Celebratory 100!

This is my 100th blog post here. It seems like a momentus occasion to me because, as I once wrote, I am not a blogger. Although that fact really hasn’t change, I do think I’ve become a better blogger over these past 100 posts.

I’ve certainly had my fair share of rambling entries here. Sometimes I even wonder if I make any sense. I know I’ve had a few good ones as well. My most popular post, by page views, would be Letter to a Year Gone By. I kinda liked that one myself.

Although a look back wasn’t what I originally had in mind for a 100th post, I honestly couldn’t think of anything better to write. Besides, I like looking back – if only to see and perhaps understand, that which has made me who I am today.

Maybe one day I will feel comfortable calling myself a blogger. Until that I day, I will keep posting along here. Sometimes as a part of NaBloPoMo – the only time you can count on me posting – and sometimes outside of those times when my posts are more infrequent. Or maybe, as I now find myself getting a handle on this blogging thing, those no NaBloPoMo posts will become more regular.

I am sorry to say this is all I can leave you with on my 100th blog post as I wait for the exciting news of the birth of my nephew and as I prepare for the arrival of my family in a few days time.

May the next 100 posts go smoother than the last.

The Indifference of Good Men

Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.

The quote above is from a movie called The Boondock Saints. I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it. Although I will warn you that it is a VERY violent movie and the word "fuck" and its derivatives are used a total of 246 times.

I’m using this particular quote, not just because I agree with is, but as a reminder to myself regarding an incident that happened recently.

Let me preface this little story by telling you about where I live. I live right downtown in an above store apartment facing one of the busiest streets in the city. My neighborhood can safely be described as ‘not the safest’. In other words, there are drug dealers, prostitutes, crackheads, homeless people and, well, you get the idea.

My apartment is selective in its tenants; most of the other apartments nearby are not so selective. It’s not unheard of for there to screaming matches, cop cars, ambulances, noisy drunks and, once, even a ‘prophet’.

Depending on how serious things sound, I’ll grab my phone and head outside to see if anyone needs help or if I should call the RCMP. Although, first I look outside to assess the situation. The view from my windows is somewhat limited, but sometimes I can see enough to let me know whether to call the cops first or if I should just sit back down and ignore it because it’s nothing to be concerned about.

In the middle of the night, not long ago, I was awaken by the sounds of a very loud argument nearby. While my foggy brain tried to process what was happening, I took in every word. It was a man and woman and I’m still not exactly sure what they were arguing about.

I looked out my bedroom window and saw nothing. They were probably at the side of the building. The arguing went on for long enough that I debated about getting out of bed, putting on some clothes, grabbing my shoes and heading out to see if I should call the cops.

The only problem was, I didn’t want to get out of bed. I didn’t want to have to call the cops and stay up for more than hour because I’d have to make a statement. I just wanted the yelling to stop. I small part of me even just wanted to scream out my window “Shut the hell up!”, but I didn’t. In the end, it did stop and I fell back asleep.

And I admit that I feel really guilty about this.

I know, it’s not a safe neighborhood and I really should be out alone after dark, but I’ve rarely let something like that stop me from doing things before. I am embarrassed at my apathetic behavior. I did lay in bed struggling over whether to go out or not, but ‘not’ won the argument this time.

Should I feel guilty about this? Would have been better for me to go outside in the middle of the night and see if the cops were needed?

Random Thought and KickTheHabit Review

Random thought:

Getting married can be referred to as getting "hitched".

The phrase "go off without a hitch" means everything went smoothly.

So what would it mean if you told someone "I hope your wedding goes off without a hitch." ?

I have yet to figure out the answer to this one! Of course, I've now reserved it as a phrase to say to someone whose upcoming marriage I don't approve of. XD Let them read into it!

---

I honestly don't have much to say today really. I've been working on my Chore List. I made a few more tweaks to the design since I've started using it. I even did great at no procrastinating last night.

I did watch a movie, but I also did 3 loads of laundry and ALL my dishes. I even folded and put my laundry away - something which only ever happened occasionally. I even prepared my lunch for today last night!

Of course, this week will be a test of my resolve to KickTheHabit. With my family arriving on Saturday night and me leaving for Saskatchewan right afterwards, I've got a lot to do. Not to mention a lot of baking and cooking. Treats and sweets for my BFF...and a big fancy meal for my family.

Not to mention making sure everyone has a place to sleep comfortably. Breakfast to be planned, groceries to buy, pets to care for!

Thursday through Saturday is going to be crazy for me. It would be nice if I had help, but I can do it.

So far, I have yet to work exercise and writing into my new schedule, but I'm getting there. I'm looking forward to doing some running while I'm in Saskatchewan. Nice empty TWP and RR roads to run along. Plus, my running buddy is there.

