Monthly Archives: November 2007

Canada, William

Escape to paradise

We just got back from a quick jaunt over to the island to see Wil’s daughter and some of his friends.

You know, you reach a certain point in your life where you have to shell out BIG BUCKS to stay anywhere that rivals the comfort of your own home. We did not. It costs $125ish dollars just to travel back and forth on the ferry, if you take your car. We go cheap on the hotel. Even in really nice places, the bed is rarely more comfortable than the Most Comfortable Bed in the world. Bigger maybe, but not more awesome.

Now that we have the HD digital cable box/ DVR tivo wannabe thingy, we have lots of pretty cable channels. (my favorite is the biography channel) so hotels rarely have better tv. There is even porn on the Video On Demand, so nothing special in that unless the hotel room wants to give you FREE porn.

Now, what we don’t have is a mini bar, but if we did we wouldn’t have to pay $9 for a bottle of beer, so that’s no real fun.

About the only thing you can give me I can’t have in the comfort of my home is maid service. And possibly a jacuzzi jet tub with ocean view.

That’s why, when we take our road trip over to Alberta and back this spring, we are going to stay here! The West Edmonton Mall (bigger than the mall of America people) Fantasyland Hotel. I’m leaning towards the Polynesian room because of the tub. Wil wants the Truck room. Too bad. No tub.

The point is, be it ever so humble, small and messy, it’s good to home. The kittens missed us.

Standard
Uncategorized

Trouble with a capital “T” which rhymes with “B” which stands for Blog

I had a dream with Henry Rollins in it the other night. In it, I had gone back to school. Or something schoolish, as it was actually made up of ex-coworkers from my previous P.O.E. Ex-bosses were teachers. Anyway, Henry came on a School Visit. He was treated as a Special Guest, but was going through the motions of attending class and whatnot. Basically we were hanging out with Henry Rollins. Which ruled. Henry was very annoyed however, to find out that we were to spend the afternoon watching The Music Man on dvd. But he was much cheered when I suggested we sit in the back and sing along. (WTF?) Anyway, I ended up being late for “class” because I fell down some stairs and sprained my ankle, had to go to the nurses office. Henry made someone give up their seat on the comfy couch for me because I was injured and then I woke up.

I am extremely disappointed. I would have loved to find out if Henry knew all the words to all the songs in The Music Man. Because I do.

Dreams are really only interesting to the people that have them.

Standard
nanowrimo

Why is writing so hard for me now?

I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Because in addition to having trouble writing, I’m having a lot of trouble sleeping. I am having zero trouble thinking, however. That’s all I do.

Anyway, lot of thought and what I’ve come up with is this: as a writer, I have become flabby. As little as a year ago I was writing all the time. At work I wrote technical documentation, bug reports, hundreds of emails, a large percentage of what I did every day was written communication. Personally, I spent hours chatting, blogging and writing emails to friends. I was always writing.

Nowadays, I have a hard time writing a chatty email. I chat online with very few people. And I’ve become remiss at blogging. I could use my boring mundane life as an excuse, and maybe it’s partially to blame, but even when things happen I don’t blog them. My writing has become, dare I say it, flaccid. I can’t get it up anymore.

I’m not giving up on Nano, tho I am woefully behind. Since there is no viagra for writing, I’m just going to have to keep plugging away at it, and this blog, and hope I get my muscles back.

Standard
Canada

In answer to your questions: Smarties vs. Smarties

In the United States, this is what we call “Smarties.”

Smartie Us

In Canada, they call them “Rockets.” This is what they call “Smarties.”

Canada Smarties

They are like M n’ M’s only, in my opinion, more sugary tasting. Don’t try to get an m n’ m blizzard at DQ in Canada, they don’t have them. They have Smartie blizzards. In my opinion, they are two very separate candies. Smarties are not m n’ m substitutes, they are their own experience.

Standard
Uncategorized

I just remembered…

I have a box of Smarties in my bag. Which I will open now, and separate into individual piles based on color and starting with the pile with the least number of smarties, and ending with the pile with the most, EAT THEM!!!

You want to know, don’t you? Ok.

1. blue

2. purple

3. yellow

4. orange

5. brown

6. red

7. green

8. pink

Confession: I wish they were peanut butter m’n m’s.

Standard
music, nanowrimo

Little Black Mess

I’ve received compliments on the title of my story, so I think I should explain. It’s not mine. It’s a title of a Shivaree song which, along with “Goodnight Moon”, helped inspire this need in me to write a mystery. My character’s name is, therefore, Fiona Black and what happens is her own little mess to deal with – dead bodies, black mail, intrigue, things that make you wear something other than pajama pants and leave the house. Which is not something that happens to me a lot right now.

Here is the song and lyrics. I hope Shivaree doesn’t mind. Buy their music. They rule. Have I ever posted “Goodnight Moon?” I can’t remember, I cannot find it anywhere on the blog.


“Little Black Mess” by Shivaree

I should try to be good

Forever and ever, amen

So I’ll touch wood

And hope I don’t get caught again

Without my lines

And off the mark

Looking for signs

I can’t see here in the dark

My opening won’t be a great success

Till you come get me out of

This little black mess

I’ll play my part

And say never ever again

Then cross my heart

Cry until you say when

A little cheat while you turn away

Things we repeat one more time

Day after day

I’ve lost my appetite so nonetheless

It fits like a glove now

My little black mess

Who’s to say if we’ll know

When it’s time for this old thing to go

And so if I’m good

Could you forgive how I’ve been?

You misunderstood

Now if you’d just let me begin

To put on my face

I’ll put on the room

Go take my place

One more time

Then we can resume

It’s true I’m sure to die out here unless

You come help me out of

This little black mess

Standard
movies and tv, nanowrimo

Nano Day 6

Since we have channels that broadcast in the EST on our cable, I have already watched Bones and House and it’s not even 9pm. (I only like shows that are one word nouns. And have SCIENCE in them. Science is cool.)

So my feuvision dvd is on, and so is my nanocam. Maybe you can see the fire burning in the background. Très réaliste! I want to break 5k tonight. Which would put me exactly 5k + 2 words behind schedule. I’ve got to work out a better system for my day.

I think that if I had marshmallows and butter, I would easily break 5k. I have the rice krispies already. I have the technology.

Standard