What Planet are YOU from?

I am from MARS

You're energetic, althletic, and totally hyperactive.You love playing sports and being in the middle of all of the action.You're independent, corageous, and brave. Unafraid to do things your way.Mars can be reckless, quick tempered, and a little too spontaneous.So think before you act - and resist your natural urges to dominate others.

Ha ha! I'm from Mars! Who would have thought...

Weekend Report

I had nothing extreme planned for this weekend. I was not going to do any renovations, I wasn't going to paint a room, replace flooring, change a toilet out or swap light fixtures. By all accounts on Friday I was just going to have a quiet weekend alone. This is why I don't do quiet!
I don't even remember Friday night, so I have no comment.
Saturday was spent scrapbooking and finally using the gift certificate I received for my Birthday! I finished 2 albums (our 2003 x-country trip) and then started playing the piano. I went curling, sort of, had some photos printed, went for dinner, had a few drinks (the one slushy apple one was horrible!) and went to an open-mike night at Cowboy Coffee. The duo, James Wolf, were awesome, and by far in my top three faves for live performers at open-mike. Thanks to T&B & kids for the intros and great company, as always...
Sunday I was surprised that my parents decided to make the trek to the Loops through the snowfall on the Coquihalla. I found out later that although it was snowing here, the highway was clear the whole way. I was in a mad panic to clean the house a little for their pending visit...I can't remember the last time I vacuumed the TV room...hum... Last night my dad and I were given tickets to the Blazers hockey game and they destroyed the visiting Portland Winter Hawks 8-0, the last 3 goals within 2 minutes! My dad and I hadn't been to a hockey game in over 15 years, and we had a great time.
Today, I'm sleepy...maybe I'm getting sick.

PIANO!

The piano is being delivered today! No, I did not just purchase a piano! Silly, this is my piano from when I was very young. It has been moved from Toronto to Montreal, to the cottage and then Vancouver, and will soon have a permanenet home in the Loops! I think I will put it in the trampouline room, as it seems to have great accoustics when Chow and I practice our howling. As I am alone in the house these days it is the perfect time to practice and remember what it was like to play! I can't recall the last time I actually played anything other than chop-sticks with my niece Alicia!
Oh the Christmas carols that we will sing! Taking requests for sing-alongs!

Guest Room is Open!

I've finally finished (for now) the renos of our guest room. I stripped the old wall paper, removed the chair-rails and base, and repainted everything. If I had the time, energy and the money, I would have ripped the carpet out and put down hard wood floor. Someday!
This is an old dresser that had seen better days, that I refinished and painted. The photo does not do it justice, but it looks amazing! I am very proud!
Some shots of the guest room...taking reservations for the 2007 season!

Blog Dog

An update about Blog Dog Fletcher, aka the chow. He is now officially registered in Kamloops as a dog. I could not believe what a process it was for me to get a dog license for him (we were bad and didn't register him last year). I thought that since I now work for the City, I should lead by example. The nightmare that it was to "prove" that the chow was neutered was unbelievable! As he was born in Quebec, his original vet papers are all en francais...nobody here speaks that crazy french talk and didn't realize that "male-châtrer” means castrated male. Pardon? I threatened to bring Fletch in with me, and they could lift his pantaloons and see for themselves that he, pardon the expression, has no balls!
Well, they finally agreed about the gender of the chow, and he is registered in this fine city of ours. But my goodness...the hassles we go though for that mutt! Gotta love him!

So I'm going to add to my previously mentioned list of "crap" to do...cause this stuff is important as well.

• go through our wedding photos and FINALLY pick the ones that go in the album
• finish the scrapbook of our 2003 trip across Canada and the US (I know, I'm slow)
• finish the scrapbook of our work trip in Russia (again, 2003)
• start the scrapbook for our Honeymoon in Australia (I'm only a year out on this one!)
• find a local carpenter/cabinet/book case maker to start the process for our built-in cabinets in the trampoline room
• pick a carpet for the TV room, as the vomit pink is starting to get to me
• replant my Christmas cactus plants, as they have completely outgrown their 4" pots, and are probably root-bound, but I will attempt to save them!

