road to your diagnosis, and that you were afraid. I had never seen vulnerability in you before. You were always tough as nails. You still are, but you opened that window just a crack and let me in just a tad. That's enough.

My friends.... I've just made your morning coffee better

or your tea.

i am the mug
by

madam_diva

Get this custom mug
at Zazzle

inspired by Saviabella's Ninja Fuck My Blog T-shirt, i have created for your online shopping pleasure a loverly mug - inspired by my first lady love of mastheads. She's so cute, look at her little fanny. Aww.

This mug is gauranteed to hold liquid inside it, and be the vessel with which to bring that liquid from the table/desk to your sweet little lips. that's right, people, it's allll about you. always.

Oh, and there will be a shirt in the works....stay tuned!

i've been lurrrrved

i have been loved over at blogsweluv
pop on over and read my 10 questions and don't forget to fill in the hearts at the bottom to show everyone how much YOU love my blog too!

if you wanna be loved too go on and answer the ten questions...

(oh, and if anyone knows the magic secrets to creating a button with a photo hosted on a place like photobucket - please email me at madam_diva at yahoo dot com)

30/31 - x365 Mr. Brock

i remember you teaching me how to play the "G" chord on the guitar after story time in the fourth grade. You marked our papers with varying degrees of "Mr. Brock" smiley faces instead of letter marks. I remember writing a story for class and you marked it with a smiley face complete with tight curls, glasses and mustache... your signature... but it was smiling a huge smiles with tears flowing all the way down the page. You were one of those teachers who loved his job.

happy halloween - here's my pumpkin

Volleyblog #2 - laura sings for you...cuz she loves you

So, it's my turn to volley the blog post in the Volleyblog game i'm playing with Paige. (for more info on Volleyblogging see Teeni over at Vaguetarian Tearoom)

Here's the recap:
it started with this post, then i wrote this one in response; initiating the volleyblog game. Paige volleyed back with this post right here, and now onto my response:

I'm basing my entire entry on one sentence from her post that inspired me:

I assumed that once in University I would magically fall into a career that I would love forever

Oh how i can feel the truth ring out in that sentence. All my life i wanted to be a singer. Sing sing sing is all i wanted to do. One time, when i was in my early teens, my friend Jenny's granddad was driving me home and he asked me what i wanted to do when i grew up. i told him my plan full of naivete: "I'm going to go to university and take music and then i'll become a famous singer", i remember the moment of silence that followed, and the creak of his old weathered hands on the leather steering wheel. He looked over at me and said: "Just because you take music in university doesn't mean you'll be a famous singer."


I remembered his words, even as i was auditioning for the music program, even as i was failing out of Theory and working my ass off to stay afloat. i remembered these words as i wrote paper after paper about harmonic lines in fugues. i remembered his words as i quietly and tearily told my voice instructor that i was dropping out of university. The only time those haunting words didn't follow me around was when i was actually on stage and singing.

it was a painful realization for me - that i may not be a famous singer. But, i didn't really want to sing opera, i enjoyed singing musical theatre, and i found i loved singing the old jazz standards... but what i wanted was to sing rock and roll. Sigh. how cliche - i wanna be a rock star, it's true.

i still may. but not by going to university. All university gave me was a thirty thousand dollar debt, broken dreams, and a fuckload of stress. When i left the school, i felt the weight lifted off me - it was amazing. People ask me if i'll ever go back, and the answer is always no. If you've ever felt a weight like that lift off of you, you'd be reluctant to go back too. i can still sing, i don't need a university degree to tell me i can. i can still sing. *

* you don't need to download it if you don't want to. You can just hit play and stream it from the interweb.

29/31 - x365 Jenny G... a little longer today

Met you at church - we were friends instantly. You were smack dab in the middle of a big Mormish family: 3 boys, 3 girls. You had long red hair that ran down your back, and in the sun it shone and i frequently would run my fingers through it. You had a very strong streak of the "Middle Child Syndrome" and i became an accomplice to many of your lashouts.

Both of us went to our respective small town elementary schools - but when it was time for all the small town elementary schools to merge into the junior high - we were thrilled that we were in the same class. Our friendship was cemented that year.

You were a badass. You were a bad influence on me - and i loved it. Because of you i eeked out my first real curse word.... 'shit' and when i felt guilty about it you said: "Fuckem!" We learned to shave our legs together in your backyard, in bathing suits. Lots of knicks and cuts and a few bandaids later - we felt all grown up.

You always had older boyfriends. At the time, i thought that was sooo cool - not until years later did i realize that an 20 year old dating a 13 year old meant that he was smarmy and gross, and couldn't get anyone his own age...and also - that it was illegal!

One night, you were sleeping over at my house, and we decided to sneak out and go into 'town' where the parties were. You had this 20something guy come and pick us up and we successfully snuck out to the 7-11. From there, we got in some other car and drove around all night. i didn't find out until months later that the house we went to at 2 in the morning to go swimming in their indoor pool didn't belong to anyone we were with - that i had been part of a break and enter!

We skipped school and went to the park to smoke cigarettes and talk about penises. I had never seen one before - other than in magazines, and neither had you. We both wondered if it hurt.

You had the highest teased bangs i had ever seen, and you wore lots of dark eye makeup - accentuating how pale your readheaded skin really was. i was tomboyish enough to resist the urge to tease my hair - and paint my face (luckily)

In the summers, we used to walk down the creek to the community pool at night and hop the fence and go swimming.

When i moved away, we were both heartbroken. we promised to stay in touch and we didn't. In a way, i was glad to leave because i was given a chance to have a fresh start. You were my freind, but you were also my only friend. I was deemed 'unpopular' and i admit it was partly my association with you. But i was extremely loyal to you and i wore my unpopular badge because i knew that you and i would be friends forever. But after i left, and we never wrote, and we never called, i knew that it was all for the best.

There was a road you were travelling, and my 13 year old self did not know how to get off that road. Luckily - my parents removed me from it before i ended up pregnant at sixteen. Looking back, all the "friends" i had in that town dropped out of school and ended up pregnant, some of them with multiple children from multiple dads - like you. That could have been me.

28/31 - x365 Allen G.

