green green grass of home...

first off, for all my mercer buddies who do not or no longer watch 'the hour', you gotta check out this clip. i heart rick mercer!

steven wright, a comedian i love, once said 'it's a small world, but i wouldn't want to paint it.' i'd like to change that today to 'it's a small world, but i wouldn't want to mow it.'

i got out the lawnmower for the first time this season yesterday. i'd like to state for the record, that i was the first person on my block to do so. this is quite the feat. i'm usually the last person to break down and pull it out. i'm also the first person to put it away.

the house where i live is built on a hill. therefore, the yard is divided into levels. which means i have five separate sections that have to be mowed. separately. three parts in the front, and two in the back. actually now that i think of it, there is one on each side. i've now lost count of how many sections. it's a lot.

my lawnmower isn't that old, but the wheels are kinda shaky. so it vibrates more than it should. plus i am not mowing on even ground. so by the time i stop, my whole body is kinda shaking. and no matter if the sun is out or not, i have to wear sunglasses. to protect my eyes somewhat from the effects of hay fever. plus you never know when a loose pebble is going to up and smack you in the face. it hasn't happened yet. but it could. and if you know me, it's only a matter of time before i have some kind of lawnmower accident. i should probably start wearing a helmet like rick mercer.

i usually let 'goober' sit outside while i am mowing the lawn. this has it's own hazards. i'm not sure what goes on in his mind, but once i start mowing the lawn, and he sees the grass disappearing, he then attempts to eat as much grass as possible, and growl at the big bad lawnmower when it gets to close.

when i finish, my body is all shaking, my muscles ache, my face is flushed, my chest hurts, my eyes are itchy and watery, my nose is stuffed up and my throat is sore. i'm usually sweaty and dirty and it takes me a day to recover. this probably has a lot to do with the fact that i forget to take anything for my hay fever.

i took this photo as my homage to toccata (who i hear is illin'. hope you feel better soon). she always has such great pictures of flowers on her blog. unlike mine. i tried to take a photo close up, but it so did not turn out. if you've followed the above, you will know this is so not my yard. i was at the library the other day and their gardens are full of daffodils. i ended up talking to this really funny older gent about gardening after this. which also reminded me of toccata.

anyways, it's friday so let's play random top ten.

1. devils haircut – beck (haircuts, grasscuts, same thing. ha ha)
2. underwhelmed – sloan
3. 'b' side - the 'b' girls
4. you look like a gorilla – the mopes (yay! bananas!)
5. everyday i love you less and less – kaiser chiefs
6. everybody loves me but you – juliana hatfield
7. stupid girls – pink
8. sweet dreams (are made of this) – eurythmics
9. gatekeeper – feist
10. left of the dial – the replacements

this week, i've seen 50% in concert. i'm aiming for a list that contains 100% bands i've seen in concert. maybe i'll work the list next week to contain only those that i've seen in concert. in fact, maybe i should do more theme random lists. i'll ponder that. oh wait, hopefully, i won't be able to post next week. because i'll be in snowy toronto! no ticket booked yet, no confirmed job offer yet. boo hoo poor me. but i've got everything else planned. place to stay, dog pimped out, tickets to 'the hour' booked.

oh no stay and irritate me...

i was driving to my job interview yesterday, and i was thinking about the abc list. and i thought one of the questions was pet peeves. so i had a few in my mind, but then when i got home, i filled out the list and found out there was no listing for pet peeves. so i have decided to list a few of my current pet peeves, based on the past day or so. and really, i just wanted to bitch about #3.

1. women's clothing. specifically the fact that all my job interview clothes have no freakin' pockets. this drives me insane. where do i put my keys? especially since i normally have to stop somewhere on the way. my keys go into my bag and rattle around, driving me further to the edge of insanity. or else, they fall into the black hole that all my bags contain and i have to spend five minutes trying to find them.

2. a certain office supplier that does not take cash for photocopies. i either have to buy a photocopy card for a designated amount of photocopies which is way more than i need. or else i have to put it on a credit card. i do not wish to put 7 cents on my card. although i am tempted just because i know it costs you guys money.

3. personality assessment tests. although at the interview, the hr person was quite adamant that these are not tests. and it states quite clearly on the form, that this is not a test and there is no right or wrong answer. umm, do you judge me on this? do my answers determine whether or not i get the job? since i would hope the answer is yes (or else i am wasting my time doing it), then there are right and wrong answers and it is a test. i took one a couple of months ago that was over an hour long. by the end of it, i had no idea who i was anymore.

4. bark mulch. there is bark mulch in the dog park i go to. it is possible i am allergic to it. it is more probable that it just irritates me. it seems to be getting in my clothing (well, to be more accurate, underneath my clothing) and i'm getting all these slivers as well.

