But the wind goes right through you.

Today was the first snowstorm of the year. I had a pretty hellish commute. There were delays on both lines of the subway. It took me twice as long as usual to get to work. Good thing I left early. Of course, I left early to get some work done, which obviously didn't happen. Oh well.

One of my friends at work was given free passes to some rugby movie with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman tonight and she invited me. When we got there, all of the seats were taken, so they gave us free passes to see another movie. We chose "The Fantastic Mr. Fox" which was quite enjoyable. We also ate lots of popcorn.

I feel that I'm not listening to enough Christmas music this year. Time's a ticking! The window of opportunity for listening to Christmas is short, and I have to take advantage of it. Right now I'm listening to all three of my versions of "Fairytale of New York": The Pogues, Pilate, and Stars. I'm making progress.

The other night I had a Rilo Kitty photoshoot. I feel that I'm quite reasonable with amount of cat content on this blog, so I'm going to hit you with some of the pictures. You will notice that Rilo's much chubbier than she used to be. Being a housecat suits her.

This is actually an older Rilo Kitty shot. I think it's hilarious when cats are cleaning themselves and they turn one of their ears inside out. It got a shot of it.

Here she is all focussed on catching the string on my camera. The look in her eyes is pure determination.


Here she is looking pensive. Pensive and chubby. Although her paw looks freakishly large.


I don't know how I got this one, but it's hilarious. I'm sure she's so happy with me for posting it on my blog.


Oh my photoshoot was inpired by the fact that I'm giving my dad a framed picture of Rilo for Christmas, since he misses his napping buddy from the summer. I have pictures of her in her skinny days, but I don't think he'd recognize those, ha-ha. I dunno if any of the above will work, what do you think?

Right now she's happily sleeping on two of my coats that I tossed on my loveseat. She enjoys my messiness: it provides her with a variety of new sleeping places every day. Oh she must have known I was blogging about her. Now she's sitting on my knee and purring.

Happy Thursday!

And I'll be anything you ask and more.

This evening I just booked a flight to here for March Break!


The trip to Nice is officially on! I'm probably going to meet up with Becca T in Paris, and we'll spend a little bit of time there, and then make our way to Nice. I'm so excited! I love France. And I can't wait to party with Becca T for a week. I miss her. Anyway, I got a good price on my flight, and now all I have to do is fill in a few blanks, and voila!

Also, *who* seriously flies to Paris twice within a year? Me! Who'd have thunk? I'd planned this summer's trip before I knew Becca T was going to France, and figured if the fates were going to take me there twice, so be it. The other day I was using Google Street View to navigate the streets of Paris, and was just salivating at the sight of them. I love that city.

Incidentally, I noticed my passport expires in February. Renewing it will be high on my to-do list in the new year.

I stole some cool pictures that Mathew took at the Phoenix show that I'm going to intersperse between my banter. I'm still on a Phoenix-binge as a result of that show.

I went on a field trip today. Better than the average Monday for sure. A lot of it was outside (cold!) and I'm exhausted from all of that fresh air. Does that happen to you?



The picture below shows the end of the show when the band allowed people to come up onto the stage. It was a fun moment.


I've been thinking about my top 10 favouritest albums of 2009. I've got the list worked out (I think), and I'll be posting it soon, I hope. Hmmm, you should all take bets on what will be in my list. 2009 was a great year for albums. There was some great stuff that didn't even make my list.



Oh, and can you believe it'll be a new decade soon? Gah, I'm not going to do any best of the whatever this decade's called 'cuz it's too much brainwork.


Tomorrow I have a half day workshop in the morning. Will have to make a trip to Starbucks on the way there to make it through.

Also, I gotta share this brilliant Phoenix video that my buddy rawbean shared with me. It's totally summarizes what's making me happy these days: dreaming of Paris + listening to Phoenix.

Phoenix - 1901 - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

You can check out more of their Take Away series here. I think it's brilliant how great they sound in random Paris locations. I love the one on the bus. And, I developed a total crush on the lead singer as a result of Saturday's show. Now, he's a little bit more awkward close up than he was from my standing view at the concert, but I do like the geeky awkward boy with messy hair. And he's Parisian and he sings. He can be my Paris boyfriend. I'm going to need one since I go there so often, ha-ha.

Happy Tuesday folks!

