Category: Friends

Hey pOp

I read the first 21 pages of St Eve’s charge to the jury in the Black mail and wire fraud trial. What I read was really interesting, although being bird witted I ran out of steam and decided even if I hadn’t read the whole thing it was worth posting the link.

Scroll down until you hit the “Read the instructions to the jury” link.

Katie’s principal read out loud at the graduation that “Katie hopes that her grandparents are proud of her.” I’d say bursting with pride about covers it. Purpose sure is an amazing school.

I don’t have pics because Katie danced off with her camera and Paul drove her home. It was an exceedingly pleasant and low key event. All the speeches were terse, whether off the cuff or scripted, the mike got handed round the room, and of course, the piece de resistance was the two musical teachers singing a Grad Parody of Man of Constant Sorrow, as sung in O Brother Where Art Thou.

Meshugas after I got home – the front door exit lever was broken. You could open it from the outside with the pass card but not from the inside with the lever. This freaked the hell out of Katie, Paul and Suzanne; Paul’s comment was that it was a fire hazard and needed to be corrected immediately. I had already stuck the after hours emergency number in my cell phone… so I left a message and by the time the folks left the door had been fixed. I may have had nothing to do with it but it certainly argues that the building is being properly maintained.
Oh, also pOp you should be hearing from Katie shortly, something about the Spike Jones and the City Slickers tape being trashed and how much she would really appreciate another one. I found some on the internet and Katie got all gooey eyed about it.

Gosh, you should have seen her, a vision in Gothic Black. Dax looked sharp too. I would have killed to have worn the shoes Suzanne did; extra high topped black and white sneakers with gel insoles. yowza. The venue was STUNNING, the mood electrically happy but mellow, the food rocked and did I mention the speeches were short? All in all a truly successful evening. Then we came back here and some of us drank beer (that would be me and Paul) and some of us drank Baja Rosa (that would be Katie, who was showing signs of snogging the entire thing, and Suzanne and Dax). And we listened to Man of Constant Sorrow from the soundtrack, and Bob Dylan, and Mika, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ang Peggy Lee and Spike Jones and we watched the Triumph motorcycle ad. I mean, gather round the fire, folks.

Did I mention my bundle buggy spectacularly exploded as I was exiting the 135 bus at Hastings and Willingdon today? I got down on my hands and knees and grabbed all the washers and the spring, which had sproinged, as springs do, and then spent an unhappy five minutes crawling about on the sidewalk jamming it back together and wishing I had some lockwire. (Subsequent analysis by Paul caused him to exclaim that I should have asked for the fat stuff, not the skinny lockwire, and subsequent subsequent analysis caused him to say it really needed a cotter pin anyways.) We only had three feet of the skinny stuff, which isn’t enough for otherwise stabilizing it. I will have to get by without it for a while, I sure don’t want to go through that again although I did keep my head at the time and actually did a quick count on the other side to make sure I had all the washers. Do I sound absurdly proud of myself? Good.
I got a picture of Daxus wearing my fake snake coat. He’s standing under an exit sign. V. cute.

Wandering the West End

Went to Doug and Elly’s a bit early yesterday; they are currently making a documentary called a day in the life of Uncle Doug and Aunt Elly, and I wish they were making it for me because it sounds hilarious.  Essentially it’s an ADVERTISEMENT; they want some people to come and visit them so instead of bugging THEM about it, they are going to make their apartment seem so unbelievably attractive to the kids that they’ll come out to Vancouver just to get the kids to shut up.

Anyway the earlyness meant I had 90 minutes to stooge around so I got a pedicure; it wasn’t as nice as the last one and I now have a big hole in my foot where none ought to be, but it doesn’t hurt much and she did actually pay attention to me when I asked her NOT to trim my big toenails down as much as she was planning (or is that planing?)  to.  This is what is known as Too Much Information, or TMI.  But dammit, my feet are important, at least to me.  They are a big chunk of my operational effectiveness, I’ll have you know.