5. my internet connection. and the fact that it wouldn't stay connected for more than five minutes today until tonight. i had stuff to do! (see point #3). plus i was trying to chat with my friend 'm' who drives me insane by not having the internet at home. this would not bug me as much if she lived in the same freakin' city as me. since she does not, and i am on a no-budget lifestyle, i can only reach her for one hour a day, monday to friday.

however, i am feeling less grey this week. the weather's been good and i got a job lead on something i can do from home. fingers crossed!

getting to know all about you...

i've been tagged! by allison! eeeek! (apparently, eeeek is my new favourite word)

A- Available or Single: this confuses me. what do married people put? (although i am not one). i guess single. available seems to have a bit of a desperate ring to it in my mind.

B- Best Friends: i have good friends. i'd rather not single anyone out in particular.

C- Cake or Pie: cake. but i do love pie.

D - Drink of Choice: depends on my mood. diet coke or an early grey tea is always nice. lately, been drinking a lot of jack daniels. and a nice microbrew beer is always fine.

E- Essential Item: i was tempted to put air. but that's because i'm a smart ass.
it was hard to choose between my mp3 player or my camera. the mp3 player won.

F- Favourite Colour: black. like my soul. or so i've been told. :)
for those of you who do not count black as a colour, you can throw in blue and purple. apparently i like the colours of bruises.

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: bears i guess. but if we are talking gummi anything, it's those little gummi cola bottles. i get a big kick out of them.

H- Hometown: is this where i was born? vancouver, bc.

I- Indulgence: since i am on a no-budget right now, baths. when i have money, it would be music and travel.

J- January or February - january. screw all you february lovers! my birthday's in january!

K- Kids - god no. although the joke between my friends is, if we want them, we will buy them. like we do everything else. :) i will buy two little mexican twin boys and rename them francis albert and dino paul (sorry toccata). although now i want another set of twins who will be called jingle and jangle. or maybe i will just rename frank and dean, jingle and jangle every december.

L- Life is incomplete without: laughter.

M- Marriage Date: no thank you.

N- Number of Siblings: one. an older brother.

O- Oranges or Apples: to eat as a fruit, apple. but in everything else, orange. i have issues with the white stuff on oranges. i need to know more about this orange peeler!

P- Phobias/Fears: i can not sleep with a closet door open. sometimes i even go around the whole house making sure they are closed. thank you stephen king.

Q- Favourite Quote: it changes all the time. currently it is

"it’s probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."
- lyndon b johnson on j.edgar hoover

R- Reasons to smile: i don't think one needs a reason to smile.

S- Season: fall. it's usually warm still, sunny and i love the leaves.

T- Tag 3 People: i think everyone has played already.

U- Unknown Fact About Me: i have extremely thick ear lobes.

V- Vegetable You Hate: i was going to say beans,but i just learned that they are a fruit. and i don't think mushrooms are either. i can't really think of one i hate. i tend to dislike cooked vegetables. i prefer them raw. hmm, maybe peas or onions.

W- Worst Habit: i will give you two. an unusual grasp of the concept of time and i tend not to return phone messages.

X- X-rays You've Had: teeth.

Y- Your Favourite Foods: i like food. all kinds. let's start with west indian roti and curry. fresh bread. bbq'd anything. oh and cheese please!

Z- Zodiac: capricorn baby.

i'm an art lover...

toccata and allison both posted art the other day. i hate to be left out so i decided to play too. and since i just finished reading a book on a certain artist, it seemed appropriate. (ps... yes, i know i haven't updated my current reading material on my sidebar, but that's because i am still reading that book. not because it is bad, but because i couldn't find it for months. i finally found it a couple of weeks ago. plus i'm one of those people who is always reading two or three books at once.)

although i took a lot of art classes in school, i didn't really have any kind of grasp of art history or art appreciation until i went to europe for the first time. it's amazing what actually seeing a piece of art can do to a person. it was there that i discovered one of my favourite artists.

i remember the first time i saw his work so clearly. we were in the kelvingrove museum in glasgow. i was kinda wandering around on my own. my friend 'r' had a more developed sense of art appreciation that i did at the time, so she tended to need more time than i did. in fact, it was because of her that we were going to so many museums. i remember looking down this long hallway and seeing this piece.
i was mesmerized. awestruck. i had never seen a piece of art that made me feel like that before. it wasn't just some pretty picture in a book. it suddenly occurred to me why people see art in person rather than in a book. the size, the colour, the details, none of that could translate into a tiny photgraph. the idea that someone had actually painted this sent my brain into overdrive. after staring at the piece for ages, i finally went closer to see what it was called and who had painted it. i learnt that it was called 'christ of saint john of the cross' and it was by salvador dali. i remember being totally confused. dali? isn't he that crazy spanish guy? he did this?