Blond hair and blue eyes - you were a bad boy who had been in and out of Juvey and my friend Jenny's cousin who lived across the street. We dated, right before i moved to the Skatch. on the night before we left, i stayed over at Jenny's and we arranged to meet in the treehouse for a last ditch make out session. i summoned all my courage, and in betweens gulps of air i slipped you a foil package (that jenny stole from her older brother's dresser). you stopped and looked at it, then at me. You shook your head "no", i was simultaneously horrified...and relieved. you were a dang good kisser. :D

27/31 - x365 Vanessa T

When i was fourteen, you were 21 and Uncle James was 28. You were married on a rock by the lighthouse in Victorian Garb, it was beautiful. You are an only child, so you adopted me as your 'little sister'. You forced me to make decisions in 30 seconds - which helped me to get over my indecisiveness. You were so beautiful and cool - it was hard to believe you liked me. Now, i am 27, you are 34, and Uncle James ins 41. You're still beautiful and cool.

a brief exchange

[laura's cell phone rings]

Laura: Hello?
B-rad: Hey....where are you?
L: uhm, i'm JUST turning onto George Road, i should be home in, like, 3 minutes.
B: Oh.
L: Why?
B: i don't suppose you stopped and picked up beer on the way home, did ya?
L: No, why would i do that?
B: I don't know, i thought maybe you just knew that i wanted beer, and you woulda stopped and picked some up.
L: i'm sorry, i left my "Mind reading pants" at home today. No beer. I'm pulling into the drive way. goodbye.

[click]

Grey Mood Turns Black...

....and now it's snowing....

26/31 - x365 Shlo Jasmine

You have the biggest blue eyes, and the cutest smile. You have a stubborn streak which makes me feel sympathy for your mom and dad... and watching you pull out that "silent treatment" face when you're angry makes me feel sorry for my mother - You remind me so much of me... i wonder what kind of mischief you're going to get into in the next 8 - 14 years. It makes me really glad to see that you're taking up the name Shlo. you don't know, yet, that it's a little jab at your poppa, but a friendly jab. I have called you Shlo since the day you were born. i'm glad to see it sticking. Last night, when we watched Chicken Little, you leaned up against me and rested your head on my knee. This is not the side of you i see very often, and i'm glad you chose your auntie's knee to rest your head upon. Love you little lady...

Something

there's something in the air right now - something that is making the insides of me feel like a five year old under attack from a big bad bully on the playground who won't let me go on the swingset.

i. don't. like it.

The phone rings, and my heart jumps into my throat like a mini panic attack.

it's not even that i'm particularly busy today - it's just ...something. i don't know. The full moon maybe? my body saying; "Nope, not this month lady!...(phew)" again? what?

the air is suffocating and i want to RUN outside and breathe... just stand outside and breathe... and i kinda wish i had a cigarette - if only for the excuse to stand out side and breathe for a few minutes. I know i can do that without a ciggy, but then i'm just the crazy lady standing outside staring at the clouds looking vaguely upset.

shhh. this is a quiet office. i don't want to voice/vent my inner frustrations because even if i did, i wouldn't be able to explain them. and it's not work related... its.... something. and i don't know what it is, and it's nameless and faceless and it keeps hovering over me like a big grey... Something -personified with a Capital "S".


i don't know if i should scream, or cry, or laugh....

TT#11 - no time!!

October is practially over and November is on it's way - before we know it...it'll be christmas and all that THAT entails... work is busy, i'm busy at home... so today's TT is:

Thirteen Things i don't have time for 1. laundry - i have various piles of laundry on my floor that i need to get done and one big hamper full of clean clothes that need to be folded and put away...grrr... 2. vacuum - with my new and improved Dyson vacuum, i've been meaning to do the "Deep Carpet Cleanser" kit that came with the machine. It takes about 45 mintues cuz the stuff has to set in the carpet for 20 minutes or more 3. read my book - i keep trying to read a few chapters at night, but i always pass out 4. grocery shopping - we have kraft macaroni in our cupboard and some leftovers in the fridge. i am avoided the 300 dollar grocery bill that will invitably show itself once we go shopping for reals. For the past 3 weeks, i've just been 'market' shopping and picking up a few things before supper. 5. get the cats new i.d. tags and licensed - i know it's the law, but i just don't have time to go over to that part of the city! i will though. eventually. 6. make appointments with: Doctor, Dentist, Optometrist - i keep saying i'm waiting for the medical plan, but even when that kicks in... 7. make pillow covers for the throw pillows i bought before we moved here - i just need to get my butt to the fabric store and pick up some swatches and then compare them to my living room and couches, and then create a pattern and cut the fabric and sew it up...i'm tired just thinking about it 8. finish raking up the back yard - i worked on the front yard all day on monday (my day off), but the backyard is huge! 9. clean the car - i've been wanting to give the car a good cleaning and vacuum before it snows 10. relax - seriously. 11. buy a new winter coat - i found one that i like, but it's $230.00. i'd like to shop around a bit more... but.... 12. work on some blog/template issues - meh. 13. spend time with my husband - it seems like we just see each other for 10 minutes before bed, and that sucks. boo. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! Add your Name to the Linky Machine!! But please leave me the love in the comments section. thanks.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

25/31 - x365 Ryan M.

you were tall, dark, and handsome...with shocking blue eyes. You were friends with all the cool girls, and i had a huge crush on you. I sat next to you in Mr. Greaves' grade seven class, i played on the same little league team as you, we both played in the high school band, you were my square dancing parter in gym class. When you 'broke up' with your 'long term girlfriend' i did what any grade seven girl would do. I had my friend Jenny as you out for me. She said: "do you want to go out with Laura?" and you said: "Who?" ...my heart broke that day at the school bus stop. i ran away with eyes stinging from my embarrassed tears. i missed the bus.

is anyone else having trouble seeing my masthead?? i can see it on my mac at home, but not on my PC at work...grrr...

zombies love karaoke too

Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net

ohhh lordy

i may very well be in over my head.

i have no idea how i'm going to do everything i have to do in the next month. I have, perhaps against my better judgement, agreed to direct a Lutheran Choir while their real choir director is taking some courses at the university. (for the low low price of $35 dollars a week, i will conduct your choir and censor myself from saying things like: Fuck, Cunt, Shit, Goddamnit, Jeebus Crisco, Cheese and Rice, and much much more!)

Not only that, i have my weekly ceramics class, and my thursday night Jam sessions. BUT on top of THAT i have signed up for BOTH NaNos.
NaNoWriMo AND NaBloPoMo.

one, to write a novel in the month of november.... 50,000 words!! that's like 1,666 words a day!
the other, to write a blog post for every day of november.

silly laura, what the hell were you thinking??

AHHH

if i have a heart attack and die, please play "Another One Bites the Dust" at my funeral.

