Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

Pride was awesome, as always

I never know how much to say about it.  I took transit downtown, and couldn’t find the marshalling area for the BCCLA because, ha ha, I was given the wrong information twice by a volunteer.  I went and stood by the starting line, with all the dykes on bykes, and watched a partially racially motivated fist fight almost start.  Yup, at Pride.  Stupidest thing I ever saw.

The parade was an hour late getting going, which was cruel – my feet hurt even before it began.  Then my group went by and I squeezed through the onlookers like a little pumpkin seed and danced and boogied and fist pumped and queen waved my way down the street.  Recognized two sets of people, BOTH coworkers (current and former).  It’s amazing how you feel after half a million people smile at you.

Came home and Keith is sitting downstairs with this girl he met through work, who’s an artist and quite pretty.  We watched Ponyo and then I went upstairs and crashed.

Monday I didn’t do anything except loaf and laze.  Oh, and I did July expenses – I was embarrassed that it took me to the middle of July to do May and June expenses so I actually did it in a timely way this month.

My family can never be too big.

That’s what Gramma Zooss always used to say.  Here’s a couple of Brazilian men who really live it.

The Vikings had a saying.  Better a good foster son than a bad son.

It’s really difficult to describe just how amazing Jeff’s birthday bash was, but it had the following going for it:

1.  The weather which was nothing short of spectacular.

2. The awning – what a lifesaver that turned out to be.

3. HEADWATER.  A simply stunning performance by three extremely talented and loveable young men.  I mean it, to have the pleasure of these guys as working guests was great.  We bought their albums, we laughed our asses off at their between song patter, we listened in rapt silence to their originals and their covers, we loved every minute of it.

4. Wonderful friends and fabulous conversation.

5.  Rob and Kathy showed up with their two kids (6 and 3) and I had to yell at them like an ogress to get them off my neighbours’ lawn, but they forgave me.  Little girl and I danced and drew pictures and played with the thunder tube.

6. Walking into the games room and finding Jeff pogoing to the Dandy Warhols with a small child. My personal high point of the festivities.

7. Jeff excusing me from kitchen duty so I just got a bunch of pre prepped food, which worked out fine.

8. A cooler full of brewskis.

9.  Did I mention Headwater?

10.  Just about everybody who confirmed attendance came, and all the important people – the kids and Paul, Mike and Rozo, Tom and Peggy, Kevin and Rebecca, and Rob and his family, came, and they enjoyed themselves muchly as well.

I crashed out early – I started drinking at noon and between that and the sun I made it to about seven pm before I faded.  Now I have to go have a substantial breakfast and get myself to the staging area for the Pride Parade, as I’m marching with the BCCLA today.  Thank the water cycle it’s overcast, I don’t think I could stand to get fried again.

Sundry and various part 243

Editorial on the Harper Gov and the long form census.

Ceegars are back.

Yet more evidence of the appalling lack of compatibility between men and women.

Turkey doesn’t help you sleep.  Fat keeps you awake.

I suppose if I told anybody I wish I had darker skin, they wouldn’t believe me.

I can’t improve on the headline, or the sentiment.  Squirrel, it’s what’s for dinner.

Paul Giamatti as Mr K?

I think Sherrod is doing the right thing.

The voices behind the games.

The Mind Meld.

I am a terrible parent

When one of my children says, “I was tripping ballz the other day,” – I am sorry, I CANNOT keep a straight face. I crack up.   The internet meme “tripping ballz” is not that old, but I have to say it’s one of my current faves.  (dates to about 2003 but came to favour recently).

Speaking of the mildly hallucinatory, Guillermo del Toro and James Cameron are going to make At the Mountains of Madness in Three Effing Dee.  So there.

misplaced my phone

My phone is now sitting at the customer service desk in the Kerrisdale London Thugs.  Sigh.  My stoopid was overactive so far this week.

Battery loved his “Battery’s Man Cave” sign whot I got him for a housewarming prezzie.

Kevin and Rebecca are coming for Jeff’s b-day! This is why it’s good that mOm and pOp aren’t coming, because we’d have no place to put them.

SO STOKED for party.

LOTS and nothing

Yesterday I cleaned up under the deck – mostly pulling weeds and garbage removal – with Margot carefully supervising.  She madly loves to supervise humans working, I think, besides chasing flies, it’s her fave thing to do.

Pulled the first pea pod out of the garden for Jeff.

My mint got so sunburned it almost died; I have to find a better place for it  out of the direct sun.  I watered the cedar hedge at the back of the yard as I promised the landpeer I’d do.  She laboured mightily to put them in and the first year she planted them she was coming by every week to water them during the dry of the summer.

Margot has taken to sitting under my car before I fire it up in the morning.  I could wish she wouldn’t do that.

Had a lovely time at Mike’s birthday party last night.  It was good to see Heather and Margaret and Rozo and Tom U., and Jerome briefly dropped by as well. Paul and Keith and Jeff rounded out the gathering.

The quinoa is getting big.  I don’t imagine the corn will actually get tall enough to set ears and ripen, but they are fine looking plants.  The rest of the yard is looking very brown, but we don’t water the lawn, and the roots on this lawn are very very deep, so it always greens up nicely after a rain.  The pine trees I got from work are still doing fine, but I’m going to have to consider where to plant them.  I’m almost inclined to transplant them into a park – but in the meantime all I have to do is keep them alive.