Doug made three cheese hot pepper salami pizza which was awesome, and crantinis (I only had one, as the first one hit like  an a-bomb.  My tolerance for alcohol has completely evaporated this summer…. getting old I guess.)

Patricia’s coming up the hill for lunch so I have about two hours to clean up after the kids…. errrr….. and thaw things and cook.  Damn, I’m lazy!  I only just got up!

Exciting things are happening in my life.  It’s wonderful.

Much alcohol

Poor Burnt and PhD had SOOOO much alcohol left over from their wedding that they threw a party to get rid of it.  I made myself one appletini, but mostly I stuck to the Rum Punch, which was superb.  I stopped drinking early in the evening, but I didn’t leave early enough – I got to Production Way half an hour after the last bus.

I’m thinking, erm, doesn’t look good, but I’ve memorized the Bonny’s Taxi number and honest to Murgatroyd, the taxi came around the corner just as I came up from Lougheed to stand where I could be easily seen. I called for a taxi at 1 on the nose and was in the door at 1:13; I was somewhat perturbed to see that the taxi driver had ditched another call to pick me up.  I suspect my tipping habits have stood me in good stead with the drivers.  I’ve only failed to tip once in ten years, and he deserved a tip alright, the tip of my boot.
Sigh.  Wish I’d taken my makeup off before I crashed; fortunately the massage oil worked great at sluicing it off this morning.  I did wear the flight suit and Scary Clown immediately asked if I was jumping out of an airplane tonight as soon as I showed up.  Wise ass.  All was forgiven later as we (me, one of LTGW’s nephews and Shorn) drifted over to Scary’s apartment to admire his artwork and for him to check if his site was down (I told him it had been earlier, but it wasn’t, it was just really freaking slow).  I was waiting for the reaction shots of the guys who hadn’t been there before and was not disappointed….Shorn looked around and said, “How many computers do you HAVE?” plaintively.

I had one of those party experiences where virtually wherever I was standing or sitting, I was in someone’s way.  Finally I tried to sit as far away from everybody as I could and just kibitzed…  it was fun in a low key way.  Myself and a coworker traded sad stories about having teenagers, and it was all very pleasant.
Today I think I’m finally caught up on laundry, so I’m going to lie back down with Lucky Jack Aubrey, who’s just been sprung from a French pokey by his best friend’s squeeze (also his cousin in law), and take up the 7th book, Ionian Mission.  At least Stephen and Diana are finally married now.  I mean, he’s chased her across the ends of the earth at this point.

Later, off to see my Livejournal pal….It’s bucketing rain, think I’ll break down and take my brolly.

wandering around town….

Poked my head into the New West library to pick up the next two books in the Aubrey/Maturin photo-15.jpgseries; purchased soy sauce (how is it I haven’t purchased it earlier???) and other comestibles including items which will make the young’uns happy, also beer, also picked up a Georgia Straight and a very satisfactory haircut both in terms of the gossip quotient and the results; also satisfactory in that the first words out of Shelene’s mouth were “Girl, you’ve lost a ton of weight,” which of course made me crack up.  I’m thinking I should cruise down to the office and weigh myself, I can’t trust the scale I’ve got here….  Now all I have to do is piles of laundry and wait for 7 o’clock to roll around so I can get dressed for a party.   Part of me wants to get entirely dolled up (plucked eyebrows….MASCARA!) but the sober portion of my personality has said, “They are engineers – if they do notice it would only be to make fun of you for taking the trouble.”  Sad, but I think true.  So I won’t wear the outfit I bought for Katie’s grad, but I will wear something comfy.  Maybe that flight suit?
I had amazing bus luck today.  I never had to wait more than 5 minutes.  On the way back I had a ‘brrrrr’ experience; the lad sitting across from me on the 145 was a DEAD RINGER FOR STEPHEN HARPER, right down to the icy blue eyes and man boobs.  The poor kid.

I can’t stop smiling.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me…. or what’s right with me.  Subjects were removed on the house; looks like the deal is a go.  Something may go wrong between now and the end of July but I’m good with everything.  I will roll with whatever comes my way.