24/31 - x365 Poppa

You have always been my greatest supporter and my biggest fan. From my earliest public performance as an 8 year old singing at Uncle John's wedding - right up to the Opera Stage, you have literally swelled with pride every time i opened my mouth to sing. When i announced to the family that i was moving to Cowtown to be with B-rad - you said you would pack up the truck and drive me there. After i was unpacked, you wanted to drive back home that day, but i insisted you stayed the night. When you left you hugged me and told B-rad to take care of me. As you drove away i cried. Before you walked me down the aisle, and then married B-rad and i, you hugged me so tight and told me you loved me, that i was beautiful, and that you were proud of me. i hope to always make you proud.

23/31 - x365 - Batman

Batman - you came into my life as a friend of a friend. You were always there to listen to me cry whenever dickface was, well...a dickface - and as a testament to your chivalry - you didn't comment on my rock hard nipples while i was pouring my heart out until 10 years later. You were my rock during a few extremely unstable years. And while you secretly harboured a desire to date me - i was oblivious because you were one of my bestest friends. Years later - when you married Jasmine - you went above and beyond the call for friendship duty when, after calling you - tear stained and heartbroken having just broke up with B-rad the day after your wedding - you didn't skip a beat, you said: "Do you want to come with us?" as you were on your way to your Honeymoon thad day. I don't know anyone on this planet who would do that, and i was a miserable mess. You came shortly after, even when i protested, and picked me up and hauled me off to the cabin at the lake where you and your brand new bride proceeded to get me really drunk to forget my woes. There have been so many adventures between us two couples. and there SHALL BE MANY MORE!!! (As soon as the baby gets off the boob so Jas can drink too) love you.

Music: Mememememe

Lovingly stolen borrowed from Earl
Like Earl - who's questions revolve around Jimmy Buffett - i apologize, many of these answers will be TOOL, TOOL, and more TOOL. Sigh. Onward!!

Musicology - the questions:
What is the first music album you remember owning? If not the same, what is the first music album you purchased for yourself?
What artist currently occupies the most space either in terms of shelf space or megabytes on your hard drive?
How many different types of music media (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc) have you owned in your lifetime?
Who or what has had the biggest effect on your music taste?
How do you currently prefer to listen to music?
In terms of music memorabilia, what is your most prized possession?
Have you ever "swapped headsets" with a complete stranger (meaning have you ever unplugged the earphones from your listening device and plugged them into someone else's player and had them do the same)? If yes, what did they play for you?
Have you ever been completely obsessed with a particular artist? Who and to what level did your fandom go?
What is the farthest you've ever traveled for a concert?
Who have you seen in concert the most?

The Answers:
1. What is the first music album you remember owning? If not the same, what is the first music album you purchased for yourself?

The first album i ever owned that was mine came from Columbia House, in cassette form. I remember it was a Christmas gift from my parents - but it hadn't come in the mail. So Chirstmas morning my parents told my older brother and i that there was still one more gift coming - and that it was in the mail and should be there anytime... when it arrived - my brother got:

Alanna Miles - Black Velvet


what i got was this:

New Kids on the Block - The Christmas Album. My first album. and i LOOVED it! keep in mind it was 1990 and i was ten years old. The first album i bought for myself, sadly, was Shania Twain's "Woman in Me". I know, i know... i feel shame. i was 13, and i lived in a small town in the interior of BC where the only radio station was the local AM station which played country and Golden Oldies. Sometimes, in my kitchen, if you put the radio right teeterin on the edge of the counter with the antenna pointing out the window you could get really scratchy poor reception of the Spokane radio station that played rock - it was all about the grunge at that time. Anyway, first album purchased with my own money - Shania Twain. i'm sorry.

2.What artist currently occupies the most space either in terms of shelf space or megabytes on your hard drive?

well, i'd have to say it's probably a toss up between Bjork and TOOL.

- if we just say strictly Bjork and Tool, i have 8 albums by Bjork and only 5 albums by TOOL...but if we expand that to include both Bjork and Maynard's other projects, i have 5 Tool Albums, 3 A Perfect Circle albums, and we will soon have the new Puscifer albums...and i also have a Sugarcubes album which is early Bjork.

Now that i think about it - my husband has the entire David Bowie discography on our computer, and it probably blows these two out of the water...spacewise. hm.

3. How many different types of music media (vinyl, cassette, CD, etc) have you owned in your lifetime?

uhm, lets see...Cassette, CD, Vinyl, DVD, DVDAudio, Minidisc... MP3, i think that's it. No 8 tracks for us.

4. Who or what has had the biggest effect on your music taste?

oh, probably B-rad. We both sort of fell in love with Pink Floyd and David Bowie at the same time - but he opened the doors for all kinds of metal bands; Metallica, Pantera, Tool, A Perfect Circle... but that's not to say that my music tastes have not influenced him just as much - cuz now he listens/enjoys Bjork, and Tegan & Sara, Jamiroquai, and many others that he wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole before dating me.

5. How do you currently prefer to listen to music?

i listen to Cowtown's classic radio station online when i'm at work - so i don't have to have an annurism every time the local station plays Nickleback, or Hinder. But my most fave way to listen to music is in my overly large - dorky headphones while painting. OR - laying on the floor in the living room with B-rad with the lights off while listening to our LPs.

6. In terms of music memorabilia, what is your most prized possession?

well, i'd have to say our DVD of the Lateralus Video by TOOL that is signed by Alex Grey - who did the artwork for the video and the album. My friend Rain got it for us when she was in New York and visted the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.

7. Have you ever "swapped headsets" with a complete stranger (meaning have you ever unplugged the earphones from your listening device and plugged them into someone else's player and had them do the same)? If yes, what did they play for you?

no, not a stranger, that's gross!! i did, however, share an earbud with my bro one day on the bus in Cowtown. We listened to the late great Bill Hicks "Rant in E-Minor". it made the 45 minute bus ride go much faster.

8. Have you ever been completely obsessed with a particular artist? Who and to what level did your fandom go?

i love Maynard. i want to have his babies. but i'd never stalk him, or hang out at his vinyard or whatever. It's not like i call his house and hangup... or have a restraining order or anything...uhm......

9. What is the farthest you've ever traveled for a concert?

Calgary. a seven hour drive. To see TOOL, and also to see Roger Waters.

10. Who have you seen in concert the most?

The Spice Girls!! WHAT?? no, i'm just kidding.... can't you guess??
i've seen TOOL 3 times so far - and by the end of November, that'll move up to Four times.

