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Showing posts from February, 2013

Important Public Service Announcement

Guys. Guys. Guys. I have a new nephew! This is important because BABIES! BABIES. Cute little beige baby with lots of hair and a big head (the midwives said so). Sebastian Gabriel. me: "Ah! I can't wait to squeeze him!" his mom: "You can't squeeze him. You can hold him gently." me: "Just a little squeeze? A baby-appropriate squeeze." I'm very proud of my sister. Although she had no control over this, she was less than four hours from the first contractions to baby's birth. I find this impressive! Particularly for a first child. If I ever have a baby, I am certainly hoping I've got the same fast-birthing genes. Is it genetic? I don't even know. Well done, Momma. Congratulations, Lalo & Sarah. Welcome to the world, Sebas. Photos coming, as soon as I can get myself to Guelph to take some.

A New Old Camera

I recently inherited a Minolta 5000 SLR (I think that's what it is?) and took it out with me for Monday's coffee crawl... I didn't realize that the film I'd thrown in was black and white, but boy am I glad .  Aren't my friends lovely? Am I allowed to admit that I'm incredibly happy with these pictures? Ok,good.

Signs I Am Stressed

Canker sores Tight shoulder muscles Clenched jaw Poor sleep Morning lack-of-appetite Difficulty focusing in conversations with friends Poor posture I didn't think I was stressed, but then I realized all these things were happening, and it turns out my body is saying "Something is going on and I am not at rest."  So I am gonna listen to that.

The Worst Ever

Sometimes, the internet is a wonderful tool for unexpected delights and exciting new discoveries. And sometimes, the internet startles you with unwanted knowledge and scars you with images you can't unsee. And I don't just mean the sex stuff. Yesterday, I was looking for an image of a particular person using Google image search, when suddenly, in the third line of images, was a photo that was definitely not someone's face . As my brain processed what I was seeing, I quickly refined my search terms and carried on. Although I was somewhat amused, it wasn't exactly the sort of picture you casually show your boss... So that was it. But last night, when Karen & Jackie (our fabulous houseguest for the week) asked about my day, I remembered. And I needed to share the trauma. So I pulled my computer over to the middle of the living room, entered the same search term, and started scrolling. Of course, from a different account the results weren't the same, and

3 of My Favourite Internet Artists

I am very happy each time I see a new post in my RSS feed from any of these men. Their art style is simple, their insights profound, their humour relateable (relatable?). head to xkcd.com to view the scrollover... how true this Marc Johns drawing is. So exactly how I often feel . Thanks, Dave Walker.

Meals on Feet

Two weekends ago, I was out for coffee (and sugar) with my roommate and our neighbour-friend. As we walked back to our building, I lamented my lack of groceries and how I tend to get meal-fatigue despite my love of cooking/baking/eating well. I asked her if she ever experiences this, and how she combats it. "Pinterest." She confidently replied, "And I meal-plan. I have to, now that we have a kid." She lamented that it is tricky as a solo-person. You have to do all the work, all the time. You end up eating leftovers for DAYS. You get away with things like dry cereal and half an apple... We talked a bit more, and she went up the last flight of stairs, and I sat down and still had to think of what to make for food that week (despite the half-dozen cookbooks I own, I frequently come up empty). And then she emailed. A link to Pinterest. Another link to Pinterest. A third Pinterest idea. AND. Also: we could maybe plot meals to share?! Like a mini pot luck! This si

Bucket List Journey: How To Turn Your Birthday Into An Art Show

I am so proud of my frequent blogging this week. And a little afraid you'll be sad when I don't duplicate the output next week... But until then, ONE MORE POST! Actually, it's a post on a friend's blog. Jess and I worked for the same organization, once upon a time, and although she was (unfortunately) afraid of me the one time we actually spent time together in person (this makes me sad, but I did not have a great deal of emotional energy at the time, and I can understand that I wasn't the friendliest friend on the block), we've become friends over the interwebs and often dream of the day we'll cement things in real life. In my imagination, we spend an afternoon at a Montreal coffee shop talking and laughing and writing and hug at the end and tweet an inside joke the next morning.  Anyway. She is doing a series on The Sweet Feeling of Accomplishment  and subtly hinted that she wanted me to write about my 26 Secrets Birthday-Art-Show. So I did.

Body Work*

Hey, aren’t you all wondering how my bruised and battered body is doing these days? I’m so glad you asked! First off, my toenail is still attached . It is 70% dark purple, and there is still swelling at the base, but it is in place. Some people think it will fall off in the next 3-4 months. Some people think it will survive & simply grow out. This person is both fearful and hopeful. I might decide to paint my toes to cover it up, but at the same time, I am fearful to let go of my daily watch. (I was going to post a picture, but for the sake of Amelia , I have refrained.) Next, the major bruises on my legs are fading. I continue to find new and unexpected ones, but they are generally smaller and less obnoxious. I feel proud about my continued sportiness (“Winter” seasons of both soccer and ultimate start this week!), and will gladly bear the marks. Especially if there aren’t any actual injuries that would require a break from sports or some sort of actual treatment… Once it’s

Reading in 2013: Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Way back when I was a youth, my sister was reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles for school. I picked it up and flipped it open and read a few random pages and it seemed so dramatic and moving and exactly all the things I loved in my romanticized view of the 19th century. This is the memory I had, and in the back of my mind I thought I would one day read it. Fast forward a decade and a half, and I still hadn’t read it, but then I got a Kobo, and all of a sudden, the Gutenberg Project means ALL THE CLASSICS OF EVER are available to me, for free. Convenient. So I downloaded twenty, and decided to start somewhere. With Thomas Hardy and the sure-to-be-fantastic Tess. Well. It is engaging and engrossing and, folks, oh-so-depressing. I am not opposed to depressing novels, but there was something about this one that just wouldn’t let me go. I pressed on, groaning and skimming and praying for things to have some little slice of hope… On Sunday night, as I was trying to force myself onw

Music Flashback: Da Dip

Does anyone else remember this song? And if so, did you EVER see this video!? Crazy times. There is so much to say: a. those crop tops. b. the hair styles! c. orange. d. why the children!? e. all the languages! f. the floating TV