Month: May 2016

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Damn, we’re done with Call the Midwife until it comes back in 8 months.

Rewatching the Expanse.  They took extraordinary care with the casting; now that I’ve read the first 4 books in the series I can confirm that Chrisjen is like the hole in one of casting, and the crew of the Rocinante is of a piece with that.  Did I mention I love Wes Chatham as Amos? GUESS WHAT HE GETS EVEN BETTER IN THE NOVELS. He has a couple of lines (usually with Holden) that are excruciatingly funny.  Think Jayne with even better tactical sense and a truly wicked sense of humour. The Texan-talking subcontinent dude (Alex the pilot) is straight from the book as well, and he’s a great character.

Jeff took me to breakfast. I ate from the over 55 menu. Do you hear that mOm… the over 55 menu. (dun dun.)

I bought myself a Mother’s Day treat but the more I thought about it the less I felt like hiding in my room and eating it so I’ll be sharing it with Jeff tomorrow. Why yes it has chocolate in it, whyjja ask?

Miss Margot is still coming into my room every day for scritches even though I still do all the life maintenance on her. Either she’s jealous of Buster or she’s finally figured out I scritch okay.

 

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Lovely day yesterday pre-mother’s daying.  Alex had a wonderful time in the beautiful kiddy park next to the as yet unopened petty zoo. The New Westminster parks officials have their heads screwed on straight. Given a choice between turning the water in the spray park on before May 24 weekend and turning it on when it was a blistering hot day, THEY TURNED IT ON. If we get freezing weather I’m sure they’ll turn it off again.

Feeling so unhappy about #YMMfire. The fact nobody died is a testament to the strength of character of the emergency workers and the survival instincts of the evacuees. One thousand square kilometres burned or burning. Eighty-five thousand evacuees. If we drop that patch over Vancouver, that means EVERYTHING FROM UBC TO BOUNDARY ROAD, FROM STANLEY PARK TO YVR is burned or burning. And if that was the case we’d have a million evacuees.

The chances are good more fires will start this weekend. The firefighters will have work all summer.

Anyway between our very lazy and affectionate day yesterday and simply not feeling like writing, I haven’t done much. I will finish it.

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Carl Beijer, “This is what I see in liberal journalists who call themselves feminists, but who only care about the problems of rich women: a toxic blend of apathy for their comrades and ambition for themselves. If America, as Steinbeck supposedly put it, is a land of “temporarily embarrassed millionaires”, liberal journalism is an industry of temporarily embarrassed executive editors, would-be Jill Abramsons who are fine with laying off hundreds of women as long as they’re the ones who get to do it.“

Above is from Avedon Carol’s website, which I highly recommend if you’re into fantasy, feminism and awesome writing.

I had a slack day yesterday. Started on the Expanse novel Cibola Burn. I LOVE AMOS, HIS ATTITUDE IS THE BEST.  “I am a killer but I will stay with people who have moral agency and they will point me at the right people when the killin’ starts.” Also he’s funny.

If I thought I could even get close to this restaurant today I’d go, but oh well, happy Cinco de Mayo Taqueria Playa Tropical, you make the best Mexican food I ever et north of the 49th.

Instead, I’ll be having a pre mother’s day meal at Planet Bachelor with the immediate fam and Jeff if he feels like coming.

Family sayings and terms

Ingredaments

Never shoplift when you’re hungry. John

Heroes and heroines drive convertibles. the folks, updated for sexism

Never blame mean for dumb. (Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately accounted for by stupidity.)

I’m glad you showed up, I only had one bus ticket. John again.

Thirty, officer, m a y b e thirty-one. Ron Mahadeo, after making a London ON police officer chase him about ten miles and being asked how fast he was going.

I bet you don’t know something that I don’t know that I’m not going to tell you. Katie aged 7

We’re going to Mars????? Katie aged 4, She asked me where we were going, and I said TAMAR’S and that was her response.

What’s left of him is very dead indeed. (from Wrong Box.)

We used to suck, but now we blow. (from a memorable customer service interaction back in the day regarding what kind of exhaust fan the inverters have.)

“Sir I understand your disappointment with the product but I can’t rearrange the laws of physics or remove the warnings from the user guide!” same same

The earth gravities my mind system, and I forget things. (Keith, aged 6).

They’re cooking their dinner in a garbage can! (Keith, aged 4).

Egbwa! Keith aged less than one year.

It’s a wonderful day for pie! (Family Guy)

“It is most uncomfortable.” Keith aged 8 having fallen asleep with gum in his mouth, only to have it sneak out of his gob and wind itself around his entire body including (that’s enough – ed.)

A low standard to be sure – one of John’s faves.

 

 

 

 

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Que l’on continue.

This is what Lucien Bouchard wrote to his well wishers when he got flesh-eating disease.

Like many French idioms it doesn’t translate well. It is a well bred way to say Keep on Trucking. It literally means ‘which is continous’ so it has echoes of ‘I’m still standing’ as well.  Anyway, it’s one of my favourite franco-canadian idioms and I think it applies during the writing process as well.

Paul and I went walking at Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park yesterday and it was so frikkin hot I was a cheese melt by the time I got back. Thank you Paul it was necessary to get out!

Jeff and I have already shopped, glad not to do it in the heat of the day.  I think this rain is going to burn off, you can feel it.

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Jerome’s party was wonderful. He and Shannon have made a beautiful home.

Today I will probably not be writing that much. I was out really late and I’m severely underslept.  Reading the second book in the Expanse series.