22/31 - x365 Rhino D

We met in the ninth grade - i sought you out when i was looking for the high school band. no one in my home room played in the band. We became friends right away, it's hard not to be friends with you. Though you probably won't admit it, i gave you your nickname - rhino. In art class, i found a picture of a rhino charging with some clever and filled with innuendo tagline and gave it to. Whatever. you have been one of my close friends since i moved to town. Your parent thought all those nights we hung out in your room that we were making out, and as we got older, having sex. in reality, we were reading comic books and drawing and laughing and playing with all your Star Wars toys. i hope that whatever path you take - you stay true to yourself and ultimately find happiness. I'm glad you're succeeding where all our high school teachers thought you would fail. You show those bastards.

21/31 - x365 FourLeafClover

We both played clarinet in the high school band, and even though she credits our friendship to a mutual friend, i'd have to say the i liked her instantly because she could play the clarinet, and she kicked ass - just like me. i had found an clarinety equal. She introduced me to Sailor Moon and various other cartoon delights. She hooked me for life when - to entertain me during band - she created an entire comic book based on and around me and her. She was a grade older than me, but that not once came into the picture. She is quiet and shy - until you get to know her, and eventually fate led her to the love of her life who was one of my bestest friends. how to sum this up in a paragraph?? She made me a small card with one of her drawings that said: "You are a Beautiful Person Laura". I put it on my wall right next to my light switch so i would see it every single day. She doesn't know the impact that little card had on my life, and my self esteem. ...and i know she'll read this - so Jas, now you know. thank you. love you. :D

i am a dot com!!

Well, here we are. Five years later! i've been on the old blogging campaign for 5 big ones, and for my blogoversary, i purchased myself....my own domain! That's right, i'm now the proud owner of www.iamthedivablog.com.

I tried to mark this momentous occasion with a new blog template with a new fancy schmancy masthead - but after 2 hours of fussing with HTML and photoshop not letting me use brushes, i just ended up saying: FUCKIT - as you can clearly see by the same ol' template.

Sigh. I almost had a template change that i liked, but it seemed so scary and i was losing all my fun little button and doodads, ....taureans fear change.

but i'll show you the masthead i was going to use, if i could have gotten the brushes working it wouldn't have ended up so plain...

cute huh?

yeah, anyway, blogger tells me it'll take a few days for my web address to change all over the internets, so for now you'll all be redirected automatically. hooray!

20/31 - x365 Garry G

For four years you were my vocal instructor. I was your pet project - the only student in your studio who had never had any kind of formal training. i was like putty in your hands. i resent you for that. i drowned in your studio. There was a time when i felt confident in singing, in standing up in front of a crowd of people and letting it loose. After studying with you, every time i succeeded, it wasn't my victory - but yours for having taken me from the gutters and putting me on that stage - like Eliza Doolittle. You took away that confidence, that joy. Once singing became a chore i had to leave. Now, four years later, i'm rebuilding that joy, for me. who knows if i will ever get back on a stage, but if i do, i'll do it for me, not for you.

a MEME without a catch

Have Want Meme (click on this link to see who i stole borrowed this from)

1. Car
HAVE - Chryler Intrepid - it's a big ol' Family Car.
WANT - What i really want is a Classic VW Bug. Sadly, not very practical in this climate.

2. House
HAVE- Beautiful 4 level with a fabulous back yard with lots and lots of trees
WANT- To be independantly wealthy so we can live in a house in the country and become musical hermits.

3. Job
HAVE- a job where i am coninually surrounded and inspired by art.
WANT- More money some day...

4. Relationship
HAVE – the best friend i've ever had who really knows how to show me a good time in bed... who constantly hits on my friends with sexy results.
WANT-to continue being surprised...with sexy results.

5. Kids
HAVE- an empty house
WANT- at least two little divas/rockstars running around

6. Money
HAVE- enough to live happily with a few luxuries
WANT- To win the lottery and move to the country

7. Cell Phone
HAVE- a chocolate
WANT- a phone that's not a piece of shit. sadly i have to wait for the contract to be up.

8. Cell Phone Provider
HAVE- had better service in other provinces
WANT- lower phone bills

9. Education
HAVE- traumatic memories of 64 page final exams
WANT- more art training

10. Talents
HAVE- Many
WANT- to be able to spend more time on each one

11. Computer
HAVE- Macbook Laptop and 22" iMac
WANT- i'm good, thanks.

12. Internet Service Provider
HAVE- government monopoly
WANT- my macbook to run as smoothly as the iMac

13. Hair
HAVE- Short dark hair with purple and red highlights
WANT- the patience to grow my hair long again, and the skinny face to go with it.

14. Eyes
HAVE- two (hazel)
WANT- only two (with my third eye open at all times - any colour it wants to be)

15. Siblings
HAVE- one older brother and 2 younger
WANT- i wanted a sister, but i'm happy the way things turned out.

16. Credit Cards
HAVE- had bad experiences
WANT- to have better experiences

17. Alcohol
HAVE- nothing to drink at home
WANT- i want beer....or red wine.

18. Pets
HAVE- 2 kitties
WANT-maybe someday a little dog, after the chillin's are born.

19. Collections
HAVE- CDs, DVDs, LPs, Books, Crystals, art
WANT- more art

20. Friends
HAVE- many, i've been blessed
WANT- to spend more time with them (i need a 10 day week, with 5 more hours in each day)

19/31 - x365 Willy Billy McN.

When you were born, i was five. I told mom to send you back because you were NOT the little sister i ordered. Because the other 2 bros already had bunkbeds, and i had the room to myself, your little crib came to room with me. Mom tells me that after a few weeks, i came to her and told her NOT to send you back, because i had grown to like you. You and i were close, and when you began speaking you had a language that was half baby - half english, and everyone looked to me to translate. You had a love for stories from a very early age, and i remember when i was 15 and you were 10, i read "A Wrinkle In Time" to you. When i was university - you asked me to read a short story you had written for your grade 10 english class. It was so good. It was terrifying. it gave me nightmares. Now, you are wandering. i know this talent lays hidden in you - i hope you find a way to use it. I hope you find your path soon. or at least a path to start you off. I'm glad i moved back - it's been nice to get to know you as an adult.

HOLY $HIT

i am on of the featured blogs this week over at Thursday Thirteen!! Hooray!!!

I'm so proud.

TT#10 - 13 Passages from The Thirteenth Tale

Thirteen Passages from THE THIRTEENTH TALE

www.thethirteenthtale.com

1. - There is something about words. In expert hand, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts. Inside you they work their magic.