It's 20 seconds 'til last call, going hey hey hey hey hey hey.

I spent most of today sleeping last night off. Last night was full of hilarity and shenanigans, like any Christmas party should be. I'm glad that there is a committed group of colleagues who decided to continue the party elsewhere, because it was off the hook. I love continuing lame sayings from the previous night into the next day.

Today was Phoenix! Woot! I have to say, concerts are less tiring after a day of recuperative sleep.

The concert was at The Sound Academy, which is a venue I've somehow never been to before. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I like smaller places like Lee's and The Mod Club way better, but it was better than oh, the Kool Haus.

The opening band was Holy Fuck. They're a fun band to watch for sure, but I don't think I'd ever listen to their music on my iPod. But, I definitely enjoyed seeing them.

Phoenix are so fun live. I only knew the songs from their current album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but each and every song was high energy and enjoyable. They opened with "Listzomania" and closed with "1901" which are my two favourite songs. I also loved both parts of "Love Like a Sunset".

Since I had a lot of energy when I got home from the show (due to the day of sleep), I'm staying up and doing laundry. My Sunday can't be as lazy as my Saturday 'cuz I have a bunch of things to get done before another week of insanity.

But, it's much easier going into a week of insanity after a super fun weekend!

Oh, what a night.

In life, don't you find that it's not so much the party as it is the after-party?

Insanity, but the good kind.

I'm crazy busy these days. Surprisingly though, I actually got two whole lunches to myself this week. No meetings, no events, just me eating my lunch. I didn't know what to do with a calm 40 minute interval.

Anyway, work is super busy with planning talent shows (don't ask), working on a bunch of environmental projects, planning field trips, being sent off for PD, and I have to teach too. A friend and I have planned a special treat for ourselves that we are calling "code awesome" that I'm really looking forward to.

Tomorrow is my work Christmas party of all things. How did that happen? I'm looking forward to it. It's really low-key, which is nice, because I don't have time to search for a new outfit, etc. One year it was some place sort of fancy, and I got my hair did (quoting tonight's 30 Rock there), and a new dress and everything. Thankfully it's not like that this year because I would not have the time nor the energy.

On Saturday I'm going to see Phoenix! Get this: on Saturday there's a Hey Rosetta! show, the Phoenix show, and a show with Weezer with Jack's Mannequin. How fair is it that there are three good shows in one night?? WTF?? Anyway, Phoenix won because it was announced first and my friend Mathew got tickets eons ago. Really though, it was the best choice because I've never seen them before, whereas I've seen all of the others.

This evening my plan was to watch The Office/30 Rock and then to do some laundry. However, I passed out on my couch after dinner only to wake up to see I'd missed the Office. I watched 30 Rock, and abandoned the laundry plan to work on Christmas cards and presents to mail out tomorrow. I feel productive as I now have a big bag of stuff to cart to the Post Office tomorrow.

I feel insanely busy these days, but I am happy that all of the things I'm busy with have turned out to be fun, and work stuff seems to be coming together nicely. (Knock on wood.)

Anyway, it somehow has become 12:16 am and I have to get to work early tomorrow which I have been stuggling with all year. Hmmm, I will motivate myself by stopping at Starbucks for a eggnog latte if I can get out the door by 7:15 am.

Happy weekend!

What I'd really like for Christmas...

'cuz my mom's been asking...

1) A flight to Paris for the March Break, and then a connecting flight/train to Nice. Well, I've actually found the Paris flight, and at a reasonable price, but it would be nice if Santa slipped me the cash for it.

2) Los Campensinos! to play in Toronto next year on a date that is convenient for me. Oh, and if Santa could slip me the cash for that show, that'd be nice. Oooh, and if I could fly in a good pal from Winnipeg to see the show with me, even better!

3) A better metabolism. Or failing that, a healthy personal gourmet chef and a personal trainer. But really, the better metabolism is the preferred gift.

4) A new phone. I'm tired of all of the kids having a better phone than I do. I think that I want an iPhone. I might actually buy that as a birthday gift for myself, but again, some cash towards that would be nice.

5) One of those awesome cat houses/play centres for Rilo. I'd buy her one myself, but it's hard to transport on the bus. So maybe I'd like a ride to the pet store. And some cash, of course.

