* not with ink

Every once in awhile, I see something that makes me laugh out loud, while also blowing my mind and confusing me. Earlier this week, it was a little boy at the park, wearing a shopping bag as a romper. I wanted to take a picture (I started to take a picture), but he was playing at the splash pad, and his guardian was there, and let's face it; creepy much? Thankfully, Karen was with me, and she can draw. Here is what he looked like: I do not know whether this was his mother's idea or his, and if this is supposed to somehow keep him dry? All I know is, he was quite content in his perfectly-sized grocery-bag get-up.

Yesterday, I woke up and walked to the bathroom and thought, There is no way I can go to work today . So I slept all day (did you notice I was too tired even to tweet!?). And managed to "sit" long enough to watch some So You Think You Can Dance with Karen, but she had to bring it into my room. This morning, I felt a bit better and decided to shower. And then I needed to nap, and around 11am, I thought, Maybe I should go into work this afternoon . So I left at noon, and got money to buy transit tokens, because I knew I couldn't walk like I usually do. And by the time I got to the streetcar station, I thought, This may have been a mistake . But then I thought, It'll be okay once I'm there and sitting down. So I got there and sat down, and staring at the computer screen made me feel woozy, but I lasted for two hours. I did the time-sensitive work and then I came home. Then I napped. Deeply. And now it is Tuesday evening, and I am feeling hungry-ish, for the fi...

A little curated list of things I've found about-town. By which I mean, on-line. Interesting things just pile up and pile up in my browsers. Here are some of them. This kid's perspective on Maroon 5 's big hit "Moves Like Jagger" cracks me up. This is like pinterest for recipes . It's very, very dangerous. ( Vanessa , you'll love it.) I recently decided to start exchanging postcards with strangers around the world. You may enjoy doing the same. Did you know that  the "City of London" is not the same as the city named London ? A fascinating and informational short video.      5.  Needs no introduction. ( via A Softer World )         6. This amazing art from Marc Johns   continually amuses me. There should be laws like this.     7. I'd hate to make this gaffe , but I do wish jobs would land in my lap...     8. Related:  I feel like this Wondermark comic .

It is Thursday, and I have used shampoo and  conditioner twice this week. I feel somewhat guilty about this and also relieved. My hair feels soft again, and my eyes see less frizz (others see the same amount). At the same time, the look and feel of my hair on my current products is not exactly what I want either. I like how quickly my hair dried on the natural plan, and how my curls went into big fat ringlets. I am going to keep exp-hair-imenting. Maybe I will mix using natural and commercial products. I will definitely be trying out some curl-specific methods & lines. But unless I find a magic solution that is THE BEST THING EVER, you probably won't hear more about it here. Because, really, who wants me to blog about my hair? I think you'll much prefer the next post.

When I came online yesterday morning, the following email greeted me: From: Alasdair Lindop Date: August 21, 2012 8:50AM Subject: disappointed You didn't send me the Hey Ocean MP3. You quoted me in your blog without permission. Double kick in the balls. One in each ball, to be precise. ouch. Well. Just to be clear, Alasdair was " friend #1 ." He was online, so I messaged him. me : i'm sorry!    on a scale of 1-10, how upset are you really?   Alasdair : 17    the damage has been done me : this is it, hey? the end of our friendship-road. over a funny quote and the fact that i didn't turn my laptop on when I got home at 10:30 last night.   Alasdair : precisely   me : it's only fitting, i suppose.   Alasdair : fitting? me : that this is how it goes down.    over a music battle.   Alasdair : right.   me : and because i didn't give you enough of a platform on my blog.    it m...

I am online all day  (except for when cables are cut and we have no phone or internet, as happened last week. Hopefully it never happens again), and I have two international friends with whom I sometimes chat. It is life-giving and often entertaining. Today was both. friend 1: how was the cottage? me: so. so. good. friend 1: hmmm. so good, then? me: yes. i wanted to stay forever. i loved not speaking to anyone. friend 1: haha i think i would go crazy maybe maybe after a few hours it would balance out and i'd learn to love it me: my boss just said the same thing. that she would go crazy. i don't know what it was...but it did kind of make me want to be a hermit. i mean, eventually i would want to talk to people, i think. but i don't know how soon. friend 1: haha you'll never find a nice boy that way... ;) me: yeah. i don't know how to find one anyway. although dream-beth met a nice boy around 5 am this morning. friend 1...