2. - People disappear when they die. Their voice, their laughter, the warmth of their breath. Their flesh. Eventually their bones. All living memory of them ceases. This is both dreadful and natural. Yet for some there is an exception to this annihilation. For in the books they write they continue to exist.

3. - 'Politeness. Now there's a poor man's virtue if ever there was one. What's so admirable about inoffensiveness, I should like to know? After all, it's easily achieved. One needs no particular talent to be polite. On the contrary, being nice is what's left when you've failed at everything else. People with ambition don't give a damn what other people think about them. I hardly suppose Wagner lost sleep worrying whether he'd hurt someone's feelings. But then he was a genius.'

4. - The young people at the lakeside made a pretty picture from a distance in their summer frocks and white shirts. The glasses they held were filled with a liquid that sparkled in the sunlight and the grass at their feet looked soft enough to go barefoot. In reality, the picnickers were sweltering beneath their clothes, the champagne was warm, and if anyone had thought to take their shoes off they would have had to walk through goose droppings.

5. - I made a resolution to telephone my mother the next day, but it was a safe resolution; no one can hold you to a decision made in the middle of the night.

6. - 'Do you believe in ghosts, Margaret?"
Do I believe in ghosts? What could Isay? I nodded.
Sastisfied, Miss Winter sat back in her chair, and I had the not unfamiliar impression of having given away more than I thought.

7. - But those were private tears, and not for this man. The tears I gratified him with were fake ones. Ones to set off my green eyes the way diamonds set off emeralds. And it worked. If you dazzle a man with green eyes, he will be so hypnotized that he won't notice there is someone inside the eyes spying on him.

8. - 'You are at liberty to say nothing if that is what you want. But silence is not a natural environment for stories. They need words. Without them they grow pale, sicken and die. And then they haunt you.' Her eyes swivelled back to me. 'Believe me, Margaret. I know.'

9. - It was the warmth of her hand that persuaded me she could hear me. It was the warmth in her hand that brought all the words into my chest, falling over each other in their impatience to fly into Emmeline's ear.

10. - 'I am human. Like all humans, I do not remember my birth. By the time we wake up to ourselves, we are little children, and our advent is something that happened an eternity ago, at the beginning of time.'

11. - I should not have been surprised at the extent of Adeline's hatred. I knew how ugly her anger could be, had witnessed the lengths she might go to, I could scarcely believe it.

12. - I feel my heart die. What have I done? Have I...? Is it possible that...?
I cannot bear to know.
I cannot bear not to know.

13. - I did not see the wolf when he came. I did not hear him. There was only this: a little before dawn i became aware of a hush, and I realized that the only breathing to be heard in the room was my own.




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17/31 - x365 Steve E

there was a time when i thought i loved you. there was a time when we would laugh. there was a time we enjoyed each others company - but that all changed, and i hung on for 2 whole years trying to figure out why everything changed. i put up with all kinds of bullshit... lies, accusations, verbal abuse, you treated me with absolutely no respect and i let you in the hopes that i would make you happy again. Thank GOD i never ended up with you. but one rarely knows what one wants at sixteen.

SERVICE!! - The Lesson

i'm going to try something here, it's a game of Volleyblog...
"But Laura, what's volleyblog?" you ask me?

Let me explain. My new and dear friend Teeni created this game over at her site (read more about it here for details and full game rules etc etc) and i've been dying to try it out and now's my chance.

The jist of it is this:

"For volleyblog, any post can spark an idea to start a game. But after the initial post, you have to base your next post off of the post that responds to yours. You might have to be creative and use the old noggin but it is interesting to challenge yourself as a writer this way. The post you write has to be at least 3 paragraphs. It doesn’t have to be huge, but there needs to be enough content to generate an idea. You should comment on your opponent’s blog to alert him when the ball is in his court. It is not necessary to mention within the post you write that it is part of a game of volleyblog unless you so desire. As long as you and your opponent know which posts are relevant, that is what counts. There should be a two-week time limit to create a post if the “ball” is in your court. If two weeks go by and you have not written a volleying post, then you forfeit the “serve,” basically losing the game." - Teeni

So for my first attempt at volleyblogging, i took inspiration from Paige's x365 post about our old High School English Teacher, Mr. C (read the original post here)

When i was in high school, i had a very cool english teacher. One who was a little tired of teaching, you could tell, but he would always be available to chit chat before, after, sometimes during class about whatever you wanted as long as he thought it was somehow educational.

There came a time in my senior year where an Ontario school had banned the book "Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang" by Joyce Carol Oates. i remember walking into class and saying something to the effect of: "Hey, Mr. C, did you hear about that book being banned in Ontario?"

He had. When i had found my seat, we continued talking about the book. From what i had heard, they had banned the book because it was about a girl gang. I asked him what he thought about that.

Being a true educator, he turned the question back around and said: "Well, i think the real question here is what do YOU think about that."

"well, i haven't read the book." i replied. He suggested that i go and find the book at the local library and read it, then we would talk again.

I did. When i came back and told him that i had read the book - he asked me again what i thought of the book being banned. i told him that the parents in Ontario must think their kids are idiots.

We talked for a long time about censorship, and overprotective parents. The book had been assigned to a Grade 12 english class in Ontario, the same grade i was in. I told Mr. C how i thought it was insulting that parents would assume that because their kids were reading about girl gangs, that suddenly girl gangs would sprout up all over suburban Ontario. "give us some credit."

He countered by citing many other classic books that have been banned over the years because someone - somewhere - took it upon themselves to decide what was in people's best interest. Books like "The Call of the Wild", "Animal Farm" even "Hamlet" and "Macbeth"

This discussion has stayed with me, for many reasons. it is one of my favourite high school memories, and not only that - without knowing it, i had been taught a lesson on "Thinking For Myself" and "Questioning Authority". Because i was the one who had done the research, i could formulate my own opinion on the book, and not just leave it up to the mothers of the world to decide what i should and shouldn't be reading.

This was such an important lesson for a young 17 year old girl to learn. He was a very cool teacher. Very cool.

i have a treat for you...

Okay folkeroos... i am now awarding my fabulous poets with their fabulous prize! (please follow the link for your free gift and all the lowdown on the rules and where it originated etc)

ahem...

Saviabella:

There once was a lantern named Jack
Who couldn't pick up all the slack
A trick-or-treating they went
Lots of candy was spent
From the hole in the side of Jack's sack.

Jenn:

On Halloween night
I saw such a sight
A ghost on my stoop
It gave me a fright
My heart skipped a beat
Then I saw it had feet
I laughed at myself
As it said Trick or Treat!