shortly afterwards, we went to the tate gallery in london. they too had dali on display. but totally different from the kelvingrove. pieces like "lobster telephone" and "the metamorphosis of narcissus". these were more traditional dali pieces but seeing all these pieces helped me realize that as an artist, one didn't have to choose to be a painter or a sculptor. one could paint, make three-d pieces, sculpt, whatever struck you. and you could explore everything you felt. you could do something semi-traditional and then turn around and do something bizarre. it just needed to move you.

rainy day people always seem to know when you're feeling blue...

it's back to being ark weather here again. the dog is whiny as all hell, because he wants to go out and play. however, he won't go out in the rain.

the mood for the past few days is grey. well, i'm not sure that's a mood, but that's how i feel. my head hurts. i know it's stress. my motivation level is less than zero. i'm fighting with someone. it's not helping my head. which makes me feel less motivated. maybe it's not a good idea to have flannel sheets when one is feeling grey. it makes it even harder to crawl out of bed. and i'm not sure berlin cabaret music was the best choice to make musically today. at least it wasn't 'how soon is now' or 'love will tear us apart'. or god forbid, 'i see a darkness'. i'd still be in bed.

however, things are looking up. i finally heard back about the job. second interview next week. flights to toronto are still cheap. 'the hour' is sold out but i am hoping to figure something out about that. plus i really like my friday random top ten this week.

1. it's a hit – rilo kiley
2. electrik heat - the seekwill – k-os
3. monkey gone to heaven – pixies
4. london calling – the clash
5. vertigo - the libertines
6. safe from harm - massive attack
7. the avalanche – sufjan stevens
8. holiday in cambodia – dead kennedys
9. can't change me – chris cornell
10. feel alright – steve earle

this week i've only seen 3 artists (or 3 1/2 i guess) in concert.

have a good weekend everyone.

fish heads fish heads rolly polly fish heads...

look at me, i'm posting daily this week!

i actually saw something cool on 'the hour' yesterday. at least i think it was yesterday. i pvr the show now so i get confused as to what day episodes actually run. anyway, i saw something cool, and it has inspired this post.

'the hour' ran an interview with rob stewart, the director of sharkwatch. (you can watch it here.) i mentioned during my strombo recap that alex said hated the guy's voice. and that i was inclined to agree. i haven't seen the movie yet, but i do think that the guy's voice would be annoying for a long period of time. but i am anxious to see it. the clips they showed were fascinating. and of course, it got me thinking about sharks.



when i was a wee lass, i loved going to the aquarium. i spent a lot of time at stanley park in the summertime but the aquarium was always a special treat. i loved all the marine life but the sharks fascinated me. and yet, i was always terrified going to see them. it wasn't the sharks so much that scared me. it was the fact that it was so dark in the area of the aquarium where the shark tank was. and there never seem to be any people around. on the ceiling of the aquarium hung these plastic models of various sea life. as a child, i had this irrational fear of them. especially the stingray. i have no idea why. it wasn't like they were very life like. and even as young as i was, i knew they weren't real. when i think back, i can remember standing in the aquarium, shaking inside, trying to work up the courage to go and see the sharks.

when i was a few years older, around nine years old, my family and i drove down to california. it was my second trip down there. as a kid, whenever we traveled, we ended up seeing a lot of movies. although, very rarely did i see any kid movies. my dad basically treated me as an adult when it came to movie choices. as a result, i saw a lot of mature movies at a young age. sometimes i understood them, sometimes i didn't. anyways, on this trip, i saw that 'jaws' was playing in a theatre (gotta love big cites with tons of rep theatres) and decided that i wanted to see it. so my dad took me. my mom was too chicken and my brother had already seen it, so they went elsewhere. i can remember sitting in the dark cinema, big container of popcorn in my lap. as the movie went on, and i got more and more scared, i remember lifting my feet off the floor and bringing them up so i was sitting cross legged in my chair. rationally, i knew nothing in the theatre was going to come up and grab them. but it made me feel better. my mom was so mad at my dad for taking me to the movie. my dad just shrugged his shoulders and said, she wanted to see it. my mom was convinced i would have nightmares. and she did have a right to be concerned as she and i were sharing a bed. and i did dream of sharks that night. but it wasn't scary 'jaws' sharks i dreamt about. it was funny jabberjaw type sharks i dreamt of. i still remember parts of that dream. it was about the shark trying to get onto the boat at the african safari ride at disneyland. i woke up because it was funny. not because it was scary. it wasn't until i woke up that i remembered how scary 'jaws' was, and then couldn't sleep. my mom yelled at my dad the next day. my dad had a sense of humour tho. the next day, he took us to the beach. i did not go in the water.

good day sunshine...

today was a beautiful day. i celebrated by going to the dog park for two hours.