I don't need to worry much as most of these line items require little financial input. I just need to find the time!

Going Crazy

Unfinished projects make me crazy. Every time I walk into a room they just jump out at me. No drapes, holes in the wall, no door stop, a chip in the paint or complete lack of paint, only half of the baseboard in place, chair rails missing. The thing that makes me craziest is that the unfinished project is that only because we lack time and energy. You see, all of the supplies needed to complete most of the household projects that stare me in the face from the moment I wake until the moment I slumber live in the workshop or the garage. They call to me while I sleep - "please, come and get me, I'm ready to complete your project." If only I could learn the 'get by on 4 hours of sleep' technique. Then, maybe I would have fewer projects on my to do list.My wish list of things to do includes the following:

• Finish painting the guest room
• Re-install baseboards and chair rails in guest room
• Reno the guest bathroom (much bigger job than I imagined)
• Complete Emergency Preparedness Packs (I attended a Pandemic Planning Workshop…’nuf said)
• Go to the optometrist for new glasses
• Finish Organizing the Garage - this will happen in the spring
• Refinish my old trunk

It felt good to be self sufficient today. And, if the way I feel about painting the guest room the most lovely shades of Martian Meadow and Harvest Brown and being half way done with baseboards and chair rails is any indicator of how great I'll feel with the other stuff done, I'd be willing to take a bet or two. Stay tuned.

The Renos of the Guest Room

stripping the chair rail, finding 3 layers of wall paper
one of the layers was painted PINK!!
the paper slowly coming off
I think I made a mess

Finally clear of the hideous wall paperfirst coat of paint
looking pretty good!

Well I am happy to report that my trip to Vancouver this past weekend, despite the reason for it, was not the traumatic event that my last drive on the Coquihalla was. The roads on Thursday and Sunday were both dry, the sun was shining and the music blasting away. Of course I was singing!
The memorial service for Uncle Tony on Friday was really beautiful and opened my eyes and heart to a whole other side of him that I didn't know, unfortunately, until now.
I think the funniest thing of the weekend, though not at the time, was when 9 of us were leaving Dodie's apartment for the service on Friday, and we got stuck in the elevator. With 4 people claustrophobic, and 1 severely, my 2 cousins and I singing "I believe I can fly" to ease the tension and my dad just pushing buttons...we all knew that this was Tony's way of laughing at us, and telling us that he will always be there.

How come some Pedigree commercials make me cry?

Bargaining for Burritos!

For the past few weeks I've been eyeing a very unique chair that I thought would help with the void that is our empty living (aka trampoline) room. Over the span of about 2 months, I've watched as this chair, that I've sympathetically called mine, move from one location in the store to another, watched as the price drops but much too slowly, and never reaching the give-away price that I've been hoping for.

Today, I found out that I would be receiving some long forgotten payment for some free-lance work that I did last September! So, belated Christmas bonus...I went to see how my chair was! It was still there, waiting patiently for me...begging to be taken home!

Amazingly, I bargained with the assistant manager and negotiated the price of my chair to down almost half of what the most recent price tag read.

So, below is the photo of my new chair...not in the trampoline room, but in front of the fire place, where I will snuggle with the warming glow and read a good book!

Farewell Uncle TJ

Every once in a while, we receive one of those not-so-gentle reminders about the fragile nature of that precious gift called life. Earlier today, my Uncle Tony took on the journey into another world. Now he will feel no more pain, will not suffer, and can enjoy his cigarettes anywhere he pleases.
I can not imagine the loss that Auntie Dodie is feeling. All we can do is surround her with our love as she copes through her grief. My mom is heading to Dodie's now and will spend a few days with her, to help with the emptiness that would devour your world when your love departs.
I have many memories of my Uncle TJ. From being terrified of him as a young child, never wanting to be alone with him, to most recently laughing, debating and bantering about any topic that came to mind. He had a great wit and a unique sense of humour beneath that tough exterior, you only had to have the patience and determination to convince him you were worthy to be let inside. He once told me that he despised wasting his time talking to people without any smarts...as he continued to talk to me then and every other meeting we had, I took that as a compliment.
I have a great deal of respect for any person who overcomes diversity and oppression. Uncle Tony was a very giving and creative man, who created wonderful videos of our family gatherings, including Daryl and my wedding in 2005. Uncle TJ will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I will miss him terribly.

