Category: Companion Animals

Juno

Jeff and I watched Juno last night and I loved it.  The script, the acting – a wonderful movie, and Ellen Page and Michael Cera make my Canadian heart explode with pride.  Also, it makes fun of Unitarianism.

Yesterday I prepped my MacBook for working with Windows software by installing a virtual machine.  We’ll see how this plays out… Jeff’s going to help me with an XP install  With any luck I won’t have to turn it into a Vista machine.  The long term point of this is to allow me to work from home, as the contact management and call center software is all Windows and internet based.

My payroll problem has been straightened out.

Gizmo and the downstairs dog, Meadow, are getting to know each other.  Meadow is so anxious for someone to play with that it’s very cute.  Gizmo’s body language says it all.  Scornful, not the slightest bit scared.  Eddie made tracks like his little black tail was on fire as soon as he poked his head through the door and saw the dog.

I have now entirely s-canned my original homily, as well as the two subsequent attempts, and I’m staring at the screen with disbelieving horror… can my normal fluency have deserted me for this most important topic?  Can I restrain my usual desire to turn everything into a gag?  Will I find myself in the pulpit on Sunday next, eyes like dog’s balls, stammering, incoherent and bereft of a single cogent sentence?  Stay tuned.  On the plus side, there will be jazz at the service, most likely.

I would just like to tell the universe, briefly, that I’m tired of getting what I need and would like to get what I want for a change.  Okay, back to the homily.

Cryptic

Chipper sent a cryptic – and exciting – email about a very special event which will be happening in her part of the world.  Absolutely no details now but as soon as the official announcement comes through I will be posting it.

It feels very odd to be in the house alone with the cats.  Jeff and Katie are in Victoria.

More banging, screaming, crying and thumping from downstairs last night.  The folks were gone for most of the evening and the first I knew they were back their daughter was crying.  Fortunately, I know the difference between what a four year old girl sounds like when she’s crying with tiredness and annoyance (she was) and when she’s crying from pain or fear. Anyway, the crying seemed to trigger another domestic imbroglio.

Got my hair cut at Azzi’s.  It’s always the same goddamned thing.  I tell them what to do because I don’t DO anything to my hair, and they go “Insufficient challenge” and then they do something tricky to my hair.  And my hair looks like crap until it grows out.  Never, never do I learn.  Never do I grab chickiepoo by the hair and say.  Do  It  My  Way.  Thanks.  So I’m really unhappy with my hair this morning, and I wasn’t yesterday morning, and I had $35 yesterday that I don’t today.  I think she was trying to go all Terry Moore on me, but I got Phyllis Diller instead.

Got totally nuked by a fellow employee yesterday.  Fanboy Joe and I were discussing BSG and Gaeta’s song, which has the interwebs all hopping and antsy, and one of the business analysts came over, eyes a-popping, and said, STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP.  I don’t mind spoilers – they seem to devastate other people – but Joe and I desisted in the face of his obvious distress.

I will NOT be wearing my earphones on the way into work this morning, just in case brother bear is there.  They don’t usually hang around more than a day, but ya never know.

Various pieces of news

I have received a piece of very important mail – I am now a card carrying member of the Skinnydippers Club.  Rawr.

And I’m likely going to Wreck Beach today with Mike. Aren’t you all glad, with the great gladness of those who will NOT be required to use eyebleach, that I don’t post pics.

L.E. and Doug made Jeff welcome with yummy food, music and conversation, as is pret’ near always the case (food was nachos and ceviche, using basa, and OMG it was aMAZing), and while we were there, we heard good news.  L.E. has a show and workshop in Ontario in June.  AND her son Corey (whose blog Jew on Jus is blogrolled here) has been made FOOD CRITIC OF THE TORONTO STAR.  That, folks, is the big time, and a BIG encouragement to do what you love.  We didn’t take the car and cabbed home.

A friend of mine has learned that her biopsy revealed “the weirdest looking scar tissue we’ve ever seen, but it isn’t cancer”.

The weather here has gone from rudely damp and cold and windy to airless, brilliant, hot and humid, overnight.  This being the ‘May 2-4″ weekend most west coast Canadians are lining up in front of the liquor stores with only one thing on their minds.

I had a four hour migraine yesterday, during which my poor boss had to clean up some of my messes.  Ow.  And I got COVERED in lint from the blankies in the first aid room.  I am reminded that it is good to have a team, and so I am in a grateful frame of mind.  The migraine is hormones, plus Vietnamese pork stew at lunch at work, plus that chocolate on Thursday. I really overdid it, I could have just had a taste and been okay, but no.  Now I am in the post migraine mood of being sort of bleak and washed out.  I know from experience that sitting in the sun doesn’t actually make my migraines worse, provided I lie reasonably still.  I had better find that 45 sunblock.

It was heavenly to sleep with the window open last night.  Very quiet, believe it or not.

Eddie was sniffing the air from my bedroom window just now.  Mostly I keep the cats out of my room.