so, i had a job interview today and i think it went really well. my instincts say that the company and the people there are decent. i think i could enjoy working there.

my main concerns are

a. the pay. i have no idea what the pay is yet. i fear it is not much. this is not based on anything in particular. just my normal pessimistic nature.
b. benefits. i don't think it will come with any benefits (it's a contract type position)
c. having to start all over again once i finish the job.

if i get and take this job, i will celebrate by

1. buying a ticket to social distortion
2. reviewing my finances and checking to see if i can go to toronto for easter weekend. i have decided to plan as if i am going. i have already put in my request for tickets to 'the hour'. my buddy has been informed and has a futon ready for me. i have started to mentally pack shoes. :)

rub a dub dub, three men in a tub...

here is the weekly strombo show recap.

this week it's live with mr. stroumboulopoulos and alex. still no bob. apparently he’s off on “assignment”.

now, at this point, the rest of the evening is spent losing the feed continually. so i only have random bits. so, if it seems like nothing really flows, that’s why. feel free to share anything i’ve missed.

alex went to canadian tire to buy a drill. mr. stroumboulopoulos seems overly fascinated by the drill information. what kind? cordless or non cordless? what will you be drilling? alex went for cordless, and it is just if he needs holes. screwing takes a lot out of him and he thought why not take advantage of the drill. mr. stroumboulopoulos had more to say about drilling but i lost the feed.

alex gives a big thumbs down to the two sctv opening theme music for the news for alex. he sings a version that he likes better.

at this point, there is weird echoing background noise on my feed. the only way i can describe it is it sounds like demonic frogs.

alex asks if this segment is working? are we ready to give it up? mr. stroumboulopoulos is not . mr. stroumboulopoulos mentions google and privacy. alex comes back with dude, you make it sound so boring. i don’t think it’s worth my time listening to you tell me the story. maybe it’s you, maybe it’s the story.

alex says something about finishing what you started. mr. stroumboulopoulos says dude, you don’t even let me finish one story.

‘waiting room’ – fugazi

mr. stroumboulopoulos goes off on the crtc.

alex agains asks if they want to kill the news bit. mr. stroumboulopoulos says no, it’s working for me. alex says you said i could choose the stories.

terri schiavo is brought up. alex then asks, how is it dying with dignity if you are on cnn 24 hours a day? (bravo alex) mr. stroumboulopoulos says this is the smartest thing alex has said all week.

alex wants to know what gi joe’s are fighting for. (i used my brother’s to fight for barbie.)

the feed comes back up as alex is saying “i didn’t really see you as a bath person.” mr. stroumboulopoulos says oh yah. i have a big four person bathtub ( i am so freakin’ jealous!) or so it says. i just don’t have the time. i live in downtown toronto and my water pressure isn’t good. it takes 45 minutes to fill up. alex says i don’t see you as a bath or shower person. maybe a washcloth at the sink. mr. stroumboulopoulos says what, like a hooker at harvey’s?

mr. stroumboulopoulos is talking about being out on st. patrick’s day. people kept coming up to him and he ended up having five or so pints of non –alcoholic beer at the table as people kept spilling their alcoholic beer into his non-alcoholic beer. (although this term non-alcoholic beer bothers me. unless i am mistaken, the correct term should be low alcohol beer. as there is still alcohol in it.)

mr. stroumboulopoulos begins a story by saying someone said the funniest thing to him ever on the weekend. some guy came up to him and said are you george stroumboulopoulos? the guy paused in disbelief. you eat pizza? alex is wondering, are you trying to get some feedback from me? it was fine, you talking and stuff but i didn’t really like what was coming out of your mouth. he doesn’t want to use the word boring, although he says it was. and then he chooses anti-climatic.

cindy, the woman who claims she has no accent calls in. she has called into to say she has not been kind (true). and has called to apologize. and then she does say she has an accent, and that she is from trinidad originally.

alex asks if he can do a shout out to claire. and then says all low, yo.

the simple life is brought up. mr. stroumboulopoulos watched part of it and thought, these girls are idiots. he knows they are playing a part and he feels that paris hilton is not that dumb. he has worked on enough reality shows to know that they are all b.s.

donnie comes on and they discuss the death of captain america. alex asks what superpower they would choose? donnie would be like the flash and be able to run real fast. mr. stroumboulopoulos would be like aquaman and breath underwater. hayley figures she must be invisible as alex ignored her. alex says it’s a stupid question. (even tho it is his question)

things they like. alex brings up free run eggs and how expensive they are. mr. stroumboulopoulos says quality costs. alex thinks it’s because they are rare. he thinks this is because in captivity, roosters don’t have to work that hard for sex. while free range roosters do, as the chickens are walking around, getting on with their lives. he thinks it is a good idea for chickens to go wild. mr. stroumboulopoulos agrees.

