Right side up

I guess, apart from the Ongoing Irritations, of which I blog so consistently, my life is pretty good right now.  I’m working on three choons simultaneously, including one which started with Paul saying, “I have this nice chord progression – see if you can keep up!” which was not at all what happened in real life but gets to the point swiftly and it sure got me doing things with the mandolin I’ve never done before.  Musically, thanks.

There was also an incredible amount of watching family videos this weekend.  One entire dvd – like 90 minutes – is Katie running around in a diaper (a cloth diaper held together with Snibbs, I note cheerfully) followed with the all seeing eye of her adoring grandpa, who lenses her beating up computers, playing ‘incredible baby monster’ which was a game she and Keith used to play, being thrown around like six big beanbags sewn together by yours truly, being cuddled by two different adoring grandmas, and in general being active and in a good mood.  At the very end of the tape she gets stuffed into a snowsuit and stands there like a Barbie pink version of the Michelin Tire Man.  I look like I’m having a good time, too, which is pleasant. Then there is the before and after video of the plane crash we were in when I was pregnant with Katie.  Erk.  There’s a beautiful landing on Lake Weslemkoon, and then grainy, dark video, illuminated by the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles, trying to recover the aircraft and get Buttonville Airport open again.  I came as close to dying that night – that I know of – as I ever did so far.  I’d forgotten there was video. That was sobering.

I spent about six fruitless hours trying to get the dvds onto my hard drive in a format I can edit.  I know it’s possible, but with my combo of software, native wit and input from Jeff, it still didn’t work, so my idear of getting a friend some pix from the old days is not working – I’ll have to copy the entire thing.  I also commented on a detective novel I was given a couple of weeks ago.  That took about a six hour chunk out of my weekend too – I was busy… really busy this weekend.  I was so busy that when I literally thought Saturday was Sunday when I was talking to Jeff …. he looked at me Like I Am Crazy, which is a fairly common occurence around here.

I did four loads of laundry AND put it away.  I made banana chocolate hazelnut muffins, and they are SO fine.  I saw Wall-E with Jeff, Paul and the kids.  We ate Thai afterwards.  We had no trouble finding parking (I really like the 5th Ave). I had a good weekend.

Oh… I suppose I should review Wall-E.  Please see it on the big screen if you can.  It’s a great piece of family entertainment.  It starts out with the single most brilliant cartoon I’ve ever seen (I’m going to have to watch it about a hundred times to get all the timing and set up) about a magician named Presto Digitatione and his wascally wabbit.  I laughed SO HARD watching this that I was entirely astounded. If I tell you that, knowing what I know, I’d pay the same amount of money to see Presto again that I paid to get into Wall-E, would you run out and see both movies?  Believe the hype.  I didn’t even know about Presto before I went to see Wall-E.  It will take you to that magic space you inhabited the first time you watched What’s Opera Doc or Duck Amuck.  And it does it all without a word of dialogue.  Man, does Pixar know animation!

Wall-E has plot holes the size of a garage, but you and anybody you go with won’t care.  It’s a lovely movie

Coffee’s ready… time to really get a start on the day.

Happy Saturday

I have a large number of reasons to be contented at any time, but right now I’m happy because I have watched a whole bunch of family video from when the kids were little – with the kids, Paul and Dax. Hell, he’s my son-in-common-law now, and if his behaviour has cleaned up perforce mine must too. We had breakfast and then watched almost half an hour of Katie (naked – I guess that makes the video two words I’m not going to put in this post so I don’t get trawled for it) and Keith (clothed, thanks) frolicking with puppies at Red Deer Lodge. The entire soundtrack consists of me saying things like, “Put the puppy down. Put her down. Keith, don’t do that, that’s just ignorant.” Anyway, Dax laughed his ass off at some of Katie’s antics, so yup, it was a happy morning.

Keith said, while running a puppet show, that his master (he was playing a dog) behaved in a silly fashion. I said, “It sounds like your master doesn’t have many brains,” to which his hilarious response was, “Well he does, but they don’t work very well.” Who among us, etc.

Also, and this is kinda gross, Katie and Paul and I dealt with the powerful stench of cat urine in the front hallway. The difference is miraculous, and although a couple of pairs of shoes and one rug and one piece of furniture had to be sacrificed, ainsi soit-il.

Now, I think Paul and I are going to finally get down to what it was I was supposed to be over here for today, namely, singing and playing. First – beer. Then chaffing each other about what we’ll play. Then back to Geekhaven Beta for dins with Jeff.