Back in the CD rotation...From the bottom shelf

I found a CD tonight that I haven't listened to in...God, was I still at McGill the last time I heard it? Listening to the haunting sublime voice, the languid, weepingness of it... and droning guitar riffs of Mazzy Star. The songs magically transform the sadness into something beautiful, poignant and ultimately powerful. I was taken back to another place, another time in my life. It got me thinking, on so many levels. I still recall hearing 'Fade into you' so often on the local and college radio stations, and never figuring out at the time who the artist was. I remember being overwhelmed by the sadness in her voice, and not understanding half of the lyrics...but it didn't matter. The music and feeling I would get when listening to the albums were like nothing I've felt, then or ever since. It's hard to describe. If you can put yourself back into a local pub, sitting in the dimly lit, sticky floor, beer stench trying to drown your sorrows for some purpose that, at the time, meant the end. No need to wash the painkillers down with a bottle of wine today. Now, say 10 years later, I realize that the immediate moment didn't matter, but the feeling lasts a lifetime. There are some things that stick, some feelings that cling like gum in your hair. But its these gluey experiences that don't actually kill us but force us to be stronger, to stand up and be who we are suppose to be with intense emotions. Fate? Karma? Divine intervention? Whatever, I like the dreamy atmosphere in the room tonight. Tonight I dream, tonight I remember, tonight I am transported back. I find myself asleep while I'm awake, pondering lost loves and hazy afternoons in bed and intoxicated. I recall all the moments that ended, even though I never wanted them to...the moments I'd long since forgotten. The experience would be complete if it were a rainy day...I'm listening to a lullaby.

Cats Anyone?

So it seems that I've inherited two cats. I've been kitty sitting for what seems like FOREVER, and I think that Marci has actually been back in the Loops for over a week. No phone call. No attempt to come and claim her kitties. The dog is going bonkers, the cats are worried that I will lock them (unintentially, silly) in the basement or workshop, and I think littler boxes are the most disgusting thing EVER.

If something doesn't change, soon, I'm going to turn into the crazy cat lady from the Simpsons!

I wonder if cats can fly...

Now that the house is empty, the Chow can get some much needed rest, back in his own bed!

Snow Storm!

Chow, come inside quick! So...will we have another visit from the family in Toronto soon? We have snow...what about you?

Photos from Sun Peaks

These are a little late, but I've been busy!! Better late than never!

Kayaking Anyone?

My sister and brother-in-law from Oz are planning a trip to BC in the summer of 2007 and want to do some 'extreme' kayaking. Does anyone out there have any suggestions of guides, tours, locations?
I really have to start working overtime to take a week off!

Empty House...almost

Nadia and her brood have left the Loops, returning to a balmy 10C in Toronto. There is still no snow there, so they missed nothing! It was a great visit with my nephews who are amazing skiers, and just hanging out with family. My parents drove up on New Year's Day to spend some time too, so Fletcher and I will go through visitor withdrawal slowly.
Daryl is back to work in Toronto, and he too can't believe the weather. As he plans for an upcoming snowmobiling trek in Whistler we can only hope that the white stuff continues to fall.
The cats are still crazy with Delilah making a mad dash in her attempt to escape our home. She ran from the laundry room and immediately bee-lined for the garage. Fortunately, the overhead garage doors were closed, otherwise she would be one cold kitty! Colton coaxed her out from under the Mini with some treats and sweet promises of love. Back to the laundry room for you! Stella is a sweetie, comes when you call her, snuggles and isn't the royal pain that Delilah is! Thank God for laser pointers and replacement batteries!
Marci...when do you come back?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Congrat's to the Water Ratz (and Team POWWR)! They both won their respective Murray Marathons with amazing times! WAY TO GO!

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone, near & far!