Quote of the Day

"Aaugh...my middle finger hurts. I use it all the time when I drive!"
(Lauryn Thiessen)




This one isn't a quote, but when I was on hold with Alberta Health & Wellness, the song playing was "Only the Good Die Young". Get it?

Spring is Here. Buh Bye Snow. Buh Bye Sadness.

I know that spring is here because my shoes are muddy and Belle and Sebastian sound better than ever. I also feel happy. That is not a new emotion for my life, but over the past few months, it definitely has not been a salient theme. Blah, and grrrrr, and "oh angry crap" are what I am accustomed to. The sun shining and a new position at work are two welcome additions to my life. I've decided that I have clung onto sadness for long enough and I will now identify with health and a love of life. I've thought about making happiness a priority, but as B&S have reminded me, "Happiness is not for keeping/Happiness is not my goal". I'm trying to celebrate the good of life. As I really dig lists these days, here are a few reasons to celebrate this season of life:

1. love. Two people that I love love each other and have just decided to love each other for forever!!!
2. ankle season. I can finally pull out my short pants and skirts and let the ankles enjoy the sun.
3. breakfast. Yesterday after a near panic attack I managed to make my way to R&A's for eggs with friends. Thank you Jesus for friends and food!
4. coffee. It not only tastes good - it's also something to look forward to. And...Jesus really likes hanging out with me on the way to find coffee, during the drinking part, and the reading and writing that often accompany it.
5. watermelon. I love watermelon so much. I usually end up eating too much and then I get a stomach ache. But it's not like the stomach aches that I usually get. It's a stomach ache that goes away. Yessss!!!!
6. the library. Think books. Think music. Think low yearly fee.
7. swimming pools. Actually I think pools are the dirtiest, sickest, "make me touch that water and I'll instantly die or vomit - pick you poison" kinda places. I hate swimming pools - but I love not being around them.
8. walking. Healthy low cost activity. With each footstep I reconnect with creation and the Creator.
9. community. I love and need the community that I have, and I wanna live in intentional community hopefully sooner rather than later (see Confession and Dream for the Good Life). I'm hosting a talk, dream, pray time about community, Thursday March 29th 7:00 pm. Come.
10. dancing. I know I talk about dancing too much, but that's only because I think about it too much. On Friday, I organized a dance party with my colleagues to enjoy our upstairs that will soon be turned into cubicles. I had four lovely ladies join me. It was probably the weirdest thing I've ever done.
11. sleep. When you're sleeping, you're not awake.

Buh bye winter. See you later. Maybe next time we meet I'll have a SAD light. Maybe I'll share it with my friends.

The Wrong Way On a One Way

I almost died tonight. I don't seem to be able to navigate very well in the dark. I was driving home from Taylor and I'm never down in that area and I turned onto 111 street and then I realized that there were cars coming towards me and then I put my trucker mouth on (pretending that I occasionally take said mouth off). Man, oh man. I have one of the worst potty mouths I know. I use fouler than foul language 17 times out of 2o. My goodness.
Well, I didn't die tonight. But I sure felt silly. I think that when I start screening for a husband on the questionnaire portion I will focus on the vehicular aspects of life. Willingness to wash the car, change tires, general maintenance, and basic chauffeur duties. I think my favorite part about the screening process will be the dance off. I'm willing to give points for enthusiasm to those lacking rhythm. I haven't got very far on developing the screening tool. There will be a questionnaire that will cover an overview of daily life: political leanings, engagement in social issues, skills (such as carpentry and car knowledge), and long term goals. There will also be a portion where he will pick a restaurant (keeping in mind my food issues). We will also go shopping (to flesh out dedication to labour standards, etc.). And of course there will be a dance off. That for sure will be my favorite part.

I also want you all to know that I almost got kissed at work yesterday. Two almosts in two days. My goodness.

Rah! Rah! Rah! for The City I Love

So I just found out that people don't like Edmonton. I thought it was just punk-ass kids and the elderly who didn't like it because "it's boring/cold". I decided to compile (an entirely incomplete) list of reasons I love Edmonton.

1. Good places to eat (R & A's Grill, the Sugarbowl, my kitchen)
2. That boy that used to work for Starbucks, that TA, the guy on the bus, the guy getting off the bus. I could go on and on and on...
3. Hawksley Workman comes often and last time he sang "Claire Fontaine" at McDougall United and it was awesome
4. It's the birthplace of Candeo
5. Good people
6. Good dance parties
7. Good dancers
8. Airband parties
9. People that attend airband parties
10. Church picnics. Okay, this one isn't so much about Edmonton or liking picnics. I just remembered something and decided to vent. If you're going to a church picnic and you're going to play frisbee, then leave your shirt on. Okay? Stripping down at the beach is one thing. Stripping down at a picnic put on by the church is, like, a totally different thing.
Let's try #10 again.
10. Great waste management system. Can you say compost??

Edmonton, I love you. Please don't ever leave me. I may leave you one day, but I think it would be better if I rejected you. You know, for the kids.

Whoah....!!!

Sunday, 18 March, 2007

Cancer (21 Jun - 22 Jul)

It may seem hopeless today as you attempt to take care of chores that you have recently ignored. There could be so much to do that you don't even know where to begin. If you are overwhelmed, don't try to do it all; that will only discourage you further. You'll feel better about yourself if you narrow your focus and complete just a few things well.

Know What I Hate?