Teeni:

There once was a gremlin
didn't believe in heaven
Got hit by a bus
now he's down here with us.

Melsie:

There once was a Diva ghost,
Who had a Halloween shaker to host.
She set out the punch
And treats they could munch
Set her toys by the door,
To sell to some whore
lit the jackolantern light
Carved perfect for that night
Put on a CD that was live
And waited for her guests to arrive.


and Paige:

halloween night
candy in a bowl
outside the wind howls
little ghosts and goblins
trick
or
treat

You have to picutre someone reading it wearing all black (b/c that's artistic) sitting on a stool on a stage with the spotlight on her, all slow and dramatic like.

Congrats folks. thanks for playing!

16/31 - x365 Grandma F.

you are everything i always imagined a grandma should be. Your eyes light up when we arrive at the door, and your smile is always so sweet - even when you're not exactly sure what i just said. i'm always amazed at how soft your skin is on your arms and hands when you hug me. You have always treated me like one of your own, i can see the uncondition in your love. It's not that i don't love my grandmas, its just that you're the grandma i thought grandmas should be like.

Five Years

I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour, drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine, dont think
You knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor
And I thought of ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, youre beautiful, I want you to walk

Weve got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
Five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we'e got

I was over at Red's blog checkin' it out and reading up on how she cusses like a sailor (I knew there was a reason i liked her). On her sidebar i noticed she was having a blogoversary in 27 days. then i thought to myself... "Hm, i wonder when my blogoversary is..." so i looked back, back to the very beginning - when i was a Diaryland girl. It turns out my blogoversary is in 5 days!! not only is it my blogoversary in 5 days... its my Five Year Blogoversary! What on earth will i do to celebrate!?!? i'll have to think on that one.

15/31 - x365 Jason D.

In grade 4, you passed me a note on the bus asking if i'd be your girlfriend. i said yes. We sat next to each other in the back of the schoolbus - both of us not knowing what to do...we sat close enough that the outside of our arms touched. at my stop, i jumped up and slammed my face into yours and kissed you. Your lips were wet and tasted like cherry lip balm.

Awarded cuz i'm sweet like that.

WOO HOO!! i've been awarded with Halloween treats from Cindy over at Whispering from the Wings (Thanks Cindy) which, as far as i can tell, originated at Hootin' Anni where she was giving away Halloween treats for five random commenters for every week of October.

Each day up until Halloween [October 31st]
I will be handing out
a treat for 1 - 5[one to five] bloggers who drop by
during the week for visiting.
You're more than welcomed to pass it along
to ones you think are deserving of a special treat
for the season.
Kinda like "Pay it Forward"
Y'know, one goodwill gesture deserves another?
But DON'T just choose your friends
making this cliquish and 'just groupies'...
Make NEW friends by choosing random visitors!!!
It seems that 'awards' are floating around blogland
and just "blog friends" get chosen all the time.
Make it RANDOM!!

If you do decide to share it with others
then, USE THIS "TREAT" IMAGE and
link it back to my blog and
explain where the idea originated.
Click on the image to expand and then save for displaying on your blog if you choose.

so, to keep it random, i will give this award to the next five people who write me a litte halloween poetry in my comments section. Startinnnnnnggg.........NOW!

14/31 - x365 Paige S.

we met in grade nine but became friends as time went on. We were brought together by the basketball team, but that didn't last long as my passion was for theatre and yours was for sports and competition fuels you. We did, however, meet in the middle through our passion for creative writing. When i moved away for my first year of University you used to mail me letters and stories you'd written. When you started university we would spend hours in the tunnel drinking mochas and laughing. When i moved to Cowtown there were a few letters here and there, but we lost track - i'm glad to see that after all those years we were able to pick up where we left off... the only difference is now YOU can drink ME under the table. Happy Birthday!

13/31 - x365 Cinda Loo

you came into our lives just over a year ago, you were so tiny. We had no idea what kind of personality you would have, or that you would chirrup all the time, or that you would be what we affectionately call ADDCatt. You are an enigma. You love to be petted, but can't stand to be touched. You have the loudest purr i've heard come from an animal that small, i can hear you purring in the other room. You drive me crazy, but i loves ya sooo much. kitty.

12/31 - x365 Jenny W

You were one of the cool kids. One of the Jennys. in grade 7 you sat next to me and you actually talked next to me on the playground. after grade 7 we went to high school and were in different home rooms. i didn't see you much after that - but i hope that you went on to do something with your life, and didn't end up a Jenny wife of Football player. i'll always remember how you tried to include me. it didn't fail because of you, it failed because of me. but i remember you for trying.

one of the perks of being home sick is having pumpkin pie and oreo ice cream for breakfast. Yeah. so? it's healthy.... it's like having a bowlful of vegetable and a glass of milk....right?

TT#9 - Thirteen Things wanted Dead or Alive

Thirteen Things wanted Dead or Alive 1. my blog (alive please) 2. Jon Bon Jovi (alive...for now) 3. Celine Dion (Dead, i dream of a fiery car crash that simultaneously takes out shania twain and brian adams) seriously, what i with her pants in this picture?? 4. Gout Weed (Dead...i've been trying but this stuff is seriously hard to kill) 5. Mario from Mario Brothers (alive!) 6. johnny five (ALIVE!) 7. The Candyman (DEAD DEAD DEAD!! This movie shard the bejeezus outa me, and to this day i don't like mirrors in the dark) 8. Frank Sinatra (Alive. i miss him) 9 & 10. Faeries and Unicorns (i wish they were alive - mostly cuz they're pretty. if they were alive the faeries would be killed on windshields and unicorns would be poached by douchebags so maybe its for the best) 11. This cold (dead - seriously that the fuck use is a virus anyway? it serves nothing and nobody!) 12. Mozart (alive... look at all he did by his thirties, imagine what the world and music would be like if he had lived longer?!?) 13. Britney Spears (alive...mostly cuz she's just so gosh darned entertaining! Seriously, we may have another wacko jacko here) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Add your name to the Linkey Machine, but don't forget to give me the comment love! thanks

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

pimping my own shit

i've put up a couple new posts here and here.... check 'em out.

11/31 - x365 Shirley M

You are hilarious. If i'm blunt, it must be from that side of the family, cuz you're one of the most blunt people i know. You came to my wedding from California and i was so glad you were there. You helped me stay sane - by keeping me calm. You became some kind of air traffic controller telling people where to go and how to get there (literally). You still send us birthday cards and anniversary cards, and the yearly christmas letter. Thanks auntie.

notes from last week's trip

Wednesday of last week, i took a trip down to the City of Queens for a funkshun. it was a busy scene. I was just doing some laundry and i found in my suitcase a tiny piece of hotel stationary with a few things written on it...