Zeek! has been to the vet, courtesy of Paul, and he has a lesion on his chin which Paul got cream for and which seems to be working.  Zeek! and Kira appear to be otherwise happy and healthy and adjusting to the new place okay.

I light a candle for all my friends, who have stood by me in a lot of ways, not all of them readily apparent, while I’m going through the transition.  I feel so blessed, so borne up by the good wishes of those who love me, that it’s getting increasingly easy to feel positive, stay positive, and not be so easily moved to anger and irritation all the time.  My current emotional state reminds me of how I felt when I was expecting the kids; occasionally worried, but mostly, thanks to the hormones, feeling almost imperturbably happy and expectant.  The world’s an awesome place.

And I’m practicing mando at least an hour a day.  My guitar is bitching me out from its corner…. pick me up YOU!

I’m going to see a gal from a recreational group I was a member of for a brief while a couple of years back.  She and I are on Livejournal together and her relationship of 27 years busted up under much the same circumstances as mine.  We will get together tomorrow and compare notes, hopefully with buckets of tea and much self-deprecating laughter.  I am SO looking forward to it.  One of my requirements of myself is to quit hanging around with male engineering types who are fifteen years my junior and start hanging out more with sympatico women my own age.  My  visit with Gail made me realize that I am hungering for circumstances under which my childbearing and my middleagedness and my life experiences will be grist for the mill, not something to be shrugged off.  I want to own my life, not have to make excuses for it all the f(cking time.  Although I can’t make excuses for being happy.  Because I am.  I can walk around naked in my apartment!  Who couldn’t be happy about that!?  (Okay, there are three of my regular blog readers who just threw their hands in front of their eyes, but there are also two at least who are thinking other, possibly less critical thotz…)… Oh, and I saw Anne McLeod, one of the revered church elders, in the Safeway in New West today.  It was good to see her!

Katie here

Today I have some running around to do.  Keith is joining me and Katie some time this morning and then I’m going to Burnt’s farewell luncheon.  The alcoholic version of said farewell is Saturday, when Burnt and PhD are getting rid of all the alcohol purchased for their nuptials.  Ha!  First time I’ve been invited to a DO NOT BYOB in ages.  Actually since Anna and Paul’s party.

Then other running around.  I’m 48 and have never had a passport, a state of affairs I need to correct soon.  And I should go sign up for the car co-op, as having access to a vehicle would be nice and there’s one parked at the door.  And I need a printer.  It’s only money…..

The inspection on the house was yesterday.  Paul told me that his interaction with the incoming owners (we hope) was ever so civil (he had to beetle over there to provide garage keys so he actually got to speak with them).  We both remain sanguine that the deal will go.

Katie finished another project and called herself pleased about the pamphlet she wrote which I formatted.  Keith is coming over to write up a leaflet about housesitting – he’s wanting another job and is asking the universe if it’s too much to ask to sit down for the next one.

Jericho Beach Folk Music

Every Tuesday in the summer one of the upper rooms at the Jericho Sailing Club turns into a Celtic jamfest with one of the highest quality open stages in history (and I’m not saying that because I was there last night). Here’s the link…

Anyway, Linda Allen played her deceptively simple folk tunes, most of which could be Unitarian hymns, such are the sentiments expressed. She writes labour friendly songs, too, which made me wish Dr Filk could be there, as well as a certain co-worker who once worked for a certain aircraft company in Washington state. There was a song about the two feminists who lobbied to get women the vote in Washington state as well, which was perfectly charming and which she performed for Christine Gregoire (current governator of WA).
I performed Buy me a Beer and Wish That I Knew Why. Rick Keating is coming by next week and I represented for Lady Miss Banjola when I innocently remarked “Trouble come by here?” to which Lynn responded with feeling, “Oh trouble will be right in this room,” which made me smirk.

At one point Linda needed a music stand, so I flounced up to the front and became “Allegra, the amazing human music stand,” to the appreciation of the performer and the amusement of the crowd. Linda then sang a song that was irresistably funny, so I had to Zen out and try to keep my shoulders from shaking with suppressed laughter.