Last Thursday, I walked to work wondering what I would do all weekend, as my two favourite Toronto peeps were out of town... by the end of the day, I had dinner plans for Sunday, an ultimate tournament on Saturday, and a houseguest/stranger arriving Friday evening. It was a full, eventful, and very fun weekend. I have a place to stay if/when I visit Australia, an ultimate team for the rest of the year, and what I would call a budding-friendship with the sister of a teacher from my old high school. As in, her sister was a teacher when I was a student. And not a young teacher. And it feels hardly-strange to be her friend. This morning, a week later, I am counting down the hours (2) until I am off work. Then I am going to pick up a car, go to an appointment, run an errand, and drive away. Due north, to cottage country, where I will read, take photos, wander in the woods, and maybe even jump in a lake. I probably won't speak to anyone for 48 hours. I can't wait.

Just thought I'd share with the world:  my name is Beth and my hair is gross.* I am not so enthused this week. The homemade gel worked(ish), but left my hair greasy/dirty faster than the special post-shower products I'm used to. So after two days of use, I officially discontinued it. I have a very low tolerance for dirty-feeling hair, and I don't feel like my hair is as soft or clean as it used to be. Week 1 was fantastic, but that didn't last...I don't know if it's the ratio of ingredients that need adjusting (I tried a slightly diluted cider vinegar rinse last night) or if it's something else. My hair is either frizzy or greasy and I've hardly worn it down at all. It is looking unlikely that I will keep this going past next week, but I will wait until at least then to make the final call. *gross is a relative term, and it's not that awful. I would guess most people wouldn't even notice.

At 27, I sometimes feel so old. My eyes are starting to wrinkle, and I think maybe my heart is too. Laugh lines and worry creases from years spent squinting into the future. But I am young. Let me be young. Let me be who I am, as I am. And please, do not leave me out. Sometimes I have nothing to say. But it is not because I have no thoughts, no feelings.  I have too many thoughts, too much feeling.  Sometimes I am extroverted, maybe too opinionated. Please do not tell me I'm naive, that "someday" I will understand or think differently. Perhaps I will. But for today, I am here. I am not naive. I am hopeful. I am young, but even still, my eyes see clearly. They see so much. They have already seen so much.  You have seen different things .  Maybe you have seen more.  My mother says to me one day, "You have more divorced friends than I do." There is no judgment in her words,"It must be hard for you to have hope." This is understand...

I have been home for four weeks; twice as long as I was gone. This seems surreal and sad. I had a lovely weekend, though, and am looking forward to this week. Although this trip is not fully "finished" or processed in my heart, I think it's about time to give you all the photos you've been waiting for. And one video. So here they are.   top to bottom: Amsterdam, around town, in the forest, at MishMash, sunsets,  riding a boda-boda

Tuesday night concerts are tough for me. They're cheap (or free!) but they're mid-week, and I want to be at home and in bed before midnight, because that's how I roll. I'm so grown-up. We drank wine and ate guacamole and talked about boys and Europe and art and adorable cats named Sawyer. I felt pleased to introduce my friends to my other friends. Second time this summer I've had a concert quartet of just-introduced ladies. Over at the Horseshoe, ID check was perfunctory. "Do you have your cards?" We fish them out and he doesn't even look at them. "That's the kind of carding I like!" says one friend. The crowd is not too big and we make our way to the edge. A band called Silver Lining  plays. I'm digging the accordion and think, This sounds like an east-coast house party . They later say they're from Newfoundland, and everything about them makes more sense. The band we came to see is Milo Greene . They opened for Th...

After a week of washing with my homemade cleansers, my hair is just as soft as before. Maybe softer. My scalp is definitely less irritated, and my curls have fantastic shape and better definition. So here are the recipes/routine: "Shampoo" 1 c water (filtered/distilled/etc is probably best) 1 Tbsp baking soda "Conditioner" 1 c water 1 Tbsp cider vinegar few drops tea tree oil The Routine 1. I store the shampoo in a spritz bottle and the conditioner in a regular little bottle. 2. In the shower, I spray the shampoo directly into my scalp, making sure I get it in the areas most prone to getting greasy (for me, crown & temples). 3. Massage it in/rub it around. It is only very slightly gritty. Mostly it feels like water, but make sure you let it exfoliate. 4. Rinse. 5. Pour conditioner through hair, roots and tips. Let it sit for a bit. 6. Rinse in cool water. C'est tout!  The only hair-drawback I've noticed is an increase in topp-layer f...