Oh, fair warning, I may not have access to internet while I am out there because I lent my stick to a friend. Although that friend will be in SK with me, I don't want to deprive her of what she needs for her schooling.

You Are Here

Sometimes, okay a lot of the time, I feel pretty lost in my life. On a small scale it’s all pretty simple. I sleep, I eat, I work, I play – I rinse and repeat. The big picture, though, well that’s a lot more complicated.

When I graduated high school, I wrote myself a letter to be opened ten years later. Have you ever done that? It had my hopes and dreams about where I wanted to be ten years from that day. When I read it last year, I was reminded of what a naïve and foolish child I was. Seriously, I was.

It would be great if I had a map that told me where I was and where I could go. I want a big red sticker stating ‘You are here’. Then maybe I could make some realistic choices in my life. There is so much I want to do and so much I wish I had done.

There is a saying that ‘these are the best days of your life’. That time is happens at different times for everyone and I wonder if I’ve had those years already. I look back fondly on my days in high school, but I’m not sure they were the best of days. Honestly, I was a bit of a wall flower back then. Who am I kidding? I still pretty much am.

College was a miss as well. Not my best days. So where are they? Are they now? Did I miss them? Are they yet to come? When will be the days that are the best moments of my life?

Those are questions that I may never be able to answer until my twilight years (and we’re not talking vampires and werewolves).

There is also the consideration that my best days are what I make them to be. Every day, every moment, could be the best of my life if I choose to make it that way. Perhaps it is all just a matter of perception.

Hiking

Yesterday there was no blog post and for very good reason. I was up at 0530h, out of the house by 0700h-ish and I wasn't home again til 0100h. That's right, I was literally gone all day.

And where was I?

Well I was invited by a friend to join her and another person on a bit of a wander around Banff National Park and, more specifically, Lake Louise. Having never actually been to Lake Louise, I said yes - of course.

We went to the Columbia Icefields, we hiked up to Fairview Viewpoint (which is quite literally UP) and then a leisurely walk on that goes to the far end of the lake from the hotel.

It was nice to know that even though I haven't been running lately, I am in half decent shape. I was able to keep a good pace, but since I quickly outpaced those I was with, I had to stop and wait a lot. Then I had a "brilliant" plan on the hike to the viewpoint.

I would run up the mountain until I started to get winded...then I waited and did it again. It was good fun and great exercise. It makes me hopeful that if I can ever find someone to backpack with me, I might have the chance to hit the back country.

Heck, I have a wonderful weekend trip all pre-planned for Waterton. Easy hike to the camp, a circle loop the next day up a mountain and then an easy hike back out on day three. I want to do it so bad! But, I digress.

While in the park we experienced an entire year of weather. Snow, Rain, Sun, Hail and High Winds were around a different parts of the day. It was great fun. I got wet, I got muddy and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Pictures are to come of course.

Now, I need to go to bed because I spent all day procrastinating and now I have to try to get up early to get done the things that need to be done before I go to work tomorrow.

New Computers

Last night, I procrastinated. I did do some dishes, but that pretty much covers it. Which means tonight I have to make both banana bread and apple spice muffins for my hike tomorrow. I’m going to Lake Louise and Banff for the day. I’m quite excited about it.

Of course I have a HUGE distraction sitting right in front of me. Not the internet, but something related. Today, at work, I purchased two of our old computers for $25 apiece. We were auctioning them off. They’re not even that old. Out of those two computers and my old one at home, I am going to build myself a new computer.

What am I going to do with the leftover parts you may ask? Simple, I’m going to build my dad a new computer as a belated birthday gift. I’m pretty sure he’d appreciate a new computer. He seems to have so many issues with his old one.

I want so much to go straight home and start playing with parts, mixing and matching until I’m sure I have something that I am going to love. Then I’d want to play with. Change the settings and get it to exactly where I want it.

Then I would need to build the computer for my dad, but that would be nowhere near as urgent to me. I can see me wasting the entire night on just the one computer.

But I have things that need to get done. At least the blog post is out of the way, but I still have do dishes and bake and then do the baking dishes. Then I have package up baked goods for the trip tomorrow. Fill my water bottle and make sure everything is ready for an early start.

Oh, and I need to get some groceries. I’m all out of cheese and I have no idea what I am going to do for lunches next week. Maybe some celery soup? Lol. I have lots of celery for some odd reason. Still, groceries can really wait for Sunday.

Still, can’t wait to build my new computer. So excited. Can you tell?

KickTheHabit and Goals

So, I’ve made a chore and activities list. I contemplated a calendar style and a list style, but I think the list style won out on this one. I’m going to give it a trial usage and see how it works for me. I’m not sure I’ve covered everything on my list. I’m sure there is more I can add to it. Suggestions are, of course, more than welcome.