Tomorrow, Wall-E.  Or so we hope.  It is, after all, Keith’s 22nd birthday upcoming and a sappy family oriented movie is just what the doc ordered.  If he’s free, I’ll take him out to someplace expensive for dinner this week.  PS, his job is going famously.  He’s learning stuff hand over fist, his bank balance is going to improve markedly, his coworkers are all congenial, and he’s part of a team.  How could I not be a very contented mom today.

Percy Schmeiser

My god.  There is something about Saskatchewan farmers, without which this country would be immeasurably poorer.

Anyway, he took on Monsanto and won, and Paul and I went to the VPL to hear him talk.  I have never been so inspired, so disgusted, so frightened, and so proud to be a Canadian.  It was an amazing, life changing experience.  And his wife of 55 years, Louise, sat in the back and knitted.  He doesn’t travel these days without her.  She got a big round of applause too.  Without her, he would have given up early during his decade long fight.

I don’t want to get any of it wrong, so here’s his story.

Give them some money.  Really.  That nice old man is fighting an important battle for every person on the planet.

Playing around

My new Zoom H2 arrived so I have been playing with it.  It seems pretty intuitive and comes with a kick ass quick start sheet.

Times are ‘interesting’ at work, mostly for other people, and in the sense of the Chinese curse. ScaryClown got himself a week off to think about how nuts he is.  I love him dearly, but sometimes his intense intelligence & perfectionism overpower his somewhat stunted sense of self interest.  A couple of other people have left the building, one assumes not as a result of any overpowering desire to run away.  I mean, I won’t miss either of them (one of my coworkers went so far as to play “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” through the speakers on his desk upon receipt of the email, and I did the weasel dance) but Patricia chided me on my lack of professionalism and reminded me about the adage on “the devil you know”.  She has a point, as always.

The Luddite was over last night for dins.  He cracks me up, and only rarely when he plans to.  His raspberries aren’t doing as well as he’d hoped but the strawberries he gave me are ripening nicely.  He gave technical advice to Jeff about his bike and manifested an immense mass of bitter chocolate from his bag.  Jeff cooked chicken breasts which turned out delightful and succulent.  I made chickpea salad, so I imagine we’ll all be tooting like a toy symphony for the next few days.

It’s hot.  I wore a synthetic dress to work and Jeff blanched as I approached him, so I changed when I got home.

I got a migraine sign this morning, so I should be smart and go to bed.  Buffy Season 1 is over….que l’on continue, as a famous separatist once remarked.

The Soft Collision

That’s what this Cassini movie is called.

Last night Katie and I got together for more resume magic.  We thoroughly reviewed it and then printed out 40 copies.  At one point during the evening she curled up on the couch with me and I got kinda nostalgic about the other times we curled up on the sofa watching  Buffy, you know, back in the good old days when my (Ed: enough of that, now!) – well erm, uh.  Nostalgia, the curse of humanity (points if you know which Dunnett book I swiped that from).

Keith was over too, his job is going reasonably well.

We all ate pork chomps, expertly cooked by Jeff, and broccoli and corn and garlic bread.

It’s not like Jeff and I have been wishing that the people downstairs would magically disappear or anything, but I guess telling them in writing that the domestic violence and partying on weeknights until 3:30 am had actually penetrated our thick skulls was TOO MUCH for them, so they told the landlord we were crazy and made incredible amounts of noise and gave their notice yesterday.

I hope they get counselling.  I remember overhearing Amber say to her girlfriends when they were outside partying last Monday that she wished she could have a relationship where she could just call him and tell him where she was going – and she sounded amused and resigned, not bitter or resentful.  Erk.  I think he’s too smart to actually hit her but their fights were screaming repetitively I’m done with you and making so much noise with the furniture that it sounded like pianos being pushed off balconies.  Of course, the people who move in next could be worse, but I’m thinking that if the landlord has the sense to tell the incoming tenants that our schedule is 5:30 am to about 10:30 pm, 7 days a week, he’ll be able to cull the party animals from the herd.

Also, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s a landlord’s market in Vancouver right now.  Tony the landpeer can set the bar really high if he wants to, and he likely should try. Gentrification strikes again, and affordable housing is vanishing.

The saddest thing about them moving is Dezi and the dog.  Dezi’s the 4 year old.  A sweet thing, but whiny.  Meadow, OMG Meadow is a sweet sweet dog, and she came up yesterday and hung with me and Jeff as we had our Frostees on the back deck.  She curled up under Jeff’s chair and visibly winced when her master called her – repeatedly – and only went downstairs, throwing reproachful glances over her shoulder with every step when I softly encouraged her to go on home. What will happen to them, God alone at his eye-window knows.  (Points for the Dunnett reference… again).

pix

Eddie inspecting the baggage; one of the eagles at the launching point; launching the boat, note position of exhaust; Sugar.  Sugar fell asleep on me on Sunday immediately after the ceremony.  I must have smelled great – I was attacked by a bee when Cindy dropped me off.