6) I'd like the salt stains from last winter to disappear from my Uggs. (Yes, I have Uggs, but they're not the ugly Uggs, they're more stylized and have a zipper and a buckle and I love them.)

7) I'd like all of my friends to get whatever will make them happy. I have some friends who could use new jobs, so that would be cool if they could get those.

8) A large box of bath products from Lush.

9) Some new lululemon pants.

10) Some new perfume. I'm kind of liking Lola by Marc Jacobs, but I dunno. I actually could get this for myself for free 'cuz I have a plethora of Shopper's Optimum points.

So, in summary, my mom might be able to hook me up with #s 8 and 9.

What do you kids what for Christmas this year?

Happy songs.

Today's one of those days where I have to listen to happy songs. Some of my favourite happy songs are:

1) Red Heart - Hey Rosetta! - I like the part where Tim sings "You look so good when you're laughing you know."

2) Ilfracombe - Hawksley Workman - This is one of Hawksley's most romantic songs. And that's saying a lot 'cuz he's one romantic man.

3) Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright - I think any song that mentions chocolate milk, even in the same line as a carcinogen, would make me happy.

4) Someone I Can Be True With - Sloan - 1 minute and 33 seconds of happiness. Plus any song that compliments brunettes with eyes of chocolate rates high in my books. And a shout-out to Gremlins 2! And it disses The View. So much to love!

5) HFXNHSC - Sloan - My iPod invariably plays this after the above song. It's 1 minute and 12 seconds of happiness.

6) Unemployed Boyfriend - Everclear - I rediscovered this song when I went on a random Everclear spree a couple of months ago. Back in university, Becca T and I *loved* this song, and listened to it constantly. It's so lame, but it reminds me of carefree university days and silliness.

7) 14 Forever - Stars - I like songs that make me think about my youth. I liked being 14. That was the summer when I discovered bad boys, alcohol, and punk rock. Of course, it was all terribly awkward, but it was in good fun.

8) I Feel it All - Feist - Pretty much any Feist song makes me happy, but this one makes me happiest. I think. It's a tough choice.

9) El Scorcho - Weezer - One of the best songs ever in my humble opinion.

10) Into the Dark - Ben Lee - This song came up the other day on my iPod while I was on the subway. I was probably smiling as I listened to it. People probably thought I was crazy but whatevs.

What are some of your happy songs?

ps If music doesn't make you happy, this little video must.

A post about shoes and friendship.

The past few days have been so busy with work-stuff that they have zoomed by and I'm glad they're gone. One important lesson that I learned is to always, always go out with colleagues for drinks, even if you're tired from a long day, even if you don't have a PD tomorrow, because it will be fun. Write that down kids.

Today my friend Teresa from Stratford (Group of 9) was in Toronto doing deliveries for work, so we met up for Starbucks, shoe-shopping, sushi, and then more shopping. What a great Saturday.

She was looking for a specific pair of shoes which we did not come across. However, she ended up buying the very same pair of boots that I bought last week because I had to show them to her in the store, and ranted about their comfort. She had to try them on and fell in love. I was nice enough to let Teresa buy them too. I'm a great friend.

I needed to buy a new comfy pair of black shoes for work, and I was going to go for the classic mary jane style Skechers with which you can't go wrong, except for they are boring. Luckily I was saved by ballet flats with detachable snaps. Here they are with the black snaps included with them.

Here they are with the jewelled snaps that I got for them. Isn't it so cool that I now have a pair of shoes that I can buy jewelery for? Fun!


Take bets on how long it will be until I get my third pair of snaps. Here's the site for the shoes in case you are interested.

I had a great day with Teresa. I don't think I've had one-on-one time in awhile with her and we had a great time catching up about what's been going on in our lives. She is most definitely one of my friends with whom I'm most open. Whenever I really need to talk to someone, she is always one of the first people that I go to because she's a great listener and insightful. I forget how fun she is to shop with. I can't remember the last time we participated in that activity.

So yay for shopping trips with awesome, interesting, and insightful friends!

Take it Upon Yourself.

Randomness from the beginning of a long week:

1) Work stress = blargh. This is why this week has been/is going to be long. I also had a stress stomache this evening, and I haven't had one of those in years.