Yeah, that is an excel spreadsheet. I’ll print off a copy to pin to….my front door? Will that be a good place to put it? Maybe, we’ll give it a try and see. If I had a laminator I would laminate it so I could use erasable marker on it. Guess it’ll just have to be pencil and eraser instead.

Since yesterday was my start on not procrastinating so much, I did manage to tackle a few things on my to do list. I baked 3 dozen or so cookies (if you can’t be skinny make your co-workers fat), I did some dishes and, as you can see above, I made my chore and activity checklist. I didn’t get to scrubbing down the bathroom or doing my laundry. I had a nap instead, but still, I accomplished some of the items on my list.
I really wish I had a white board style so that I can add special tasks at the bottom that need to be completed; special tasks that I only do every once in a while. Like making three flavours of sorbet before my family get here. Packing for a trip is another task I have coming up. Baking goodies for a day out with friends. Those sorts of things have their places, but sometimes I need reminding of them so that I am not doing everything last minute.

So that about wraps it up for my follow up to yesterday’s post Procrastination.

Now, on a whole other note (but not really), I had the random thought that if this task and activities list works out well for me, why don’t I try a goal list? This would be slightly more long term and will have a lot more fluctuation in it. A way of keeping track of progress on things I want to do.

I always have tonnes ideas and things I want to do, but sometimes I just get distracted and end up not doing what I really want. Like going to San Fran on my own. I still really want to do that. Getting free of all my debt…every last penny. Small goals too, like getting a steam cleaner for my couch or a bike, or a limited-speed motorcycle (whole other story there). Finishing my novel would be on there as well.

I could keep it as not just a list, but as a progress chart. You know, like the kind they use for fundraisers where the goal is a specific amount (like to fly to San Francisco). Something where I show some real progress. I can track it and feel good about my progress or guilty about my lack of progress.

I think, what I’m trying to get at is giving myself a more focused life and lifestyle. I don’t want to 40 and wonder what I’ve been doing for the last 10 years. I don’t want to have to start wondering about why I never did manage to do ‘this’ or ‘that’. I want to be able to go, I did ‘this’ or I did ‘that’ or, ‘I’m still on track for doing it’.

Now chalk another one up for my goal to fight procrastination. Once again I used my free lunch hour to write my blog post instead of leaving it until the last minute. I’m so proud of myself.

Procrastination

"Until you value yourself, you will not value your time.
Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." ~ M. Scott Peck

I will be the first to admit that I have an issue with procrastination. Every morning when I wake up I make a mental to-do list. It’s not a long list. It’s not full of a few large tasks. In fact, it’s a perfectly reasonable list.

While at work, I rework the list for when I get home from work. This is, of course, after I promptly ignore the list of tasks that I have assigned myself to do during my hour long lunch break. Although, to be honest, I sometimes get the things I wanted to get done during my break done. More often than not, I don’t. Especially if the task is working on my novel. 
When I get home, sometimes I manage to get a task or two done from my list, but mostly I don’t. I distract myself, I play at something. I watch a movie or read a book – sometimes to the point of neglecting my own dinner.

Yes, it’s fair to say that I have a problem with procrastination.

Every now and again I take a stab at trying to conquer this particular dragon. Obviously, I’ve been pretty unsuccessful at this. I have decided that it is time for me to, yet again, take up the sword and shield and kill the damned dragon once and for all.

The only question is how?

So far my best thought is of creating myself a checklist; a daily, weekly and monthly to do list. Leaving some time for fun, of course. A set of rules would be useful too. Guidelines on how my checklist system works. Such as, the computer cannot be turned on until X is completed.

At the same time, I know there needs to be some room for flexibility. There is a fine line to walk between rigid structure and too much wiggle room to allow for procrastination. Every day cannot be so full of tasks that I have no time do something I enjoy.

There also needs to be space to add unexpected tasks. For example, I love to cook and my friends sometimes take advantage of this and I’ll unexpectantly be cooking for company. Sometimes I spend an entire weekend away from home as well. These weekends are nice, but the tasks that need to be completed at home won’t get done if I’m not there. They still need to be done, but I’ll need to fit the task in elsewhere.

There seems to be so much to consider that I almost want to procrastinate on trying to end my procrastination.

The logical advice is take small steps, break the task up. In other words, I need to torture the dragon to death. It sounds very macabre when I put it that way! Still, it’s what I need to do to kill it and keep it dead. It’s amazing how well the procrastination dragon can revive itself when you thought it dead and buried.

So where do I start? Any suggestions? How do I go about killing the dragon slowly and forming the good habits I’ve always wanted to have in my life, but have put off doing for so long?