I forgot to mention that on Thursday the Luddite brought over (on his bike!) a two foot tall strawberry planter and then he tied my bike seat to my frame with a locking cable, as he said that my bike was now quite secure except the seat.  Watching him putter put me in good heart.

So far most of the people meeting Jeff for the first time (and it’s kinda odd that he never met L.E.) pronounce him very nice.  That’s good, because it’s true.

Saturday roundup

The fourth building block of circuitry built and tested.

Chipper sent that link.

Defining atheism – harder than it sounds.

Stuffed bats. And other plush toys. From one of my LJ buddies.

Sleepy bear. Sorry about the commercial first. And the Nepalese demonstrators getting truncheoned afterwards.

Albino Kangaroo. Aw.

How mad was this guy? Mad enough to buy his adversary’s company’s name as a domain name and post a lot of really angry, and quite justified, comments. For anyone who’s ever been screwed in a used car transaction……

What colour blind people see.

I have conquered an ongoing, crazy-making, recurring low grade bacterial issue with a simple household substance. Given that it’s been bugging me for 18 months and I got rid of it in 48 hours, I am REALLY HAPPY. No, I’m not going to provide details, but believe me, you would be happy too.

Daughter Katie made a date with me to see the next Narnia film when it comes out.

Paul and Keith here last night. Paul dropped off Ginger Chicken (which is funny, because I was talking about it at the lunch table yesterday) and we all watched The Name of The Rose which we quite enjoyed. They went home after the movie around ten.

Raining buckets…. Eddie woke me up at 5 yowling on the back deck.

My back really hurts. I want to go walking someplace today, but see previous paragraph re rain.

Today I have to go get a new bank card, and do some other boring bank stuff, put away laundry, try to find my tax stuff, shove some things into boxes for the storage locker, restring my guitar, itsy bitsy oddsy sodsy stuff.

I never did this to my mother

But now I really want to try Marshmallow Fluff.

Eddie made me howl with laughter about an hour ago.  He draped his tail over the wireless keyboard in the living room and got the keyboard beep going off through the speakers in the big tv.  Jeff is sitting up and his expression says, “What dat noise?” and then he gently removes the tail.  Eddie continues to sit there regally.  Oh I wish I were a cat.

It’s spring, and I am about to get maudlin, so goodnight.

Monday rain

It was raining in my inbox, too. Chipper sent this link, with the comment ‘looks like an animated floor mop’. The Luddite is threatening flour, with strawberries. (He has both in excess of requirements currently).
Jeff and I walked for about half an hour in the rain yesterday (wandered over to Jerome’s for the french fry cutter). We walked through a curtain of falling cherry blossoms, so I whistled “Sakura” while he scowled gently. I don’t think he’s ever going to get used to me bursting into song in public, and I guess he doesn’t have to. I should just stop, or find people who don’t immediately wish that I had the Nelson Riddle Orchestra hidden under a flowerpot as accompaniment.
Somebody asked permission to record the Tapioca Song. I said sure, and gave them the link to the music sheet on my site. Just to round things out, Paul says he made tapioca in the microwave a few days back. I accused him of being a barbarian. He says the trick is gentle heat. Hmph.

Edgar Kitty ran up and down the hallway like an insane thing early this morning. When he decided to slow down, he barfed. Repeatedly. In a tone I’ve never heard a cat use in barfing. Essentially, he has a basso profundo barf; imagine, if you will, that Ivan Rebroff is horking up a furball in a series of staccato coughs, and that is what Eddie sounds like. Jeff and I got up to deal with the menace to bathroom navigation that is kitty puke, and I’m still up eating brekky and watching the sun come up through a veil of cloud and rain. The kitties like it when I sit here as I don’t have to move to open the back door.
Watched Across the Universe and more Deadwood, after we got back from our nice drenching walk.  Mind you, the dampness was mitigated when Jerome tucked some of Sergey and Megan’s salmon and veggies into my hand on the way out – they had it in excess of requirements and it was DAMNED good.

social it be

Jeff and I went to see Jerome and Shannon last night for a barbecue. Shannon made Jerome a birthday cake that had whipped cream icing, two kinds. And chocolate. And raspberries. I only report this so my mother, who is dieting in perpetuity, can go OOOOO.  Best Cake Ever.  The barbq itself was stellar.
There were a whole bunch of other people there including (this is just weird) another brother sister combo. As is usual everybody attending was smart, funny and good-natured. Rob (the Baumfest Rob, not RobofNine) and his two adorable, active childer, Elise and Arden, were there, and also, another kid, Maya (spelling?) who apparently learned to talk overnight recently and was saying, in that adorable high pitched voice “unca jrome? unca jrome?” and did a variety of other cute things that had me saying goo. Maya had a mom and a nice older brother Julian, who couldn’t be four yet, but he didn’t do that “I will scowl at you for about ten seconds and THEN smile at you thing” which Maya has down to a science and is guaranteed to melt the heart of anybody who wasn’t a sociopath to begin with.  There was also one other child there, an adorable, just barely walking tot named Isaac (who is the spirit and image of his dad, another coworker named Kevin).  Mike and Heather were there as well – Mike made Yam Fries.  Oh, and when Maya and Julian had to go, Julian said in response to somebody else saying “You’re going?” “The car has to go back,” so I instantly knew mom had a CAN car.
Yeah, it was a good time.