mr. stroumboulopoulos likes the shark documentary "sharkwater". alex hates the guy’s voice (i am inclined to agree on the little clip i heard). mr. stroumboulopoulos learned a lot from the film. there is a heated discussion when alex claims he didn’t.

alex doesn’t like the fact that mr. stroumboulopoulos has two ps3’s and alex has none. mr. stroumboulopoulos said that he paid for one. when alex questions what he is going to do with two, he says one upstairs for the bedroom, and the other downstairs. alex brings up being showered with gifts re: engagement. mr. stroumboulopoulos brings up that he has given alex a gift before, and he didn’t like it.

the end.

going to the chapel...

this week's strombo show recap. the players... alex and mr. stroumboulopoulos.

mr. stroumboulopoulos has been over winter since november. it was apparently a really nice day in toronto. (vancouver however, was in build your ark type weather). he hopes that you did whatever you wanted to do today. stayed in bed if that’s what you wanted to.

mr. stroumboulopoulos has known alex for seven years. he has never seen him with a highlighter. alex is fiendishly highlighting. this is all for a new segment called news with alex liu. alex interjects that’s not what it’s called. it’s called news for alex liu. one is completely different from the other.

captain america’s death is brought up. then my feed crashes. when it comes back up, they are talking about public enemy and the show on friday night.

mr. stroumboulopoulos wishes his mom an upcoming happy birthday. osama bin laden’s birthday is brought up. alex asks if it is wrong to wish someone happy birthday if you don’t really care.

alex chokes on his apple juice. mr. stroumboulopoulos keeps reading news.

cpac is discussed. alex is not interested.

alex is a little sleepy today. he woke up about an hour ago as he accidentally fell asleep. mr. stroumboulopoulos says you are never going to get to sleep tonight. are you going to be bitchy tomorrow?

hayley (who mentions working for the cbc) is monitoring the myspace page.

mr. stroumboulopoulos comments on the liberals . ten years of big lies, wasted money and broken promises. canadians are passive.

there has been a strange light reported east of toronto. the possibility it being a ufo is brought up. mr. stroumboulopoulos and callers talk about it for 8 hours. alex complains after an hour. the rest of us take naps. this week in alex is on hold. mr. stroumboulopoulos asks if alex is ok talking about aliens. alex replies i don’t have much choice, it’s your show. mr. stroumboulopoulos talks about the light and aliens for another 8 hours. alex wants to know how much more of his life they are going to waste on this.

back to the news for alex. robert mugabe is discussed.

alex is not getting into this segment. it’s too serious. it’s supposed to be hilarious. it’s not working.

“sheela-na-gig” – pj harvey

mr. stroumboulopoulos lost his voice at the public enemy show. he wishes that his voice tonight was his voice.

the talk turns to alex’s wedding/fiancée. hearts were mentioned and mr. stroumboulopoulos wants skulls. alex says that’s because you are so hardcore. mr. stroumboulopoulos is happy because he likes alex’s fiancée. alex says as the guy you just stay away from all the wedding stuff. he has been allowed to take the lead on the honeymoon stuff. partially because his fiancé wants to throw him a bone, and also because he is very particular. he doesn’t want too hot and dry. nor does he want it too cold and wet. plus he has an allergy problem, so he wants to go where english is spoken so that he can deal with the food issue. he likes the idea of a resort. however, he has developed a bit of an allergy to the sun.

birds are discussed. alex wants to know what they contribute to society. and he doesn’t understand why people put them in cages. mr. stroumboulopoulos agrees with him on this point.

10.35 = comedy is richard jeni.

things they like.alex is reading a howard hughes biography. hayley enjoyed glow in the dark bowling.

ps... i hate blogger today. it keeps fucking up my font size. i have given up trying to fix it.

ya see, i'm irish, but i'm not a leprechaun...

happy st. patrick's day everybody.




st. patrick used the shamrock in his sermons to demonstrate how the father, the son and the holy ghost could all exist as separate parts of the same being.



pouring a pint of guiness is an art. when i lived in amsterdam, the bartenders drew shamrocks in the foam. and that shamrock had to last to the end of drink. or else!






yes, i know they were formed in london. but as wikipedia says many prominent members are irish, either by birth or descent. plus how can you not love a band that originally called themselves "pogue mahone" aka "póg mo thóin" aka "kiss my arse"






apparently the ingredients for soda bread are taken very seriously. i just find it yummy. i first tried in on the streets of dublin.

btw....no eggs, no raisins, no whiskey.





march 17th is the supposed death date of st. patrick.

one of the legends about him, is he gave a sermon that drove all the snakes out of ireland. however, no snakes were ever native to ireland. some feel that snakes are a metaphor for the druids/pagans and the story is about religious conversion.

outta this mess baby outta my head...

sorry nothing new to post. my life is about organizing and job hunting these days. and trying to figure out a way to get fifty bucks so i can go and see social distortion in concert. i'm going to try and post something this weekend. but being that tomorrow is my second favourite holiday, it may not happen.

anyways, it's friday, and here's random top ten.