Should I start with my checklist idea? Create a checklist of tasks/chores that need to be completed on a daily, weekly and monthly schedule? Where do I put this list to make sure I am constantly reminded of my tasks? How am I to hold myself accountable for these tasks?

So many questions to which I am sure there must be good answers, but I don’t know these answers. So I turn to you for help and advice. I must start tonight of course. If I put it off for too long I may just put it off forever.

---

As a part of starting now, I didn't leave my blog post until I was too tired to write and just wanted to go to bed. Hopefully that means this is much more interesting and makes far more sense then most of my posts do!

Dream a little dream

I've been thinking a lot lately about something I've always wanted to do. It's expensive, it requires at least one other person, but it would be so much fun.

You see, I've always wanted to travel across Canada and not just in the typical sense. I wanted to make a real journey about it, it would be involved and complicated, but so worth it in the end.

The trip starts with two things - a website and a facebook group. The facebook group would be dedicated to having people tell us what is so great about the town they live in, why we should visit it, what sort of attractions there are to see. Nothing to big or too small.

The website would be set up with a journal, a map displaying where we've been and where we are currently, videos and pictures about where we've been and of course, the biography of the two (or more) people taking part in the journey.

A real documentation of Canada. Every little town, the people that live in those towns and things that not everyone gets to see.

It's on my to do list of things, should I ever win the lottery (unlikely). It is a project that would, most likely, never be finished because I would love to be able to try to visit every town, city and village possible...and well, this is a pretty big country.

With the right promotion it could be something grand. I'd love to even have a part where I can ask people all over this country what it means to them to be Canadian. What they love about their town, their province and their country....whether they were born here or chose to make it their home.

Of course, now I've posted this here which means someone who has the money and time could steal the idea from me. Ah well, it's an idea worth sharing.

Today's post is brought to you by....

ap·a·thy/ˈapəTHē/
Noun: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

That will be all.

---

Okay, I lied. In truth I'm just tired and I'm going to try to go to bed early, but I doubt it'll do any good. Sleep is just not being good to me lately. Maybe one day I'll do something about it...like maybe get married because I always sleep better cuddled up with someone.

Of course I have to actually find the rare individual that I like enough to let in and that also wants to spend their life with me. Finding those two things together is a next to impossible task I'm afraid. However, nothing it is not completely impossible and therefore, a chance remains.

Day at the Zoo

Today I went to the Calgary Zoo with some friends. Zoos have the ability to make me both sad and happy at the same time. I'm sure you can figure out why. I thought I would be nice and share a few of my edited photos with you. At least, the ones I enjoy.


I watched this small boy carefully approach a butterfly because he wanted it to land on his hand. He was so patient and so careful....and so adorable.


This is one of those pictures that make me sad. Of course she was probably thinking "How do I get out of here and to those delicious looking creatures out there?"


Whooping Crane taking a little break from preening to look at me and wondering why I was talking to it.


Did you know that giraffes had such long tongues? This picture doesn't even show the half of it!


And all around the park were signs like this. I took a picture of a lot of them, thought I'd share this one here.


Of course the boy and the butterfly is the only one I really altered (colouration). As soon as I saw him I knew exactly what do do with the picture. I haven't put much thought to any of the others! Sorry.

Waldosia

Today was the day of our company summer party - which was cancelled. It's pouring down rain and very windy. So instead of drinking and golfing and being around people, I'm home alone. Again.

Being home alone usually means I start thinking too much about things I prefer not to think of. It's one of the reasons I like to lose myself in movies, books, anything really.

Thinking too much isn't a bad thing, but thinking too much about the things that make you sad can never be good. All it does is make you feel sadder than you were before.

I came across an entry in something called The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

waldosia
n. [Brit. wallesia] a condition characterized by scanning faces in a crowd looking for a specific person who would have no reason to be there, which is your brain’s way of checking to see whether they’re still in your life, subconsciously patting its emotional pockets before it leaves for the day.

I'm not even sure if it's a real word, but I do know that feeling well. I've experienced it before. All too often. It most often occurs when I am longing desperately to see someone that I know I won't be seeing anytime soon. Someone who is on the verge or has just slipped out of my life.

Of course, when I don't see them, even though I know I won't, I can't help but feel disappointed. Sometimes just a glance is all I want. I reminder of what I can't have. I glance of what I have lost.

Or maybe I just like inflicting pain on myself.

A few of the Q

27. Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

I don’t think it is. Even if you only challenge it with a single question in your mind rather than accept it out right, you still need to question. You still need to contemplate it before you can truly accept it as the truth.

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

Not yet.