Yesterday, besides prepping veggies for the partay, I made mac and cheese from scratch, spaghetti sauce, cookies, and we did a shop in the morning which made all that possible. I also unpacked a couple of boxes, but I still need to do more.  I guess I’m thinking that I don’t want to do more until more space magically appears; I should transfer stuff into boxes and put it in storage, not mess up the middle room with it.

The breakfast nook is now delightful – there is a big enough table and in the morning it’s beautiful and airy and bright.  I’m thinking I should blog out here, then I can watch the cats at the end of the street have a convention.

All of the neighbouring dogs, with the exception of Meadow, the brindle Boston terrier in the basement,  bark like sons of bitches.  The landlord’s dog is brutally loud and will bark at you if she even sees you in the kitchen window from her vantage point on the deck across the alley.

More cooking and puttering today.  I kinda sorta hafta go to church today… an optics thing.  I am hoping I’ll get a lift home.  Now to figure out which bus to take to get out there, as I’m trying to reduce expenses somewhat.

Satidday roundup

Two hundred thirty seven reasons to have sex.  Guess I am going to have to read the original research to get the list. This was forwarded to me – but I won’t say by whom….

How will you know when the housing market has bottomed out?  A handy formula. 

A canonical list of “They do it” one liners.  Definitely some giggles in there.

Brian Kiely goes to Kenya in February for the UU movement, and reports back.  I’ve seen him deliver a couple of sermons and the guy is fracking awesome, and he’s also the only minister I’ve ever seen who incorporated Chet Baker music into a service.  By way of sidestream comment, has anybody else besides me had a conversation about genocide in Canada recently?  The existence, the possibility?

I asked my brother for advice about a haircut and after a blank stare, he said, “Uh, not a brush cut,” which now concludes my attempts to ever ask him appearance related questions again.

Since some of my readers will be progenizing shortly, and some have progenized and like getting reminders of how traumatizing it was (sample conversation with my mother.  “Remember when I here insert description of frankly horrid and unsafe and at best unsanitary teenage behaviour?”  “No.” “Well one of us is luckier than the other.”)  So I am providing a link to an interesting list of things new moms should know.  When I read it I nodded a lot, and I also went hunh?? a couple of times too.

The science behind monster waves.

Rational atheism.

Interesting green blog. Obviously it exists to sell things, but there’s cool stuff in there too. 

I LOVE THESE PICTURES.  The expression on the young man’s face, the poses, the clothing that he’s wearing.  And he was hanged. I just think of Deadwood, and melt.

Maybe it’s not a safe place to put money, but it’s an interesting place.

Young and coordinated.

And now… a dancing walrus.

Life on line…. death on line.

Your opinion?  I poop on it!

Finally, a joke.  What’s Australian foreplay?  “Brace yerself, Sheila!”

various

  1. The Willie P Bennet Memorial event went off hitchless, magnificent, and a credit to the participants.  Goddess bless the James Bay Coffee House and all who frequent it! Paul and I got through the set without embarrassing ourselves and Paul received praise for his fingerpicking.
  2. Peggy showed up the second we cleared the door of the coffee house.  I hugged her twice, I was so happy to see her.  And she crashed her at my folks’ and then I got her to the ferry for the 7 am (which was the reason she crashed here, because if she’d stayed at Pondside that would have been somewhat harder logistically).
  3. Yesterday after we made town I saw the Pondside crew and met a small horde of Devon Rex cats.  I didn’t understand their charm until I met them.  I nearly kidnapped Spice; what a cat!  Suki recognized me and sucked up to me something fierce.
  4. I gave Juliana a copy of the Interfilk auction video I took in January.  w))t!  No, you may not see it.  Private. Also screechingly hilarious.  Ha.
  5. John introduced us to the Blue Nile, an Ethiopian Buffet restaurant on Head Street in Esquimalt.  Man, the food was AWESOME and I am so glad to have had njera again. That is some seriously great bread.
  6. My folks are doing famously and we and Paul are going to head to Granny’s place and have lunch with her today, and then leave for the ferry from there.
  7. All in all so far this weekend has been a spectacular success and I wish I could put the feeling I got when I saw Peggy in a bottle and uncork it whenever I feel sad.  I thought my heart would burst with joy when I turned and saw her with her best mischievous expression. 
  8. Peggy brought Tom’s blackberry jelly, two jars.  Loki pronounces himself well satisfied with a house guest who only appears to deposit blackberry jelly on his kitchen table (he didn’t see her as we were in late and out so early).
  9. Did I mention the Willie P memorial was a rousing success?  That was, after all, the point of the exercise.  But it seems that we may weave extra happiness into our days by availing ourselves of the fleeting opportunities as they pass, and by feeling grateful.  I know that I’m very, very grateful right now.  For my health, my family, my job, my friends…. and frankly, screw the weather.  You can’t have everything.