2) I'm reading a really good book right now: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. It's so engrossing. It's about Frank Lloyd Wright's mistress. Both of them left their respective spouses and families to be together, which was a very controversial move in the early 1900s. Anyway, it's a fascinating story, and I admire the way that the author plucked a little-known figure from history, took a lot of time researching her, and then wrote a novel from her voice. I'm the type of reader who reads the author's notes/afterward while I'm reading the novel because I like to get an idea of the writing process. This book's been sitting on my shelf since the summer, and I'm so glad I just picked up.

3) Sloan have a new EP. Yay Sloan!

4) Rilo was chasing her tail this morning as I was getting ready for work. It really made me want to stay home.

5) This had me laughing. (Note: only interesting for those who like cats.) Actually, I've never seen this site before, and I really like a lot of their cartoons, especially the one about proper use of the apostrophe.

6) Today kids were asking me all kinds of questions like my age, my marital status, how many kids I have, and my middle name. I'm a fascinating figure, I suppose.

7) Argh. This post rather sucks, but I don't know if I'll be able to post again this week on account of the work stress. So it's a sucky post for posterity's sake.

All is bright.

I had a very lovely weekend.

On Friday night, I had dinner at one of my favourite restaurants with two of my best work pals. I love this restaurant, and I'm pretty sure I haven't eaten there in two years which is pretty sad since it's in my neighbourhood, and it's oh-so-good. I hereby resolve to eat there more often. They now have belly dancers performing on weekends (it's a Middle Eastern restaurant). The girl performing was really good. She balanced a sword on her head and on her hip, but I missed the hip balancing part 'cuz I was too busy complaining about something work-related. This is a danger of having dinner with work pals, I suppose.

After dinner, we met up for drinks with a former co-worker who moved away from Toronto this year. I miss her a lot, but it was very fun catching up with her.

On Saturday, my pal Mathew and I had plans to go shopping in the US, but his car was sick, so we decided to cancel the trip. We went shopping around here instead, and I got a good start on my Christmas shopping.

After shopping, we spontaneously went to see the movie Precious. It's an excellent movie. I just read the book last weekend on the train home from Stratford, and I was looking forward to seeing the movie. The movie is just as good as the book, and I recommend both. Even though it's a graphic story of abuse, it is very hopeful and moving. Oh, and the movie has Lenny Kravitz, and I found out that I still have a grade school crush on Lenny. Awesome. And then we went for sushi!

Today was an errands and chores day. I got my Christmas tree up, which I'm happy about. As I did all of my cleaning and such, I finally listened to the new Tori Amos holiday CD and I really like it. Most of the songs are traditional songs that she has put her own twist on, but there are originals too.

Anyway, it's almost Monday of a busy week. The weekends go so fast, eh?

Last Song Playlist

Now that all of the transit kerfuffle is over, I can post the music meme that I had kicking around.

Oh, but before that: two pieces of good news! My dad's vision has returned, and they've put him on a lower dose of rat poison. (That last bit of info is for Siobhan.) And, a more trivial piece of good news: I finished my report cards. Woot.

Now onto the music meme. This is stolen from Aaron. It's simply a playlist of really good last tracks from albums. I had fun thinking of them ('cuz I am such a music nerd), and I came across some oldies but goodies, and some songs I haven't thought about in forever.

Ben Folds Five – Evaporated (Whatever and Ever Amen)

Ben Folds Five – Lullabye (The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner)

Coldplay – Everything’s Not Lost (Parachutes)

Constantines – Do What You Can Do (Kensington Heights)

Damine Rice – Eskimo (O)

Elliott Brood – Miss You Now (Mountain Meadows)

Foo Fighters – New Way Home (The Colour and the Shape)

Foo Fighters – M.I.A. (There is Nothing Left to Lose)

The Get-Up Kids – I’ll Catch You (Something to Write Home About)

Great Lake Swimmers – I Became Awake (Ongiara)

Hayden – Lullaby (Skyscraper National Park)

Joel Plaskett – Love This Town (La De Da)

Joel Plaskett – On & On & On (Three)

Kathleen Edwards – Goodnight, California (Asking for Flowers)

Kimya Dawson – My Rollercoaster (Remember That I Love You)

Los Campensinos! – 2007 (The Year that Punk Rock Broke My Heart) (Hold On Now, Youngster…)

Matthew Good (Band) – any last track from any MG/MGB album is outstanding. Change of Season from Underdogs is probably my all time fave last MG track.