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

Yeah, I remember it. I’ll never forget it. I won’t go into details, but it ended with me having to break my own heart because that was the best thing I could do. Even today, the memory of that heartbreak and the events leading up to it are a shadow over every relationship that I allow myself to become involved in. It is a constant reminder that love is never “all you need”.

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

That is a really hard question for me to answer. I’ve forgotten a lot of childhood because a lot of it wasn’t that great, but there are a few good memories that stand out for me for different reasons. The one I will never forget is the day my dad took the training wheels off my bike. I spent all day riding my cousin’s bike up and down our gravel driveway till my dad agreed that I could ride well enough to take the training wheels off my own bike. It reminds me always that if I try really hard, I will succeed. I was determined to get those training wheels off and no one believed I’d be able to do it so quickly. I showed them, didn’t I?

Another day....

I had plans to write an article about the riots in Vancouver, but I haven't had the time to do the proper research for it. Even though this is the first day this week with no overtime at work, that doesn't mean it has no been eventful.

A few things happened today that knocked me off my typical path. First, my best friend called to tell me that she had started getting labour pains. According to her doctor, she can expected to go into full labour sometime this weekend. It's a bit early, but the baby is already over 7lbs and has a really strong heartbeat. None of us are worried.

Then, one of the few people in my office that I had taken the effort to befriend left today. Apparently, unbeknownst to anyone else in our office, she had given notice. May 30th was to be her last day, but whatever the reason she decided to leave, it was not on the best of terms. And they paid her out for the time left.

Considering that we are already somewhat short handed at work, it looks like we are going to have a very busy summer. Lots of OT, but that just means that if I can bank enough hours I might be able to take two weeks over Christmas for a real trip home.

So that was my day, but it's not over yet. I still need to do dishes and make rice krispie squares for a work thing. I'll probably just do the squares tomorrow. It's already late as it is.

We didn't deserve it.

Before I get into what I want to talk about, you may notice that there is no post for yesterday. I will not apologize for this. Yes, I am doing NaBloPoMo, but I will not count yesterday as a failure because I didn't even turn on a computer beyond what was required for my job. It felt good. People should do that more often.

Now that that is out of the way. What I want to really talk about.

Vancouver did not deserve to win the Stanley Cup. I say this as true Canucks fan. Boston deserved it because they actually showed up to play. The only player who showed up for the Canucks was Luongo. Wait, stop booing and I'll explain.

Going into the playoffs I was convinced that after long last, this would be our year. Finally we would get to bring home the Stanley Cup. We had a good team, a great goalie. Vancouver seemed unstoppable.

Then came Boston. At the time, I was confident in saying that we had the better team. We had the more consistent team. Boston had a great goalie and they relied on him too much. They had a couple of good lines, but they couldn't really count on their third and fourth line. They weren't as fast and didn't play as physical a game as Vancouver.

I really thought we had their number. Unfortunately, the Canucks did what they do best. They fell apart. Some of it was due to injuries, lost players. We struggled with our defence, trying to put together a workable line with so many players benched.

Other than Horton (who was taken out by Rome, but that is another topic for another day), Boston was playing relatively injury free.

It seemed that as soon as the defence began to fall apart, the forwards could no longer do their job. They lost all confidence. Partially understandable, Vancouver's defencemen often play fairly aggressively and were more often than not very key in scoring goals and scoring chances.

During Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals I saw it start to happen about halfway through the first period. They allowed themselves to go with nothing more than a token fight. The forwards failed to pick up the few rebounds that Tim Thomas allowed. They allowed too many turnovers.

In Game 7, I couldn't fault Luongo for the few goals that went in while he was on net. Mostly, it was his teammates that let him down. They didn't play their best game. This was a crucial one, and they never even bothered to show, leaving their goalie hanging. Luongo did a good job and I will curse out any Vancouverite who dares to try and throw him under the bus. Vancouver is not a city that is kind to its goalies, but Luongo was the only Canuck to really show up tonight.

I know he won't read this, but I hope he doesn't spend too much crying into his beer. He should hold his head up knowing that he did the best. Hopefully the rest of the team will take the time to apologize to him for not bothering to show and play....with maybe the exception of Malhotra. He's still recovering as far as I am concerned.

That is the opinion of this Canucks fan....and even that of my best friend. We did not deserve this Stanley Cup.

Congratulations Boston. You earned it.

I lied.

So, I lied. I'm sorry. It was unintentional. If you follow me on twitter, you may already be aware of the fact that I didn't sleep last night. Not, I only got a few hours, but I seriously did not sleep.

I've made it through my work day. I've made it through another disappointing hockey game. Sadly, I do think I could make it through a blog post, but I would like very much to try to get some sleep.