Later in the show she had another song that she needed her music for so I reprised my role, this time taking the weight of her music book on my knees which made life a lot easier, and it was a much sadder song, so staying steady wasn’t so hard. I was moved to tears half a dozen times last night. Those looking for mad guitar skills or a strong voice are encouraged to go see another performer though. I’m glad I sat up front.

It took me almost two hours to get there by bus from SFU, and I took the wrong bus as it turns out so I did a LOT of walking. So I was very happy to get my hands on Raven Cream Ale on tap – a brew I was introduced to me by LTGW at the Brickhouse earlier this year. The weather on the deck was glorious and I watched kids and dogs and boats and sunset with a feeling of layered contentment. And a very civilized woman named Jane gave me a lift to Burrard Station, which meant I got home at midnight instead of one.

News roundup

Hurricane forecast accuracy is reduced, but you’re not supposed to complain about it.

Pride has two faces. 

Alcohol protects against rheumatoid arthritis?  I’ll drink to that !!  Ooh, and further down it says that breastfeeding longer than 13 months protects against rheumatoid arthritis as well!  (May protect, anyway, according to preliminary research…)

Junk DNA isn’t really junk?

Monty Python was wrong…. there is no Universally Funny Joke.

The majority of mammalian genes tick to a circadian clock.

Great evening

went straight to Metrotown from work, riding down the hill with Patricia and Scary Clown, then a meal in the food court (U Grill) and then bought myself a summer jacket with all the latest hardware detailing, drooled all over some fet gear in that weird shop with the dragon out front at Silver City, then Pirates of the Caribbean, (LTGW said it was an art film and he was mostly right) & then a meal.  Keith cued it up so that Paul came to the movie as well and we had a very civilized and comradely evening, including a stopover at Chong Lum Hin (where else) where Sue gave us a rapturous welcome, and I got to read episode ninety – the last – the very last – of Strangers in Paradise.  It has a happy ending!!! Me so happy!!! they Both get pregnant and live happily ever after.  Okay, this will only mean something to maybe two people who read my blog, but I was terrified Terry Moore was going to kill off Tambi, and he didn’t.  And I gave Paul back the Powerpack and a piece of mail that somehow got included in my mail forwarding.  And somebody saw the house, but no offer.  Open house this weekend, wish us luck.

I’m glad my evening was so great, because work sucks a Greyhound Bus Station Men’s Restroom Mop right about now.  Not people, just work to the ceiling.

Feeling fine

Got up around 4, called my girlfriend Tammy, and then washed my dishes and my kitchen floor.  Had a cup of tea, nuked some home fries that I made yesterday, and then looked in my microwave and went FEH and hosed it down.  Serves me right for not covering up that Vindaloo when I nuked it.

Somebody is coming to look at the Augur Inn tonight, or so sez Paul.  I was going to do some more work, as per earlier blogs, but now that I’ve been released from durance vile I can wander over to the SFU library and get a library card.  I haven’t had a university library card in 30 years.  Maybe Katie will come over, she bailed on last night.
Spoke to my mum, Chipper and one of my oldest and dearest buds, Toronto Dave D last night – which Chipper will find amusing when she reads this as they too go back to the First Age of the World – he called out of the blue when I was already feeling extremely connected and contented with the unimyverse.

The sun’s come up all glorious.

It’s 2:51 in the morning

I went to bed super early – like when I got home last night – and of course now I’m hopelessly awake. I spent an hour with Patrick O’Brian and the Mauritius Command – how odd to be reading a book in part about Reunion, where cousin Lexi did part of her growing up – and I think the reason I had to crash so hard was because the chemicals from the oven cleaner really messed me up.

I know I said, one last widdy, but after I did the touch up paint and the oven I realized that there’s floors to wash downstairs – or I should say damp mop – and the whole place needs yet another vacuuming and when I inspected the fridges I realized that they should definitely get wiped up. It’s not like they are filthy, but they are just not quite clean enough. I will go Tuesday night, Katie’s supposed to be coming over for the last whack at her course completion before she grads. Oh blissful month of June, that has a graduation in it.

