Rec contr' Amor non es guirens lai on sos poclers, s'autra.

I've got two small bookcases (one three-shelf, one two-shelf) and a cd tower that are free! to anyone who wants them, or it or whatever. Take it all, take two, take one, whatever. Your choice.

In other news, clumsy_me gave me a tinkerbell mug for Christmas and it's awesome! It's my new favourite mug, and (this is important) it doesn't leak! Currently it's a little dirty and needs to be washed (mmm....hot chocolate) but as soon as it's clean, it's coming to work!

A.

Two in One Post

I kept forgetting to post both of these, so I’m just going to put this all together.

Firstly, my December reading list.

1. The Last Templar - Raymond Khoury
2. Time Was Soft There - Jeremy Mercer
3. Hotter Than Hell - Mark Tushingham
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - JK Rowling
5. The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
6. Written in Bones; How Human Remains Unlock the Secrets of the Dead - Paul Bahn
7. Star Wars; Betrayal - Aaron Allston

A wide range of books to round out 2006. My 50 book challenge actually started in April, so my year isn’t quite up yet. However, I read at least 64 books last year, however 59 of those were between April and December 31. I didn’t keep track between January and April, and I figure I must be missing a few.

I re-read a few favourites (ie the Harry Potter books and Day of the Triffids) but I made up for it and a wide selection of books – ranging from history to fiction, biography to politics, travel to romance. I missed a few sections (mystery most notably) but I’m hoping to get a few books of that ilk in in the next few months.

Secondly, my New Year’s resolutions. I really only made one this year, but one that I am intent on keeping.

I’m happy with me the way I am, faults and all. I didn’t want to make a resolution that I wouldn’t keep, and so wasn’t going to make any at all. But then, the other day, I got to thinking (while organizing the cooking section at Coles) that I really wanted to buy a cookbook. Which lead me to think, I don’t really look at the cookbooks that I now own (and I own a lot. I love cookbooks. I love the look of them on my shelf above my stove. I love the idea of having them there, of being able to open them up and cook something out of them. I just never do, you see. I never use them, I never crack them open, I just buy them and have immense pleasure about owning them. Much like I am with all other books, really.)

So, based on that, and my nearly-overwhelming needwant to buy more, my New Year’s Resolution is to use my cookbooks more. To actually make something out of them at least once a week. To peruse through them some evening, and make a list of what I need to make a certain dish, then when I’m grocery shopping buy that, rather than the old stand-bys of what I always make. This should help shove me out of my food rut, and cause me to spend less at the Food Court while I’m at work.

I’d also like to spend more time with my friends. New Year’s brunch pretty much waved that flag in my face. I had such a wonderful time with everyone who showed up, that it just reminded me that I don’t get to see people nearly often enough. We’re always all so busy, so rushed, that it can be hard to get together, but dammit! I want to change that this year. I want to get together for coffee, for brunch, for a movie, for a wine and cheese, for whatever and just sit and laugh and have a grand old time.

So what say flist? Is that do-able, or just another New Year’s “resolution” that will fade away into the realm of good intentions that will be dusted off every few weeks and held up as a “but I’ll start this tomorrow!” example?

A.

Hey, clumsy_me!

Do you like butterflies?

A.

quotation - for my birthday, feel free to bring me back paprika flavoured chips. Preferably Pringles, but any brand will do. Please? Pretty please? I'm dying for some, and they're not available in North America.

fellthisgirl - I sorry I have to miss your birthday bash :( I'm working until 11 that night, but maybe sometime in the up-coming weeks we can get together and chill? Please?

clumsy_me - Uh, when are you and mr_rhodes celebrating your birthdays? I've forgotten! Help!

A.

So, I'm in Chapters earlier tonight. I find a few books that I want/can give as gifts, so I eventually amble towards the cash, perusing the wares along the way.

I wait in line, flip through a few mags (TomKat, preggers! Brangelina has a bump! OMG!!!), then walk up to the next available cash.

"Do you have an iRewards discount card?" the salesgirl asks.
"No, I have an employee discount card, though," I reply, and I pass it over.
"Oh," she says, then turns to her co-worker and says "How do I do this?"

Now, it isn't that she didn't know how to swipe an employee card that got me, it was the fact that she didn't ask me. I mean c'mon! I work for the company! You could just ask me, rather than wait for your co-worker to finish up with her customer. Not only that, but wouldn't that be another great to way to check to make sure that it's actually my card, and not someone else's? As it was, she forgot to ask not only for ID but also which store I worked for.

***

On an un-related note, I'd like to point everone to the website of Alexandra Chowaniec , an old friend of mine who is an amazing artist. She's from Ottawa, studied Fine Arts at Queens, has studied in Venice, and is currently in San Fransico. Absolutely amazing - so pop by her site and take a look at her artwork.

A.

I promised my friend C. that I would hem his pants for him, so he came over today and stood on a chair while I pinned his pants. Then he got down and was about to leave, when I pointed out that he brought over three pairs of pants.