1. Waiting for the new Wilco album to come out
2. The feeling of guilt that comes from procrastinating and affecting lives other than my own
3. The feeling of "holy crap it's 9:00 and I just watched three episodes of Grey's Anatomy"
4. How lazy I am
5. How I like to do things like blog more than I like to actively engage in "more important" activities
6. How long my fingernails are
7. How my fingernails have been long for so long and how I've chosen to ignore them to this point in time when I now feel that I must cut them IMMEDIATELY or I may just die
8. IBS
9. My hate
10. That effin' eczema on my eyelid. I mean, I think we've all had enough of it

Finally in Love

I went to the mall yesterday because I cried when I was making coffee and I thought: hey, life sucks, maybe I should buy headphones that work and return a pair of crack-tastic jeans. So I went to the mall and I did what I needed to do and I stopped into the pet store. At the store I took a peek at the puppies and I fell in love with a pug. I have never really been interested in the pug. I believed pugs to be unattractive and because I am shallow I totally undervalued the little guys. Well was I ever wrong. I mean I connected with that puppy. We understood each other. He was a bit of a wiener and I feel like a wiener much of the time. He was irritating his oppressed cage-mate. Just like me. And he looked a little grumpy. Just like me. Years ago my friend Jeff was comparing people to animals. Lauryn was a swan. Graceful, beautiful, lovely. I was a pug. Short, wrinkly, blah. I did not like that label. But perhaps Jeff was just dabbling in the prophetic. Thus sayeth the Lord: the Angie will one day fall in love with a pug. Amen? Amen.

A Boring Blog About A Boring Blog or Self Love, Self Love, Funny Funny Self Love

I was walking with two dear friends yesterday afternoon and I mentioned, as I often do, how I find myself more amusing, witty, and overall interesting than anyone else ever could. I don't think I am alone in finding myself absolutely hilarious, but I do feel somewhat isolated in how I embrace my level of engagement. There were a few people that we narrowed down that fall into this category. I am somewhat perplexed that this group of people would be in the minority. I mean, how could I NOT find myself interesting. I read books that I like. I participate in cultural events that I find enjoyable. I listen to good music. I talk about topics that I find thrilling. I make jokes that I immediately understand. How could one not find oneself entirely interesting?? Yet, I still feel that I am in the minority. Perhaps it is the amount of time and energy that I expend on expressing how totally hilarious I find myself that is in the minority. My mom is a very funny woman - and she finds herself very funny but I don't think she realizes she finds herself entertaining. Maybe I'm at a higher level of self awareness than most other people. Maybe I need to find more hobbies than most other people. Maybe.
I decided to make a myspace page to convince more people to read what I write. Starved for attention? Maybe.

Pomegranate and Feta Salad

Okay kids, you asked for it. Here it is:

Pomegranate and Feta Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, washed & torn

1 bunch spinach, stems removed, washed & torn

Seeds of one pomegranate or

1/2 cup dried cranberries

¼ cup roasted pine nuts

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Dressing:

1/3 cup olive oil

1tbsp.red wine vinegar

2tbsp. maple syrup

1tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. oregano

Salt & freshly ground pepper

Toss lettuce and spinach together in a large salad bowl. Add pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and feta. Whisk dressing ingredients together; store in refrigerator. Toss with salad ingredients just before serving. Serves 6.

Enjoy!!

Google This, Byron Gravel

Last summer I was at the Folk Fest, and was posed the question, "if you could see someone from your past, and get updated on their life, who would it be?" My response was easy: Byron Gravel. I'm at a workshop today today and one of the presenters has mannerisms that remind me of one of my favorite friends who has denied me the right of knowing the current, 27 year old, effed up dude who I would be sure to love as much now as I did when I was 16. So, Mr. Gravel, if you are nearly as vain as I hope you are - I look forward to you finding this blog when you google your name. I love you and miss you and would like to be your friend again. Please let me back in. (Please note: this blog was first scripted in a coffee shop beside a soy latte and one table from a handsome man in a blue jacket).
Do people actually find sucess with those ads in the weeklies: "I saw you in the parking lot of PetSmart. You were wearing green, I was tongue-tied and carrying a 2o pound bag of kitty litter..."? I can't imagine them working well. I saw you at that coffee shop on Jasper with the fair trade/organic sign. You were making coffee. I was neglecting my latte and frantically scratching words onto a napkin...
Jessica once described me as having a frantic personality. She got the keys to her new place last night. She brought me and a couple of house plants there where we pictured the likelihood of seeing the tree next door while lying on the couch. It's nice to have someone so close.
Sad and lonely - nothing to do... Yesterday on my way home from work, I was feeling particularly sad as I often do at the end of the day, and I remembered that God really loves me, even when I'm sad. Especially when I'm sad.
The workshop I'm taking is on concurrent disorders - mental health and addictions. One of the questions we are asked to think about is where my hope is: my hope is in the hope of the world - the true hope for redemption: Santa Clause. I mean Jesus. I can't imagine being in the 'helping industry' and have to spend time on that question. I think I would be so overwhelmed without Him. I mean I still feel overwhelmed with Him. Thank God for community.
I'm having a sleepover this weekend, and I'm pretty sure the building of forts will be involved. And dancing, and cocktails. Dancing, and drinking cocktails in a fort with friends. Thanks God!
I'm hopeless, and Byron-less, with nothing to do - and God is good when I am not. Thank you for being the hope of the world. Thank you for making me part of the world. Amen.