I will try to get off my duff and take and crop a picture of the quilt. I’m so used to doing everything in Paint in Microsoftland that I’m at a loss to even figure out which program I need to be in to crop a picture… although my wordpress toolbar works again thanks to RobofNine so I will have no difficulties posting it once I’ve quit putzing with it.

I light a candle for Riverbend, the ‘Iraqi girl blogger’. I light a candle for those who did experience flooding and a candle of thanksgiving that we managed to get through the worst of it thanks to the weather, so no BIG floods this year.  Although the Provincial emergency dude says usually you get through what you think is the worst of it and it comes back and kicks you again.  Sixty percent of the snowpack is there.  I light a candle for all the folks on boil water advisories.
I asked Paul what he’s doing for Father’s Day and he said he was going to Casey’s birthday party (and he is actually working that day too). I was trying to orchestrate getting both of the kids in one place for him but I should stop being a busybody and just let him do it.

I have one more week of hell and then I go on vacation (and the only reason I’m having Hell at Work is because I’m covering somebody’s planned medical leave). Vacation will include Making Sure the House is Just So and Getting my Apartment so it doesn’t Look Like a Bear Pit and applying for a passport and visiting my Mother and hopefully my bro, and applying to the Car Coop and hopefully having something resembling a relaxing time and maybe even playing around with Garage Band a bit more.

I think my back is getting better. I know it sounds weird, I should be able to tell, but it’s such an incremental thing. It definitely appreciates walking, and me sitting properly. Sleeping is fine (although I only have two useful positions for sleeping and in one of them I snore like (to use a massively indelicate phrase) a chainsaw in a bucket of snot.

I owe Chipper a phone call…. the TOURIST SEASON has begun in Madawaska. The most extraordinary thing happened this year though, according to her. A combination of heat and wet destroyed the blackfly crop. What a shame, hunh? I remember we went up there one time and the fly bites made me sick as hell. And poor Katie….. she gets bit by everything.

Speaking of getting bit, Katie’s bedbug situation, by dint of her heroic efforts, plus the exterminators, has been fixed.

Sundry and various

It was with horror, amusement and a lingering sense of having my hand in some kind of psychic cookie jar that I learned at Grace Hicks’ memorial service yesterday that one of the Beacon Church ladies is a ‘lurker’ on this blog.  I will refer to her as Aunt Ev until she steps up and gives herself a moniker. Picture the most well-dressed, soignee individual, approaching six feet in height, who took up community theater acting in the last few years, the possessor of what I consider to be the best hairstyle at the church, & a wicked sense of humour and an ability to be the only person in the room who thinks something without caving to social pressure in expressing it – picture smarts, a really cool hubby, hospitality that is both gracious and practical… Yes, I could spend a while enumerating her virtues, attributes, and accomplishments and not run out of things to praise.  Welcome!
Grace’s memorial service was everything a service like that should be.  Well attended without being a crush of people – a small enough gathering that everybody who wanted to speak memories had air time – excellent food and company – many pictures of her life, growing up in Kelleher SK – I sat off in one far corner (I only met her the once) and solicited memories of her from various Beaconites.  I salute you, Grace – you were a truly remarkable woman.  Her middle son characterized her with a single word – supportive.  There’s something to the sinews of the Saskatchewan farm women that is truly nation building.

Then, oh then.  Right next door to the funeral home was a…. Long and McQuade.  So if I’m with Tom and Peggy, musical co-conspirators since longtime, I’m going to stay out of a Long and McQuade?  I got a mandolin chord chart, located a really nice Sublime ball cap which I may pick up for Katie’s grad, and watched Tom and Peggy cruise the acoustic guitar and electric bass rooms.  I saw a parlor guitar that had me drooling, and for some reason started jonesing on an electric violin, but managed to get out with only the chord chart.