We haz the cool

  • I will never be cool in THAT sense, but I can certainly praise the thrice blessed Jeff, who got an air conditioner yesterday.  It made living at Geekhaven Beta a damned sight more pleasant – it was fracking hot.  Eddie was all over it.
  • I will resist the blandishments of my naturist friends today and NOT go to Wreck Beach.  Jarmo & Co and Mike will be off there today but I simply have too much life maintenance to do, and then Jeff and I will go pic-a-nic someplace, maybe. Depends how appealing it is to stay where there’s a steady stream of cold air.
  • Lawrence H, one of my coworkers, saw a Dall’s porpoise out in the Strait on Saturday.  It was just part of how awesome it all was, the trip from Vancouver to Victoria.
  • Victoria, approached from the ocean on a hot day, has a mesmerizingly beautiful scent of hot, sweet pine.  NO not like Pine Sol.  A magical, resiny gorgeousness that lifts on the breeze and drowns one in anticipation.  As drfilk noted, “Well, that’s better than I thought it would smell.”
  • I sang much of the way there, as much nautical stuff as I could remember, which isn’t much, but thanks to my mother and father I know all of the lyrics to at least one version of “The Eddystone Light”.
  • I learned last night that somebody I never talk to at work (I don’t sit with him at lunch anymore) thinks I’m a great performer.  Now I am thinking “When the hell did I ever play in front of him? And PS, thanks.”
  • Oh, is the rent due?
  • My rear end still hurts from the trip there. A little.  Not like Sunday morning, when my parents were giggling at me every time I sat down and squawked.  My back isn’t great but I know walking will fix it.
  • I have to water my plants; they got a good soaking Saturday morning but they are droopy as hell, as container plants are in this kinda heat.
  • Robof9 took pics of his wife’s work.  She is a professional plant person.  Sheesh, I guess that makes her a horticulturist… anyway, 100000 plants that she grew all needed watering on Sunday and he took pics and I await them happily.
  • Next post, various pics.  Be prepared..
  • I have booked a Can Car to deal with the box situation.
  • I think I need a summer weight housecoat.
  • For those who might be nervous on his account, Paul survived the last round of layoffs at his work.
  • The folks downstairs, in an effort to avoid us, have taken to smoking cigarettes indoors. For me this is annoying, due to my disturbed relationship with tobacco; for Jeff it is nauseating and hopelessly rude.
  • I participated in a Pagan ceremony on Sunday.  I am still processing it. When asked to pray I directed my energy towards a good outcome for somebody I despise, in an effort to cultivate both mindfulness and compassion.  The notion of praying for myself when I’m so comfortably settled with life the universe and everything (occasional bitchiness and annoyance with incompetence aside) was not on.  Runnerwolf was very specific about saying, “If you’re praying for somebody else, always pray for the best outcome – something concrete might not be what’s required for the person you’re praying for.” The psychology of this seems wise; you have formed an intention without becoming attached to the result, which is better than petitioning the lord with a laundry list of ‘want-its’ and then getting miffed when they don’t come to pass.  Funny story: she used popcorn instead of dry corn for ceremony once, with entirely predictable results come time to put the bundle in the ceremonial fire.
  • I know what copal and frankincense and myrrh look like now.
  • Why would an atheist bother with all that?  Because of Tennyson (oops, nearly said Donne)
    I am a part of all that I have met;
    Yet all experience is an arch wherethro’
    Gleams that untravell’d world,

One thing and another (Battlestar, Victoria round up)

Here’s a report, forwarded by Robof9.
G. E. Productions Inc. is filming on campus, portions of the movie“ Battlestar Galactica “.

Film Set Preps, Shoot and Wrap-up / Clean-up Day;
7:00AM to 11:30PM, Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Film Set Preps, Shoot and Support function locations:

1)  Academic Quadrangle – Courtyard and Reflecting Pond area.
                                     – AQ rooms 4120, 4125, 4140, SSB 9200

2) Parking – SH, Lot E(East portion)
                 – S SH N side of fire lane to bus loop
                – Lot G (lower East portion)
                – Studio II (East grass area)
                 – ASB E. lane (East side)

– Set areas will be dressed prior to filming by early morning.

–  Set props, vehicles & equipments positioned where designated, shall be cleared out as soon as film shoot activities are completed.

–  Between 9-10pm Wednesday July 2, ‘08, all filming activities completed.   All vehicles, equipments & props removed, film shoot site cleaned-up and  wrapped out of campus.