Fiona
Chlamydia
Red Wine.

What do those cryptic things mean? i thought back.

Fiona....yes. i remember now.... sitting in the Queen City office with Savia killing time after lunch talking about how awesome my new computer is. For those of you who don't know, i was blessed with a brand spanking new MacBook this summer. One of the many perks of my fabulous new job.

One of my many quirks is that i find it necessary to name the things i own (such items i have named include a guitar named Leroy, a Walrus names Walter, a Treadmill named Millie, at the job from hell i named my photocopiers Grover and Delilah...well you get the idea). and as i sat there chatting about my loverly computer i said; "y'know, i can't believe i haven't named it yet." we both gazed at my laptop when it became clear that the only name worthy of my most trusted and beloved piece of electronics is...Fiona....Apple. [tee hee hee....giggle...snort]. And so i decreed, with Savia as my witness that my little computer be named before god and all her fingerpuppets..... FIONA APPLE!

"Well, it ain't Fiona Apple, and if it ain't Fiona Apple - i don't give a rats ass" - Officer Barbrady

Second on the list... Chlamydia... What?? yes, that's right. Chlamydia. As Savia was playing tour guide and driving me around the city including a stop at her house to see my breast in action!! all framed up and everything!!... i digress... anyway as we were touring around in her little car, i saw something that made me laugh out loud.... it was on a bus - and my camera was in my bag on the floor - didn't think to grab it in time... but here's the billboard version that i borrowed from Neatorama:

....i have no comment, the photo speaks for itself...

"Are you serious?" i said to Savia
"Oh fuck yah," she said. "you'd think we'd be known for something else, like the Legislature, but nope....Chlamydia. yeah." i can see why she flourishes in such a city.

last on the list, was red wine....
okay, so... the Breast i painted was actually commissioned by Savia - in exchange for a bottle of her delicious home made red wine. Unfortunately, i believe it's frowned upon to send alcohol in Interoffice Mail. But luckily for me, she remember when i was in town, and i picked it up at her house and carried it around with me for the rest of the day.

mmmmm pretending to drink in my hotel room...or am i pretending to play the trumpet?

i didn't end up drinking it then, i saved it for later.... but it was delicious, and i seriously thinking about making some myself. it was daaaaang tasty.

oh the fun and mischief that savia and i get into when we get together....oh yeah, and she'll be in town this weekend too?? Oodelalay!

10/31 - x365 Kyle P

You were my next door neighbour for 3 years. You didn't like to play with me because i was a girl, and even though we were the same age, you prefered to play with my younger brothers. Unless we were playing Hide n' Seek - then you would grab my hand and pull me behind your garage in the trees and we would kiss until someone screamed Ollie Ollie Oxen Free. We were so innocent, only 7 years old. It was beautiful. i often wonder about you.

a Recipe? for Disaster?

So, i said that i would post the recipe for the Stuffed Thanksgiving Squash... and here it is:

4 acorn squash - we chose them mostly for their colour and their size. Also when you cut them in half they look like little flowers. They smell like pumpkin.

- cut in half and remove seeds. Cut off ends so they can sit without falling over later in the game. Place the squash face down on a glass baking dish with about 1/2" of water. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 - until soft.
while they squash is cooking chop into small pieces:

1 - green pepper
1 - baking apple (like macintosh or granny)
1 - small red onion
2 small tomatos
5 small cloves of garlic

add
1 egg (optional - it's just to make it stick)
1/2 C shredded Asiago cheese
Salt (a small handful is what i used, so i guess just gauge it yourself)


When the squash is cooked - let cool for about 10 mintues then scrape out most of the inside squash. Be careful when lifiting them from the water, they may spit hot steam in your face (we learned that one the hard way). Chop up the scooped out squash and add to your veggie mix.

mix them all together. This was fun, we just put our hands in there and mushed it all around.

Now, place your squash face up (now aren't you glad you chopped off the ends?) and fill each squashy bowl with the veggie mixture. Top with more cheese! As much Cheese as you'd like! The more the merrier!!

Throw it back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, watching that your cheese doesn't burn. i don't remember how long we actually left them in the oven for -keep in mind we drank a bottle of wine (Thanks Savia, it was delicious!) in the time it take to make these, so it's best to just keep your eye on them.

EAT!
If anyone actually tries this recipe, let me know how it went!

If anyone is interested in the rest of the menu:

Mashed Potatoes with Turkey Gravy and Mushroom Gravy
Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Steamed Brussel Sprouts
Lemon Roasted Asparagus
Stuffing
Buns
and Pumpkin Pie

Oh and two more bottles of Red wine, and a bottle of white.

Catch up!

Seriously.

I don't know whether i'm coming or going these days. There are about 5 quality posts that i have floating around in my head, but i haven't the time to sit and blog. Travelling for work was exhausting, and when i got home it was go go go nonstop with company over for Thanksgiving.

The meal was fabulous, though. It was a Veggie Thanksgiving at my house, and i'll tell you why before all you meat eaters freak out (not to worry, i also love a good turkey). Both B-rad and i have family just outside of town. So, we figured that instead of having turkey 3 days in a row, we'd try something new, and that something was stuffed squash. it was so delicious, and oh so pretty...

Also, B-rad and i bought ourselves a Dyson Vacuum and Guitar Hero - so it was a clean carpeted musical jamboree at my house all weekend!

9/31 - x365 Chyrstal K.

In grade four you decided we were going to be best of friends, and we were for years. You had wild and crazy red hair that you wore in a mullet, and you had already kissed a boy. You were the first to get a training bra, and the first to get your period. You taught me to inhale cigarettes and you had a Playgirl under your bed - and that is where i saw my first erect penis. On a roadtrip to Montana you and i sat in the bed of your dad's pickup and read books - you gave me a smutty romance book to read, they were outlawed in my house. when i moved away you never wrote. you never called. i heard some guy had knocked you up. when i saw you again years later, you were the poster child for white trash. it was sad.

8/31 - x365 Jim M.

When i was growing up, you were a drunk. You would always rub your prickly whiskers across my face and pinch my bottom and my blossing buds. I didn't tell anyone, cuz you were terrifying. Nobody did anything cuz what they saw was play. i hated you and didn't like to be in the same room with you. Five years ago, the doctor said you had to quit drinking. Now, i see you sober and i realize that you ripped me off. You could have been my grandfather, but instead you fucked it up. Luckily, there's still some time to get to know you, the sober you...