Then the folks dropped me off at the Braid station, and then I went and sat around at Lougheed Station and got on the 110 to get to Brother Jerome’s.  I was the ONLY person on the bus for most of the run, and that was okay.  Got off at the Greentree Village stop, lugging my beer and weenies, computer, Georgia Straight and umberella and chord chart in the pouring bloody rain, and got there really early, only one other person showed up, whom I won’t name because whilst demonstrating her fabulous ability to do splits and other feats of agility and flexibility, she whacked herself on the eyebrow (same place I got myself when I was a kid and wiped out on the ice in the neighbour’s yard) and probably ended up getting a stitch or two in hospital.

As always Jerome and Shannon threw a partay of unmixed blessings (well, except for the gal wot had the accident) and stunning food (Mike’s grace note, a bucket of chewy candy) and a really really great soundtrack. (Much U2, Warren Zevon, Tom Petty, Coldplay, etc). There was beer, massage and chicken kebabs; there was Wii (I abstained), many laughs, some philosophy, and Shannon bought the same plates I did at Ikea, which made me laugh…. Oh, and Heather admired a couple of books of Jerome’s and he handed them to her.  He said, “My mother gave me those and told me somebody would come along and want them, so take them.”  (It’s the Urantia book and the concordance, if anybody cares.)
Today I head off to Augur Inn to do one last widdy bit of touchup and cleaning, but first I’m going to try to straighten out my bedroom, do laundry and more to the point PUT AWAY laundry, and maybe do something slothful like have a hot bath and give myself a facial.  The living room side of the apartment is reasonably tidy, but the other side is definitely THE DARK SIDE.

sociable evening

RobofNine ran his hands over my new MacBook and got wordpress to behave by installing Firefox.  Alas, he did not put an icon on the desktop ere he left, which caused me an untold two minutes of anxiety, but now all is well.

Katie came for a visit (she is sleeping under the quilt five generations of her family worked on) and Mike & Heather came by as well and we went for a walk and drank beer and ate the apple pie they brought.

Spoke to Peggy about the arrangements for getting to Grace Hicks’ memorial service.

Spoke super briefly to Chipper.

And Katie spoke with her grandma, and all is right with the world.

Nothing to say

…except I made a herculean effort to clean my apartment, and now it turns out that nobody is coming tonight!!!!

 

OH NOZ…. I guess I get to go home and surf the internet in my skivvies instead of getting tech support.  Rob of Nine is putting an offer in on a house in Langley so he won’t be able to help me with my computer. 

 

Then, tomorrow, a memorial service and then a party at Brother Jerome’s.

 

Ran into Brian C in the liquor store last night and he gave me a ride home!!!  See how little it takes to make me happy.

Garage better

I removed the last of my junk from the garage, we killed about ninety billion spiders, and shoved all of Paul’s stuff to one side – Alex leading the charge. Alex did the sweeping. What a difference….. There’s still stuff to do like wipe down the cupboards but you can actually see the garage…
And then
And then
And then
PIE…. She made Lemon Meringue Pie FROM SCRATCH and fed it to me and Paul. Yummy. Then we got all the additional crap (like, I am now overgross weight for this apartment by about 100 pounds) into my apartment and I let Alex get back to her busy life. THEN a lovely phone call from brother Jerome asking me to a bar b que and then another lovely phone call from LE and Doug and we did a lot of catching up and she’s going to be in VICTORIA for a good part of July, so I am already plotting and planning in hopes she can be connected with various people in Victoria.

Life is awesome, the weather is stunning, and I’ve set up a table and chair so that when it’s not so blazing on the deck I can sit out with my little computer and tap away….

I know I should subtext the weather with – here’s hoping no floods. I have a good feeling about this year, I think we may dodge it this time…..

And Keith got accepted. Honestly, I could live on that for a week.

Oh, and I worked on the upstairs bathroom at the Augur Inn too while I was waiting for Paul and Alex.

Oh, and Keith accidentally left the Commodore (late in the series O’Brian) for me so … later!