1. death or glory – social distortion
2. the tra la la song (one banana, two banana) - liz phair w/material issue
3. 45 – elvis costello
4. ride – the vines
5. first train – blackfeather
6. a design for life – manic street preachers
7. the harder they come – waco brothers
8. everybody loves me but you – juliana hatfield
9. dig me out - sleater-kinney
10. some things never fall – the black halos

i've seen seven out of the ten bands listed here in concert. i'll let you figure out who i haven't seen.

have a good weekend everyone.

spam in the place where i live...

been super busy in the past week. i've been totally in the zone in regards to organizing and cleaning. i spent a week rearranging and doing a big clean in my bedroom, trying out my bed in three different positions, only to realize that the only position it really works in was where it was originally. oh well. it is also helping that my brother is out of town for over a week. i can do so much more when he's not around.

anyways, this post isn't about cleaning. it's about 'the hour'.

here are three things that are annoying me about 'the hour' currently. in reverse order.

3. the jokes. especially during the 'news' segment. i don't find them funny or amusing. i just find them very sad, tiring and trite. i can't remember the last time i actually laughed during 'the hour'.

2. the bios. i find the writing of them to be getting worse and worse. it's been bugging me for a long time. did you know gerry butler lived in canada for a few years? i didn't. perhaps that might have been interesting to add as a note to his bio. and if you are going to call kim campbell a role model (which i so have issues with), then when you run her bio, show me why. because you sure as hell didn't last nite. in fact, i was left with the exact opposite feeling after watching her bio.

1. but what really, really bugs me right now about "the hour" (and really, the reason for this post) is this...i got fucking spam from "the hour"!

maybe not in words...

sorry folks, been super busy this week. strombo show recap, well, i don't have it ready for posting. maybe later tonight. maybe not. :)

i will be around for the show this week.

dead, dead, dead, someday we'll all be dead...

random question: why do i only get asian spam?

now, i know it's friday and yes, i do have my random top ten to post. but first, i promised a post about my old boss.

now, let me make it clear. my ex-boss was awesome. her boss, was a complete idiot. plus she was one of those bosses that wanted to be friends, but assumed that you were always trying to get away with something. so as a boss, she really had no choice but to treat you like a child. on the other hand, she would always say why are you coming to me? i trust you. yah, she was a piece of work to work for. i figure it was time to share some stories about her. we will call her "w"

here are my top five "favourite" things she had to say on the topic of death, funerals and staff bereavement. in no particular order.

1. i used to work with a great gal named "s". she was 21 and had been with the company for a few years. she worked in customer service and sales so she knew everyone. and everyone liked her. she was a bubbly, funny young chick. i used to bring her gum from the states. she got a new job and tragically was killed in a car crash a couple of weeks later. her funeral was held on a work day. this caused "w" no end of grief. the fact that people actually wanted time off to go to a funeral?! "w" says, i don't even know why 668 wants to go to the funeral. i've never even seen them together. let's forget the fact that "s" and i had lunch once a week together. does that even matter? someone i worked with for a few years just died. can i not just want to pay respect to them? or maybe it's part of my grieving process?

2. an old family friend of my family died. this man had known me since before i was born. my parents knew him from their university days. this happened when i was covering my boss on her mat leave. i went to "w" to let her know that i might have to take an afternoon off to take my mother to the funeral. her first words to me "you have to take that as a vacation day. we don't pay for friends funerals. " umm, i so was not thinking of that. i was just trying to let you know ahead of time, that i might need a couple of hours off.

3. i worked with a girl named "b". her grandfather passed away. "w"... "i've never even heard "b" mention her grandfather before". well, yes. of course, if you don't mention something, it doesn't exist.

4. when my mother was dying, 'w' caught me in the bathroom. she loved to talk to you in the bathroom. drove us fuckin' nuts. she asked about my mother, and when i said the doctor said it was anytime now, 'w' said, oh well things will be better once she is dead.

5. this may be my favourite moment of all. "w" on the phone to head office. "i think we need to start asking for proof of death. these people (she loved using that term for staff. especially "her people". i'm sorry, when did slavery come back?) could start taking advantage of bereavement leave." yes, us staff are crazy like that. any excuse for a day off. our head office told her that they thought that was a little extreme. i told my boss, that if 'w' ever asked me for proof of death, i was going to take a photo of myself with the coffin.

let me state, these things were said out in the open. not in private. i will have to share some more classic stories later on.

here is my friday random top ten.