Metric – Stadium Love (Fantasies)

Neko Case – The Needle Has Landed (Fox Confessor Brings the Flood)

R.E.M. – Me in Honey (Out of Time)

Rilo Kiley – It Just Is (More Adventurous)

Sloan – I Can Feel It (Twice Removed)

Sloan – I’m Not Through With You Yet (Navy Blues)

Slow Club – Our Most Brilliant Friends (Yeah So)

Smashing Pumpkins – Luna (Siamese Dream)

Stars – Calendar Girl (Set Yourself On Fire)

Tegan and Sara – Call it Off (The Con)

Tori Amos – Yes, Anastasia (Under the Pink)

Weezer – Only in Dreams (The Blue Album)

Wild Strawberries – Everybody Loves You When You’re Dead (Heroine)

Any great last tracks you can think of?

Have a nice weekend!

Transit Rant

So, I totally had a cool music-related post ready to go for today, but then something newsworthy affected my day, so I'll blog about that and save the music for when the most exciting part of my day is that I find a nice pencil on the floor or something.

After a very busy day at work (as usual), I heard from a coworker that the subway was closed between Bloor and Eglinton. Of course, that stretch makes up part of my way home. They had shuttle buses running. However, this would mean standing outside forever and ever in a huge irate crowd. No, thank you.

I considered taking an alternate route that would involve a bus, but I figured out a lot of people would do the same thing, so I decided to walk it. Sure I was in work clothes (thank goodness not a skirt) and not wearing shoes particularly appropriate for walking 5+ km in, but it was a really nice evening; not too hot and not too cold.

So, I hiked up Yonge Street for awhile with the masses. There were so many people. It was crazy getting around the crowd of people waiting for the shuttle bus. I'm glad I walked. So much more pleasant than a crowded bus. I had my iPod and I was happy.

Here comes my rant: why the eff are people so negative about the TTC? I have been taking the TTC to work for 5 years now, and I have been late for work *once* because of delays. Once. I'm reading all of these comments about people complaining about the *constant* delays on the TTC and I wonder if I've been taking a different transit system than they have been. Constant delays? I would say very *occasional* delays, perhaps. Seriously, five years of commuting and I have very few complaints. Granted, I live on a bus route with very frequent buses (that I only take in the morning; I walk after work), and the rest is on the subway. I suspect that other bus routes and streetcar routes might be worse.

My point is that I'm highly satisfied with the TTC after five years of very frequent use. It's not perfect, there are occasional delays, but I know I'm less frustrated that I would be if I drove. And I can nap on the way. I'm pretty sure that I would be inconvenienced by construction, accidents, and traffic far more often on the road than I would be on the TTC.

This is perhaps the second or third time I've had to do the walk up Yonge due to transit problems. The other two times were for perhaps half hour closures. (I'm too impatient to wait in these situations so I choose to walk.) This time, the subway was partially closed for six hours, I believe, but they had it fixed ahead of time. I already had an alternate route planned for tomorrow morning, but thankfully everything's fixed.

In closing, nothing's perfect, but the TTC isn't as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. And I had a nice walk this evening. And I don't have to feel guilty for not going to the gym tonight.

Rant out.

Read Becca T's blog!

I had a good Monday. First, I got an email from my friend Alison, who is back from Japan after being there for, umm, three? years. Anyway, she was one of my roommates in university, and we such fun together. When I was hanging out with Claire this summer, she reminded me a lot of my dear friend Alison, and I think I told her so a couple of times.

Then, I got to talk with my dearest Becca T on the phone today after work. Oh how I wish that phone call could be followed up with a frappucino and some sushi, as it would have been in the past, but alas she's in Nice.

And her blog about it is great. Seriously, stop reading this silliness and go there. (Her goal is to blog more, but if more people commented, even complete strangers or random well-wishers, she'll be motivated. Hint. Hint.)

Anyway, it was so good talking to her on the phone, especially with the stress of the past few days and such. I'm so excited for visiting her during March Break. It's the big "look-forward-to" that I have in life these days. I'm hoping to meet Becca T in Paris (oh, Paris), spend the weekend there, spend some time lounging in Nice, and then go on some side jaunts to little towns, and possibly Morocco or possibly Italy.

The good news is that it's midterm time too, which means the calendar is getting ever closer to March Break.