7/31 - x365 Tessa P

You are beautiful and free and i envy that freedom and your creativity. You intimidate the hell out of me, and i can't decide whether or not i want to be like you. New age hippy, you teach me new thing every day. I can still sing you out of the water though. You have a great smile, you have had a hard last couple of years. i'm glad you are coming into a new period in your life.

6/31 - x365 Mary H.

When i was young i used to love coming to see you. Visiting was such a treat. When i got older and quit going to church our relationship became strained. I told you off at a family reunion, telling you to back off. As much as you may have annoyed me in my teen years and even into adulthood, i still love you - and i hope that we will someday be able to get to a place where we can get along. Grandma.

5/31 - x365 Brent M

Dude, why did it take us so long to be friends? when you were six and i was four you got in shit for losing your mittens until you told mom you didn't have them cuz i'd lost mine and you gave them to me. You beat up a jerk for calling me a bitch because i wouldn't go out with him, i never knew until years later. You were always looking out for me...even when we weren't great friends, you were alwasy a great big brother.

4/31 - x365 Kate P-A.

You are like the little sister i never had. You were quirky enough to keep my attention and weird enough to be entertaining. You systematically lined up all my Troll dolls then pushed them off the edge of the basement stairs one by one. Now you have grown to be a beautiful and smart lady. You rock. but you're still a little weird.

3/31 - x365 Pam J-M

When we hung out together, we were the most hilarious girls around. Looking back i can't believe some of the stuff we used to do, and some of the hijinx we used to get into. (does one get into hijinx?) So many nights making eggs, so many chocolate cakes... so much laughing our stomaches ached for days.

the great mofo delurk

so... with only one hour and fifteen minutes left in the day, i make my post and my case for you to love me and delurk. Sigh.

i knew it would be a tough day to post, as i am on the road travelling for work. The only consolation i can see is that i was able to Delurkify my ass (and the rest of me) to the lovely folks at the neigbourhood pub in this fair city of queens.

I spent the evening along side my good friend Savia, introducing myself to my friends who i've known, but have never met. Including the likes of: Schmutzie, Palinode*, AbigailRoad*, Smyrish*, and Knuckletoes* among other fantastic but non bloggy type persons. i was so excited to meet them, and wondered to myself if they would like me. i feel i am a much different person in the internets than i am in person... but after a few drinks i was proposing marriage and hugging and it seemed that maybe i fit in after all... like maybe i was that cousin that you don't see very often who lives in another city who you used to play with when you were six. Y'know?

The Hotel has really craptacular internet connection, and i just spent the better part of an hour trying desperately to delurk on many of the blogs i visit... but the connection is SHITE! and even if i didn't comment today, i probably was there - i just couldn't make the damn thing work. i'll be surprised if this post actually works - to tell you the truth.

i'll make it up to you!

*i'm sorry - i'm having the damndest time linking all you lovely folks! (For everyone else, their links are right there...on your left, just a click away!)

but i am here, internets, and i loves ya!

random rambling...

as my work is entering into one of its two busy seasons, i can't help but feel like i've been neglecting you, my dear sweet internets. i'm sorry.

to make it up to you... i will now blabber on about something that is not very important. okay?

here's a list... of things....of no importance, given to you in random order.

• for the past 2 weeks i've been thinking to myself "Self, i should really get out there and take some pictures of all the trees before the leaves fall off!" now, i have my camera in my purse, but i fear i am too late.
• i think i want curry for supper, but instead we're having pork chops.
• I still have yet to listen to my newest Bjork cd that B-rad gave me for my birthday. it's instrumental and stuff and i probably have to smoke a doobie first. hm.
• the other night, b-rad and i had a 3-way with Maynard. i'm not kidding. So hot.
• TOOL is fucking coming to FUCKING TOWN! i know, but i'm really excited about this one. We thought when we moved back home that if we ever wanted to attend a cool concert we'd have to drive 7 hours to see it. But now, they are coming to US!
• Also, we're going to see Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie.
• i plan on wearing sweat pants all weekend.... three Thanksgiving Suppers in a row people... how much turkey can one gal eat anyway?
• Pumpkin Pie may be the most delicious pie of all time.
• As much as i love the colour Pink, it will never look good on me, so i should stop buying shirts of that colour.
• my back is achy.
• It seems my office is either a sauna or an igloo, and never a comfy medium.
• tomorrow i will meet so many of my old friends for the first time.
• what shall i have for lunch? Curry?
• i have a drawing of a mad scientist screaming "Mayonnaise!" as he marches with his penguin, Pingu, and a hot cup of coffee taped to my desk.

Well, back to the grindstone...

2/31 - x31 Mrs. Basij

I wonder what you were like in College. You were one of my favourites. You encouraged me to continue writing, even outside of 4th period English. We were pals, drama made us that way. You finally got married. i hope you are happy.

1/31 - x31 Matt W.

hey, i think i saw you a few months ago. i wonder if you ever moved out of your parents basement. you were pretty talented, but i think you hid behind your apathy so you didn't have to try. that's a shame.

x31

Okay, here we go, one person in my life...one for everyday of October with identities changed to protect the innocent. i'm sorry, i just don't think i'd be able to do it for an entire year... so i'm starting with this month and we'll go from there....

and i have to do it or Paige won't get off my back....

so, stay tuned....

oh...my.....GOD....

My boyfriend is coming to town......

TOOL is coming to my town!?!? can you believe it?? i am soooo stoked....

i love you Maynard.

Monday...Monday...Monday.....

Just a quickly to start off the week...

last night - went to see Tegan and Sara - so awesome.



Yeah... Damn your Mood Swings...DAMN YOUR MOOD SWINGS!!



The concert was in a church of all places.... but it was pretty cool... we scored seats right in front of the sound guy - (B-rad says that's where the sound is the best). The opening band was an all chick rap group from New York called Northern State, they were pretty good. Rap really isn't what i'm into - but they had some good beats and dope jams (lol - i don't know what i'm talking about). They had high energy but, like i said, rap's not really my thing.

Tegan and Sara were hilarious. B-rad gave me a DVD of their concerts last year for Christmas, and it was good - but not impressive...kinda boring cuz all they do is just stand there and sing. But then, i realized, they cut out all the back and forth banter between the sisters, which is so very entertaining. Seriously, they were fucking hilarious, and i love their new album even more.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE IN THE QUEEN CITY SEEING THEM TONIGHT!**

they did the most kick ass version of Rhianna's "umbrella". it rocked. Hard.