1. hope there's someone - antony and the johnsons
2. you're nobody 'til somebody loves you – dean martin
3. release me [live] - engelbert humperdinck
4. junkenstein – the wildhearts
5. secrets don't make friends – from first to last
6. hopeless case of a kid in denial – the hellacopters
7. hotel intro – moby
8. 3121 – prince
9. fetish - joan jett and the blackhearts
10. pillow queen – cub

sitting waiting wishing...

on tuesday, i spent five hours at the passport office. standing at the passport office. ok, 4 1/2 hours standing. the last 1/2 hour i got to sit.

here are some random passport tips.

1. make friends with the people next to you in line. especially if you are solo. you will need them to hold your place when you have to go to the bathroom. speaking of which, a large tim hortons ice cap is probably not a good idea to indulge in on the way there.

2. you may want to get the layout of the office before going. i went to richmond, which meant i had to wait for 4 1/2 hours outside. luckily, it was the one sunny day we had here. i imagine it would have sucked if it had been cold and wet.

3. bring tunes and a book. however, it is perhaps a good idea to watch the subject material carefully. i do not suggest this book. not because it isn't good. but because it is a book about bad dates, and you will inevitably want to burst out laughing. which may not help point #1.

a beverage and snacks help too. but then again, see point #1.

painkillers also help. 4 1/2 hours on a brick street can play havoc on your back.

4. the closer you get to the door, the worse your anxiety will be. the lineup was fine and jovial, until we got to the last stage. when we were about 15 people from the door, everyone started to get stressed out. we kept watching all the people going in. are they cutting in? what about them? why isn't anyone leaving? by the time we were in the office, we were basketcases. and we all just kept staring at the board, waiting for our numbers because they don't call them out. what if we miss our turn? if that happens, i think i will break down and cry right here in the office. and i'm thinking what if i've forgotten something? did i bring the right i.d?


5. i didn't do this, but filling out your paperwork online helps a little. although, this will not be apparent until you actually get into the office. you get served somewhat faster. but, not that much.

but everything is done. i've handed everything in, gave them a ton of money, and i should see my passport in four weeks. which i think is a shorter wait than a few weeks ago.

i was so happy to get into my car and drive home. i cranked up my mp3 player and played tunes that made me sing and dance.

here is the tuesday special bonus, semi-random, driving in rush hour home from the passport office editon top ten.

1. beverly hills - weezer
2. steady, as she goes - the raconteurs
3. i don't feel like dancin' - scissor sisters
4. who taught you to live like that? - sloan
5. ch-check it out - beastie boys
6. white riot - the clash
7. love in a trashcan - the raveonettes
8. rosalie come and go - ryan adams
9. we will rock you - queen
10. why do you love me - garbage

what i hated even more than the rush hour, was that i had to drive by my old work. which reminded me of my ex-boss's moronic supervisor. next post, i will share the top five insane things she said about death, funerals and staff bereavement.

these are a few of my favourite things...

things i am enjoying today.

1. cake
2. doo wop music


3. "jailhouse rock", the movie


that's all. back to cleaning!

strombo show alert! remember it's fancy shoe day this week.

paranoia, they destroy ya..

the above are lyrics from a kinks song. i always thought the lyrics were paranoia, will destroy ya. i'm a little dissapointed.

the reason i'm feeling a little paranoid is i just checked on my hit counter. i've had over 30 hits from china in the past hour. what's up with that?

anyways, time for friday random top ten

1. god made me - chantal kreviazuk ( haha, i was cleaning out my player last night and i looked at this and thought, do i want this? she irritates me. and then, i thought how often will this song come up?)
2. weather storm - craig armstrong
3. jimmy the exploder – the white stripes (the white stripes never come up enough on my player for my liking)
4. blue berets - stompin' tom
5. cum on feel the noize – oasis
6. extraordinary – liz phair
7. failure – king missile
8. introduction (part 2) – the delta 72
9. small town depression – the makers
10. love rush – 54-40

happy birthday to me...

ok, it's not my birthday. it's not even my 1/2 birthday. it's two months since my birthday. but since i wasn't posting much around that time, i figured i'd post something now. and really, it's my blog, my rules. :)

as mentioned before, i have issues with my birthday. so, how did i spend this year? sick, sick, sick in bed. i vaguely recall calling in sick, and then not much until five o'clock. all i managed to do on my birthday was drag my ass out of bed and pick up a birthday meal at white spot. plus cake of course.

so, instead, i offer up tales from last year's birthday celebration.

i spent the week in los angeles. i arrived the day before new years eve.