I saw a man on a bike with a parrot on his shoulder in Victoria.
I have a migraine (no surprise, all the sun I got this weekend plus really inconvenient amounts of hormones).
I got up really early and ate pea pods in my mOm’s garden yesterday morning.  Om nom nom.
I had a really really amazing weekend.

It’s a beautiful day

I’m at the folks’ place in Victoria recovering from one of the more memorable days in many moons.

I got up at 4:30 and left the house with Jarmo and crew around 7:30.  We launched from Burrard ramp.  There were eagles at the launch site.  The launch was hilarious, mostly because the Suburban’s muffler was under water for a good chunk of the launch.  Anyway, that was successful.  Out into the Georgia Strait where the combined one two punch of the Fraser’s two arms dumping into the strait caused incredible lumpiness.  I lost my hat (I had sunscreen), applied sunscreen to the back of Jarmo’s neck and his bald spot, and stood for the first 1.5 hours.  We stopped at Galiano and got ice cream bars and pumped the bilges, after which the boat behaved in a much peppier fashion.

Got to Victoria Harbour long about 11:30, with bunting flying and hordes of people for the tall ships festival, including the Nina, and Jarmo just moseys up to the nicest section of dock and gets everybody a pass to the docks.  I bail to go to Pondside for the filking. 

Shortly after I got there me and twenty other people ran through the Tapioca Song… EVERYBODY there knew it off by heart, it was amazing. Instruments included stand up bass (thank you thank you Peggy) hammered dulcimer, banjola, many guitars, resonator guitar and many harmonious happy voices…..  AND – and this makes me so happy I could burst – it was simultaneously signed in Ameslan. 

I played with Devon Rex cats and listened to some of the nicest and smartest people in the world tell stories and sing songs and play exotic instruments.  Happy, happy sigh.

Then I realized I was exhausted and begged Dr Filk for a ride to my folks’ place on his scoot, which he kindly provided.  There I was thinking I wouldn’t get a ride on a motorcycle this summer, ha! THEN I got to ride to my granny’s place in the Camaro, with the top down, during a cloudless summer evening.  I had a lovely (and brief) visit with my gran, then came back here and drank a cup of tea.  There was a deer in the parking lot across the street from her apartment while we were there.

You have to admit I had an amazing day and I send big hugs and kisses to Douglas and Juliana for sponsoring the amazing event that is Pondfilk.  But I am sun- and windburnt and entirely bagged and my bed is calling me in three part harmony with stand up bass accompaniment, so good night moon.  mOm’s going to give me a lift back there in the morning, and then with any luck I’ll hitch a lift back to Vancouver with Tom and Peggy.

Tired and happy.  That’s me right now.

Nothing but pix

So, in no partic’lar order.  The broom made me think “Hogwarts is missing a student!”; and the bunny was a creature dumped on Burnaby Mountain by some schlunk, may he or she encrust the worst part of hell, BUT the story has a happy ending and the bunny was rescued; Patricia, LTGW and Francis at the pond; a salamander in the pond (hard to see, but there); a bee in a salmonberry blossom; fungus in the woods; the flowers Jeff gave me earlier this week which smelled heavenly; Trev and ScaryClown at lunch.

And then my heart burst with joy

Keith came over and said, “I have a prezzie for you.”  It was a tshirt with a design of his own contrivance.  In lurid, but slender, rainbow hued type, it says, “Queen’s Fluffiest Pillow!”

Once the timing had sunk in (it’s mere weeks before Pride Day – a fact he alluded to in his presentation of the garment to me) and I had donned it, I looked down and realized we were both wearing robot socks.

Paul came over and said I have a present for you.  It’s my 100$ check from the BC Gov to spend on the environment (nice vote buy, assholes) and a screed from Elections Canada that manages to get my name wrong in two new and interesting ways 6 weeks after I changed my address with Elections Canada online.  Who the fuck in their right mind believes this government is smart enough to spy on its own citizens?  Even if they were, the bureaucracy they run this crap through couldn’t organize an orgy in a brothel.  Canadians must be the world’s politest incompetents.  Okay, end of rant.

Then Paul tried to break my computer, and failed.  His new iPod kept trying to crossload itself onto my computer when all we were trying to do was charge the damned thing.  I had to unplug the damned thing twice and force quit my MacBook twice to get it to stop doing that.  Since I know from SQUAT about Macs I freak anytime untoward happens – I have no Mac geek to lean on.

Anyway, Paul has left still needing some charging method for his new toy, (which I’ll have you know I wish I had) and Keith is gaming, and Katie is needing more resumes, and I need to pack and sleep. Jarmo’s gonna be here 6:45 ayem-ish tomorrow, and dawn comes early.