"So?" he said
"So," I replied, pointing to the other two pairs, "Do you want to have one pair that's three inches too short?"
"You'd do that just because I didn't try them on?"
"Not on purpose, but it could happen if I'm just eyeballing them against one another. Put 'em on and get up here."

Three pairs of Fed-Ex pants are now lying on the bed in my spare room, just waiting to hemmed and trimmed. Hemmed by about 5".

For payment, he bought me a hamburger from the Works. Yummy yummy yummy. I got take out, seeing as the place is right around the corner from me.

One of the regulars at the Oak wants me to knit him a sweater. He said he'd pay me -- "and don't be cheap, I want to pay you for your time, so give me a price, but make sure you add enough for the time and trouble it'll take you." The only thing is it takes me so long to knit a sweater. I don't have enough time to sit down every day and just knit - what with work, transit, cleaning, preparing for class, marking, reading and having social me time, I only get maybe an hour a day (which usually ends up being 2 or 3 hours every few days) to knit. There's no way I can start a sweater now and be done anytime before, oh, next year.

And just because I can, a picture of me making a weird face:



In this picture, I of course still have all that hair that got cut off. I have no photos of me with short hair making a face yet, although I figure it won't be long until I do.

A.

Dear bambiblue,

I blame you for the container of garlic stuff olives beside me.

Sincerely,

A.

Last year, Stairwell K (when they were Stairwell K) played a show at Cafe Dekcuf with a band called "Cherrybomb" - a chick band, who played somewhat rock chick music.

This summer, a girl from Vancouver, Jenny Galt, appeared on Rockstar: Supernova. I didn't start watching the show til aobut 2 weeks ago, so I never saw her. But I saw her name on the website yesterday, and I thought, "Wait, I know that name!"

Yes indeed falks, Jenny Galt is in Cherrybomb. How freakin' cool is that?

A.

I've had a week of social outings, so tonight I'm determined to stay home. Classes start up tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous, so some time spent reviewing what I want to go over during the first class should help to eliviate that.

My schedule right now has no days off. I've got two weeks straight of work, at either Stats or Coles. Thankfully, so far Coles doesn't feel like work, so I'm not drained at the end of the day, which is helping with the no days off. I'm still going to talk to the manager about getting a Sunday or Saturday off here or there. Right now things are a little wonky, what with the seasonal staff all leaving, so I'll wait until things smooth out somewhat.

Coles is working out good. I'm enjoying the work, and it's not difficult. I've always said that I like to work retail -- there's a sameness to it that makes it easy to do, you can go on auto-pilot almost, but at the same time, each day is different, and you meet new people (sometimes this isn't good) and the tasks, which while the same, involve different things.

plastikgyrl has been feeding my addiction to yarn. She bought me a gorgeous ball of purple wool, which will be used on a felting project I have in mind. I'm currently halfway through a vest that I started ages ago. And after that, I have plans for a turtleneck sweater, with a plaid design on the front.

I hoping to get to Toronto next month. We'll see how things shape up. I won't have a lot of money, so I'll be relying on the kindness of my friends for a place to stay. Not that I think that will be hard, I've got some wonderful friends in TO.

On that note, I'm going to go get ready for work.

A.

So an observation:

Why do I always wait with people at their bus stops? People being female people.

'cause it's a big city and scary things happen.

So why do I always wait alone at bus stops?

I mean, if anyone ever offered, I probably tell them to keep going, but it's worrisome[1] that no one fears for my safety.

A.

[1] worrisome in that not really kind of way.

So guess what I found today? A postcard, from _years_ ago, that plastikgyrl sent me, from BC.

It shows the side profile of a woman, with her tongue sticking out, and a hairpin through it. *grin*

I remember when I got, I kept turning the postcard around trying to figure out what it was. Then I got it. Such a great postcard -- I loved it then, and I'm framing it now (although, then I won't be able to read the back anymore, but whatever. I can deal)

So then I got thinking about Plastikgyrl, and what a great person she is. She's like superwoman, only much cooler. And, I imagine, more fun to hang out with.

A.

I'm cold, but content. I have absolutely zero money (in reality, I have minus minus money -- I'm overdrawn over my overdraft), but I am content.

I have banana bread. I have a great roommate (who has given two birthday greetings today), and friends who have been wonderful today. My family (mostly) remembered my birthday this year -- which is far better than most years, when _all_ of them forget. The bartenders at my pub gave me birthday wishes (which could seem like I go there too often, but in reality work two doors down, so that balances that out).

Things this year I am grateful for:

1. Still in remission. So far, only one re-lapse, and that was five years ago, so we're liking this. I'm "cured" but no telling when it'll crop up again, if ever.
2. Hair-dye as a birthday gift. It's been awhile since my hair has been anything other than ordinary. (although, it is short now instead of long)
3. I walk an hour a day, so while I'm now my sister's size (a little scary, that's a little skinny!), it's at least due to proper nutrition, and exersice, rather than being sick (ick)
4. My new, improved, feng-shui-ed room. We'll see if this works. *grin*
5. Some really really great friends who I love and/or adore, or just really like. Either way, they rock my world, and I'm saying "thanks for some rockin' good times."

A. -- I love the world today.