Because sleep is important. If I can't manage to sleep tonight, I will have no choice, but to cancel my date tomorrow. Which is probably fine because I don't really want to go anyway.

Still. Sleep. I must try to sleep.

better tomorrow

I had an entire article planned about why Sunday is my favorite day of the week. Then I got distracted.

I then planned an article regarding writing and editing. Then I got distracted.

Now I don't even bloody well feel like writing anything in my blog because I've spent the last several hours working out a sticky plot situation....only to be stuck on the plot for the third book of the series and wonder how I could set it up better to make the third book work out.

So, I am tired...of thinking, of writing and just plain ol' tired as well. I have a pretty good feeling that I'll be brain-dead when I go to work tomorrow as well. I'm usually already in bed by now on work nights. Not to mention the two pots of coffee I've had today.

So, in short, you get nothing, but this whiny little blog post. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better tomorrow. I promise.

Never as Planned

Although I am the first to declare that I really don't have much of a life outside of work, somehow my weekends fill up all too quickly. Every now and then I try to keep a weekend free so that I can just chill for a bit, clean my apartment etc.

This was to be one of those weekends. No plans. Just me, hanging about my place, doing whatever. I had a few things I wanted to accomplish, but the hours were free after that. Some webdesign work, some writing, do a load ro two of laundry and finish making the living area look "perfect".

My Saturday started late because even though I woke up at 06h38h, I didn't bother to actually get out of bed till much later. Then I did some dishes, cleaned out the fridge and made myself breakfast. In that order.

I got a call telling me about a friend’s rugby game today so I made a minor adjustment to my plan to allow for some time to watch the game. I'd just work on the websites later.

An hour later, I get a call from another friend, the wife of my buddy who was playing the game later. She asked to borrow some blankets because it was colder than she expected and she had her girls rugby that she coaches at the Jr. High coming to watch a few games.

I said it wasn't a problem, of course, and she responded that that was good because she was at my front door waiting to be let in. So instead of waiting a couple of hours to go I went and watched an extra game.

Instead of going straight home afterwards to catch up on lost time, I ended up taking another friend who had joined us later at the game to a new place downtown. It's a coffee shop....and more. We had some chips from the chip truck and some Italian sodas from the bus and watched the people from the top of the double decker. Erm, the bus is the coffee shop.

Then instead of going home after that, we ended up going shopping because she was going to one of the few places I could get my Bangkok Curry instant rice noodles (by Thai Kitchen). So I couldn't say no. It wasn't a store that was normally convenient for me to go to.

Of course, while shopping, I some great sales and I ended up picking up a new $30 jacket for only $3. That's right. I got it for 10% of the original price. Finally, after that, I got to go home. Much later than I had wanted to be home. I finally finished watching the movie I had been in the middle of watching when I left to go to the rugby game.

Of course, when all was said and done, the hour was much later than what I would have preferred. Nothing that I had wanted to accomplish today had been done and now I have to use up my Sunday to do it all.

But that's okay. It was a darned good day. I enjoyed it a lot. It always kinda surprising what can happen when things never go as planned.

Oh yeah, and in the middle of writing this I heard a loud crash outside. I went to investigate because I am a good concerned (oh alright, overly curious) citizen. Apparently, someone had run into the road closed sign. The one with the big flashing light on it. Go figure.

Stumbling & Clicking

I will admit that I love to stumble. I use it as a way to pass the time. I stumble over many an interesting thing. And if I really like it, I'll tweet or facebook it. Of course if I shared everything I liked, people would quickly get annoyed with me. So I am selective in my shares.

Oh wait, when I say I enjoy stumbling, maybe I should clarify. StumbleUpon is what I'm referring to. It is a way to "stumble" randomly around the web so that you can "trip" over interesting websites.

If you've never done it, it can become addicting. I'm warning you now. If it wasn't for my non-addictive personality, I'd probably be on the site a lot more.

You choose a list of interests and it brings up websites that it has tagged of being something you'd be interested in. You can like the pages or dislike if you want. The menu bar that remains at the top of the screen makes it easy to share your finds.

I love quotes: http://pinterest.com/penelope11/quotes/

I love food and humour: http://www.examiner.com/comedy-in-national/coolest-s-mores-ever-picture

I love photography: http://1x.com/OEfullSize/35064-fullsize.jpg

I like reading writing advice: http://www.thinkingandmaking.com/view/more-tips-for

There is a lot more things that I like, but those are just a few random pages that came up at the point where I felt like adding links.

So, I am a stumbler. Do you stumble?

The Power of One

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay is one of my favorite books ever. If you've never read it, I highly recommend it. A story of struggle and triumph on more than just the personal scale.

I first read the book when I was in high school on the recommendation of a socials teacher. She lent me her copy. I read it and I loved it and I keep re-reading it.

