California Here We Come

 My short absence from blogging can be attributed to a number of factors.
1. I’ve been feeling busy. Now, I must clarify that feeling busy and actually being busy are not necessarily one and the same. It would not be unreasonable to say that I have not been that busy. I’ve felt a bit stressed out about a project, but that pressure has since been relieved. I tend to feel more busy when I’m stressed.
2. Easter. I was out of town from Thursday – Monday. Up from the grave he arose. There is no internet in Vermilion.
3. I’ve recently discovered a tv show. It’s about wealthy kids living in California. I was sure that I would never watch that show and that if I did, I would hate it. I think I saw about 10 minutes of it when it was on the air. I found myself borrowing the first season from the library. After each episode I would say something like, “this show is so good”. I am now addicted, and have purchased all 4 seasons. Not something I usually do, but it just felt right. If it feels good, do it.
4. Chocolate, cheese and popcorn. I don’t usually give in to cravings that have the potential to make me very very ill. But I thought, “hey, I’m feeling better, bring it on”. I brought it on, and have felt regret for over a week. I now know that popcorn is not my friend, and that I don’t know the meaning of moderation.
5. Hawksley Workman. He’s not actually a contributing factor, but I just wanted all you suckers to know that he was at the Winspear on Monday, and my socks were officially knocked off. What a guy! He played for almost 3 hours. I couldn’t help but compare it to that one time when I had a lapse of judgement, and found myself at the Justin Timberlake extravaganza. Hawksley had props (a mini drum kit and keyboard), and costumes (spacey antennas, and green jumpsuits), AND Timbaland WASN’T there, and the girl on stage was wearing clothes. What more could I have asked for???
The truth is, number three is the main reason that I haven’t been writing. All I do in my free time is watch that show. California….

You are Good

Someone recently reminded me that I have good friends. And it's true. Not only are my friends good at being friends, they are also good at being people. An example from today: Andy stopped by my work to let me know that the voicemail system he was working on is ready to go. He told me about how Google and the city of San Francisco is providing SF homeless free phone numbers and voicemail. In response to my enthusiasm, Andy and some of his friends have worked on setting up a voicemail system for the homeless of Edmonton. Right now we need to find the $ so the system can move out of his friend's basement. Yup. I have good friends. 

Things You Should Know About: an update

My new purse has done me well so far. I used to it to carry gluten free crepes, fruit, and drinks to Sarah's birthday party. She had a crepe party, and I was planning on doing the usual eat before, and drink a glass of water slowly to not draw too much attention on my high maintenance diet. Instead, I made some crepes at home. I imagined that they would be a disaster, but I was wrong. They were simple and turned out well. 1 cup brown rice flour, 3 eggs, 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, and 1-2 tablespoons oil. I will definitely be making them again. 

The fundraiser went well. Although we had a ton of help cleaning up after the event, I wasn't able to catch the end of the show.  Heidi is perfect. She is our #1 volunteer. High five! 

The documentary isn't until tonight. I hope that I can convince someone to record it for me. 

I still like cookies. 

Update concluded.

Things You Should Know About

1. The House of Bags is moving to WEM. The last day they are open in Chinatown is March 20. I went there today and bought a bag. I recommend you do the same. 

2. There is a good sounding documentary on Sunday night on the Passionate Eye. Warning: it's about street people, and we will all likely love it.  Warning: if you have cable, I will be asking to watch it with you.

3. Candeo is holding its second annual dessert night fundraiser this Saturday. We would prefer that you rsvp, but we will accept a few last minute stragglers. 

4. Not that I want to compete with Candeo's fundraising efforts, there is a show that I hope to catch the end of. Mark Templeton is playing his last show in Edmonton for awhile. We should all go after the fundraiser.

5. I like cookies. I really do. 

6. Happy birthday, Sarah D. Happy birthday.

For You...

When I got in to work this a.m. I had eight voicemail messages. Very manageable for being out of the office for a day and a half. Two of them were from this guy who calls me quite frequently when he’s inebriated and not incarcerated. The first message was that he missed the sound of my voice, and that he wants to dance with me. The second message was a continuation of the dancing theme. He played the Fleetwood Mac song “Songbird”. I find him more funny than creepy, so overall it was a somewhat pleasant experience.

Kick Me

I took today off because I am going crazy and I need a break. Yesterday I decided to spend most of today writing for my non-paid job (volunteering - ever heard of it?). Instead I slept until until 8, cleaned the house (finally), went to the naturopath, and then went to the mall. I was looking for a white blouse, but instead I bought my second pair of kicks in two weeks. That's right 2 pairs in 2 weeks. I may have a sneaker problem. I now have three pairs that are the same, but in different colors (brown/yellow, pink, and now black/white). They are all pretty much awesome. Augh!!! I am so unproductive. 

Scratch Another Back, Scratch a Back Next to You

My life has had the distinctive feel of lack of adventure. It has been this way for about a year or more. I have been fortunate enough for a number of summers that included a little out of town adventure - often on my own. Due to lack of funds and a lack of destination, my adventures have remained quite local and, well, boring. Not that I have been bored for over a year, I've just had an itch that remained unscratched. I have had the opportunity for a mini-adventure this week. An acquaintance, who I will now call my "friend" invited me to take part in a film project that he and a friend (for this posting will be called "friend 2") were working on. I tried to heighten my sense of adventure by asking almost no questions, and by imaging unfortunate things. For instance, there was a point where I was standing a few feet from the top of a hill, and trees were blocking my view to the top of the hill. Friend and friend 2 were doing something in the car. I kept on picturing them driving away leaving me stranded. Later we drove by a "Curves" and a laser hair removal place. I imagined them trying to convince me to go for a Curves 30 minute workout and then get some lasering done. As I'm writing it, it doesn't sound like it would actually increase the adventure - but you weren't there. The questions I did not ask included: are you filming now, why am I here, and would you like to be my friends? I really get a kick out of ambiguity from time to time. I found the unknown exciting. Now, I'm not saying that the itch was entirely scratched, but it's a little more manageable now. So friend, and friend 2, although you will never read this, and we might not actually be friends, thanks for the adventure.

(Now it's time for a R&A's breakfast with my girls! Yes!)