the first night i was there, i went to a re-gifting party. i had never heard of this before, but i will steal this idea one day. everyone brings a gift they got that they do not want. i, of course, did not have any gifts with me. so me and my friend 'k' who i was staying with, went to target and hit the clearance racks. we ended up with a couple of chocolate/food type gift baskets for super cheap.

i think there must have been over 40 people there. i say people, and yes, they were people but i was the only female there. and the only straight person there as well. it was the beginning of my big gay trip to l.a. some of the guys were not thrilled to have me there, but most of them were fine.

the gifts ranged from stuff that was really cool, to truly awful. there was a lot of gay porn. a lot. i don't think i've ever seen so much, not even in the stores! the picture shows a bagel keeper being held by the son of a singer from an 80's hair band. i received a elephant wine bottle holder. i would post a picture, but i am not sure where it is right now.

the next day was new year's eve. my friend had a "date" in the afternoon. he was rather concerned about me but i'm like.. umm, i'm a grown up. i can amuse myself for an afternoon. but what are you going to do? i said, drop me off in an area with shopping and movie theatres and i'll be fine. so off it was to burbank for a little shopping and a movie or two. i shopped a little, and then i was ready for the movies. i figure, hey, i'm in l.a., no problem. big problem. the only movies playing were bad remakes and sequels to movies i'd never seen (king kong, cheaper by the dozen 2, yours, mine and ours). or brokeback mountain. my friend "l" and i had made a vow to go see it together. i knew if i went to see it, she would tear a strip off me. on the other hand, i knew if i didn't see it, when i got back, she would be like, i couldn't wait for you. i choose not to go. finally, i ended up going to see 'the ringer'. i only went to see it because i kinda have a thing for johnny knoxville. i sat in the theatre, alone, cursing my friend. turns out the movie wasn't that bad. for some reason, i thought they made fun of the special olympics. turns out the special olympics made fun of johnny knoxville. however, he was so not crush worthy in that movie.

i got a big kick out of these huge holiday balls.

check out the sky in this picture and above. yes, this is sunny l.a.!

for new years, i joined my friend and his roommate in their traditional celebrations. watching the original 'poseidon adventure' and eating chinese food. i had so much fun. i did it this year as well. i added my own twist as well. but that's for another post. i didn't see the remake but the original is hilarious. especially while watching with a group of witty gay men. we loved the hot pants!

next day, i checked into a hotel. i had decided that i didn't want to wake up on my birthday on a pull out sofa. been there, done that. so i decided to splurge a little and spend a night in a hotel. i ended up staying at the roosevelt hotel on hollywood boulevard. i can highly recommend it. it wasn't outrageously expensive, yet you felt fancy. it's got a ton of history, marilyn monroe lived there, the oscars were held there etc. and it's pretty much right across from grauman's chinese theater. i felt very classy staying there.

the hotel. my room was a corner suite. the bedroom window was on this side.


when booking a fancy hotel, always give them a reason to upgrade you. since it was my birthday, they gave me a free upgrade to a suite! the suite was bigger than a west end apartment. this is just the front room.

my fancy bed. more on this later.




the view from my bedroom window. those dots? rain.

the pool. see how it looks like it's bubbling? that's caused by the wind and the rain.

i decided to splurge and have a drink in my hotel bar. the bar had this godiva chocolate liqueur that i wanted to try but it was locked up and nobody seemed to have the key. someone nearby wanted to have some wine and even that was locked up. i eventually got some lesser chocolate martini for $14 and retired to my room to enjoy the luxury.

i was excited to find out i had a cd player in my bedroom. i put some tunes on and was bopping around the room. see that fancy bed above? pretty fancy huh? well, the mattress is actually bigger than the frame. while i was dancing to this, i banged into the bed. i remember thinking right before the moment of impact, nice big soft mattress, this won't hurt. ha! underneath the bed is a solid wood frame. which my shin proceeded to meet at a high velocity. the pain, the pain! now, some people who do not know me very well, say to me.. oh, you must have been drunk. those that know me, know i must have been sober. i have excellent balance when i've been drinking. i am a clutz when i am sober.

i woke up the next morning. happy birthday to me. in pain. my shin was killing me. and it was turning some lovely colours. plus there was this really loud noise. i couldn't figure it out. it was so loud, i finally got out of bed and tried to figure out where it was coming from. it sounded like outside. it was raining so hard and so loud it woke me up. and i'm from vancouver! luckily, it didn't last very long.

i did manage to go swimming in the pool. it was raining and i think people thought i was nuts. here is the pool, the mural is done by david hockney.

i spent the day walking around hollywood. i also visited the erotic museum.

eeek! scientologists! i found this both scary and confusing.

my friend 'k' got off work, picked me up and went headed out to disneyland and the house of blues to see social distortion. i had an awesome time. except it took me all night to figure out how to get down to the floor. and by then, it was too late.