I've always been told that there was a movie of it as well. I was told that the movie really wasn't that good. Just now, 14 years later, I've finally seen the movie and it wasn't that bad. I've seen worse (the night I was forced to watch Stepbrothers comes quickly to mind).

I can say that it is ever so loosely based upon the book. The message is there but it lacks the character development and a truly cohesive plot. I always imagined that it would be difficult to really transform this book into a movie. The message is too deep to really put it in a movie format without making it far too long.

The movie was a jumble of scenes from the book, not always in the exact same order the book had them in and it showed. It really did feel as if they took a few key scenes and filled in some blanks to make it look like they had a plot.

I guess I'm a little hard on movies, but I enjoy watching them enough that it has to be particularly horrendous for me to just plain hate. even a movie I enjoy watching will often get picked apart since I am a sucker for character development and plot.

Although after picking a part Thor to a friend of mine her response was "Well, it's really just a movie that you watch for the eye candy. Plot and character development come second to that."

PS - if this made any sense, I'll be amazed. I woke up at 2am this morning. That's right. Still not sleeping well. :(

Dear Canucks;

Boston has been unkind to my heart. Watching the last two games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs has been horrid. The first two games I had hope that we could do it, that we could with the cup. I didn't want this to be a repeat of that tragic '94 playoff run.

I wanted to seem my team win for the first time ever. I want to see it so bad. And Boston has been unkind to that wish. And thus, my heart is breaking.

We come back to Vancouver on the next game and I hope things change for us on home ice. I want to see my team do much better than what the last two games have shown me.

I will not give up hope. I will not give up hope. I will not give up hope.

Go Canucks Go!

Sincerely,

A Fan.

Sleep and the Future

I have no excuses for my lack of preparedness for tonight's blog post. The best I can offer you is that I haven't been sleeping well. The last two nights have been hard on me in terms of sleep and I am VERY tired.

In fact, I'm almost at the point where I don't even want to bother trying to sleep because I know it will just leave me feeling tired in the morning anyway. I begin to feel "What is the point?" and "Sleep is just a waste of time".

Of course, I know sleep is a good thing and useful, but still... Ah well.

In other news my BFF, Liz, drove into to town today. A 6 hour drive. Her and her BF bought a new trailer out here and came to pick it up, as well as visit. She's pregnant with her first and due in just three weeks. It was a great little visit, even if it had to be far too short.

And of course, my nephew is already an uncooperative brat. He has never once kicked for me. Since the next time I will see Liz is after my nephew is born, I guess I'll never get to feel him kick.

I'm already planning our first of many trips. This one to Disneyland when he's old enough to appreciate it. Of course, really I'm going because I really want to go to Disneyland. The kid is really just a clever excuse.

I can't wait to be able to take him places and show him things. The only thing that really sucks is that he will be several hours away and I don't drive. That is going to have to change soon. Of course, even if it did, I can't afford a vehicle. :(.

So that is what is going on in my life right now. Everything else is in the usual holding pattern. The same ol' same ol' boringness.

Oh Monday - Why You Be So Cruel?

A long day at work followed by a very disappointing night of hockey? Yeah, I'm a bit drained. Looks like it's two days in a row of nothing, but filler.

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

I would like to say yes. I have been the kind of friend I would want as a friend. Maybe not all the time, but I still try and I know there are moments where I would have been proud to have me as a friend.

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

I’ve been in both situations and losing touch with someone who is still physically close to you is worse. There are so many ways to stay in touch even if you are physically far apart, but to lose a friend when you could have tried to do something – that just plain sucks.

25. What are you most grateful for?

The fact that I have such great people in my life who love me for who I am. They will cheer when I succeed and no matter what, I know they are there for me. There is nothing quite as great as unconditional love.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

This is probably one of the hardest questions so far. I have so many memories I would hate to lose and some I would love to lose. It wouldn’t change who the essential me was, but it would change a lot about me. Then again, if I can’t form new memories than I would never be able to grow and change. I guess I would rather lose the old ones.

OMG! It's the Life List!

I poured my heart and soul into somewhere else tonight. So you are getting some more from the list. It's been a bit since I've posted from the list.

30. Go Kite Boarding
I saw this sport on TV once and it looked like so much fun. I don’t ever have to be good at it, but just once I’d like to give it a try.

31. Go Hang Gliding
You hardly ever hear anyone mention this anymore and sometimes I wonder if anyone ever does it anymore, but I know someone does and I want to try it myself. Just floating on the breezes, flying like the birds.

32. Learn to Snowboard
I’ve been skiing all my life, but I’ve never really had the opportunity to learn to snowboard. One of these years I will sacrifice my knees and butt to learning the art of the snowboard. Maybe if I can figure this one out, I’ll have an easier time with surfing?

33. Live in a different country
Just for a few months. Work if I can, or just learn if I can’t. My sister had the chance to live in England for a couple of years and I envy her that experience. I’ve always wanted to try and live in another country, but make no mistake – Canada is my home.

34. Go to a Ball
Fancy dresses, dancing and champagne. A night of looking good and feeling like a princess in a fairytale – glass slipper optional. I don’t care where the ball is, but just once I’d like to be in a place where everyone looks stunning and everyone is dancing. (High school prom didn’t count)

Speaking of fans,,,,

NaBloPoMo has the theme of fans. I thought of a few topics on that subject, but not much I really wanted to post about. Except now I don't have an option because...

I am a hockey fan.

Okay, not a particularly devout fan, but when my team makes it to the playoffs, I start watching the games. Before, I follow off and on, mostly online. Of course, for the first time since 1994, my team is playing in the Stanley Cup FINALS.

And the game is going into OT. I will watch until they score...even if it means three periods of OT. I'll watch every minute of it.

So I can't really do much since I am between periods, I have limited typing time. And I haven't had dinner yet. So, I need to make something to eat and be ready for the next period.

I even have a brand new movie, Touch of Pink all loaded up and ready to watch. Dang it. I really wanted to watch it. It looked interesting.*le sigh*

Maybe I'll still watch it....but that will make for one late night and I was up early.

-----------

And the Canucks scored 11 seconds into the OT, so, ummmmm, sorry, this is all you get because I still want to watch my movie!

TGIF

Something goes here.

Right here.

I think it's supposed to be some sort of words that are strung together in a meaningful way. Those words will form sentences and those sentences will coalesce into paragraphs and finally, those paragraphs will amalgamate to become a story of sorts. Either fiction or non-fiction.

If my brain was switched into the on position that is exactly what I would be posting instead of meaningless drivel. Then again, the world seems to thrive on meaningless drivel.

Of course, even such meandering phrases can become a story of sorts as well. Of course, it is a story that lacks any coherency, beginning or end, but that kind of makes it like life, doesn't it?

So, on this wondrous Friday night. As I dream of being pain-free and well-rested, you will find little to meaning or reason in these words. They are just that. Words, strung together like pearls on a string, but when you look really close, you can see the lines on the pearls that tells you they're really just made of plastic.

And now you can all wonder just what sort of painkillers that doc has got me on. tee hee.

Phone Persona

So here I am, fresh back from watching a real movie in a real cinema and I am looking up blogging prompts because i don't know what to write. I don't really want to write about the movie I saw because I know someone who JUST did a review of the very same movie.

I think I'll keep it short.

I got a very interesting compliment relayed to me this morning. I was told that, when I am on the phone, I treat the person on the other end as if they were my long lost best friend. The person said that it made him feel very comfortable talking to me.

I thought about it a bit and when I'm on the phone I really am all rainbows and sunshine with the other person as though they are someone I've known for years. It's odd. Over the phone I really seem like a warm, friendly and outgoing person. which really isn't the case. It's just a persona I put on.

I'm not saying that I'm not really like that in person on occasion. I'm just saying that I pick up the phone and I'm your best friend. I listen, I chat and most people seem to really appreciate it.

Perhaps I should exercise that persona more often in real life. She's such a great person, but man, is it ever exhausting to be that happy and bloody optimistic all the time!

Something to think about the next time I'm on the phone with someone. I might just wonder if what I am hearing over the line is just a phone persona that someone uses while at work or is it a real person I'm hearing? Who is this person on the other end of the line?

Okay, time to go take my pain killers and pass out now!

NaBloPoMo - Again!

One day into NaBloPoMo and I've already failed. Of course, I'll be back posting this so as not to appear to have failed.

The reason for my failure so early in the game? Well, there are multiple reasons. I'll list them for you.

1. The Hocky Game - Canucks vs. Bruins - Game on of the Stanley Cup Finals.
   
2. Pain and Lack of Sleep - Yeah, I was exhausted and I dragged myself off to bed as soon as the game was over. I hurt my foot a little bit ago and the pain has been making it hard to sleep.
   
3. I really have no other reasons, but since I said multiple reasons I wanted a list that was longer than two items.
   
4. Oh, almost forgot, wait...no...that's not an excuse. Nevermind.

However, I will start on my June 2 entry as soon as I get home from my 'date' tonight. So long as I don't collapse in to an exhausted heap again.

So blogging prompts are welcome to keep me writing...and hey, I still have items left to post from the Life List and 50 Q's. Ha! Filler posts here we come. lol

Oh, and sorry for the long absence. I get easily distracted by life.