I also went out for sushi for dinner in honour of Becca T, and because I was really craving salmon rolls. And then, I did officially start my Christmas shopping today. Let the madness begin.

If you are wondering if I want you to, I want you to.

First of all, thanks so much to everyone for their support on my last post. It's always nice having a built-in support network when you need it.

Anyway, here's the dad update. On Friday, he had to spend the whole day at the hospital getting various tests done and talking to various people, which is his least favourite way to spend a day. The doctor seems to think the vision he lost will come back on its own. And he's been put on all sorts of medications and treatments to ensure the whole stroke thing doesn't happen again. So, overall, I would assess this whole situation as unnerving, but phew in that I think everything will be OK.

And, as usual, my family tends to take things with a bit of humour. When I saw my dad on Friday when I arrived home, I said "so I hear you've lost sight in one eye. That sort of matches the one foot you have." (He had to have part of his foot amputated a result of a blockage in his leg back in 2006.)

My dad replied: "Yah, all I have to do now is to figure out a way to lose an arm and I'll be half a man!"

It was quite funny.

So, I've had a nice weekend at home. Yesterday, I spent the morning driving my dad around to do some errands, then I chilled in the afternoon, and then went out for drinks with many members of the group of 9 and affiliates in honour of Sandee's birthday, which was super fun.

Well, I could go on but I can't because I'm posting from a coffee shop and my battery's about to die. I'm taking the late train back tonight, which means Monday is going to be painful, but I'll survive.

Hope the rest of you had great weekends!

Family and friends.

Last night I had a rather, well, unnerving phone conversation with my mother.

She mentioned that my aunt, not my dad, was going to pick me up on Friday at the train station, and I said "oh don't worry, my friend Wendy's going to pick me up and then we are going to go out for coffee."

"Oh good. Well, your father can't drive because he had two mini-strokes on the weekend and didn't realize it."

What? Strokes? Two? This weekend? And you're telling me now?

"He couldn't see out of one eye, and I made him go to the doctor, and then they did a CAT scan, and it turns out he had two mini-strokes in the part of his brain that controls vision."

So I did my research and I found out that what my dad had is called a transient ischemic attack, and it's a warning sign for a potential stroke. However, since my dad is now getting care and has been put on new blood thinning medications, the risk of a stroke in the future has been greatly reduced. So phew, I think. I just hope that his vision will come back and he'll be able to drive again. Of course, we don't know if this is possible, so we'll have to be patient and wait to find out.

And, it's good that I had already planned to go home this weekend since I can help my parents by picking up groceries and whatever they need. And luckily, my aunt's around to help them out until, and after, then. And perhaps more weekend trips to St. Ratford will be in the cards in the near future.

But, I think why I've found this so unnerving is because it's bringing back all of the familiar emotions that I felt when my parents were both quite sick way back in 2006. (My dad had bypass surgery, and my mom had an MS attack brought on by the stress of my dad's surgery.) I constantly think about how glad I am that that whole part of my life is over, but hearing that my dad had two mini-strokes brought back all of those scary, awful feelings.

And it made me feel so alone. Especially since the person who I lean on for most stuff is in France. And being an only child sucks during these times. I'd gladly give up the extra toys I had as a kid, and not having to split the college fund for a sibling nowadays. (I would have had liked to have a sibling as a kid too. I played Monopoly with my cat for goodness' sakes.)

But, then, I posted about what happened on the Group of 9 message board, and I felt so much better. Within hours, I had offers from friends who would go visit my parents and get their groceries, and stories and words of encouragement.

Also, my friends at work who I'd usually tell about these things aren't there (and I just had dinner with some of them hours before the news), so I didn't have anyone to talk today, until the end of the day where I opened up to another coworker, who made me feel better.

And now typing this out is making me feel better. It sucks, it's scary, but I know that my dad will be fine for now. After enduring 2006, and the fact that my parents are older, and my mom has MS, I think I'm very aware of my parents' mortality and it freaks the hell out of me, since they *are* my family, besides my aunt.

But so are my friends. And thank God for them. And I'm sure Rilo would be up for a game of Monopoly if I need it.

And now there is no turning back my dear Jack.

Random stuff from the past couple days:

1) I'm in my own little emo-heaven right now. Jack's Mannequin just released a new EP "Dear Jack" and it makes me oh-so-happy. And, there is a new Dashboard Confessional album out too, and I'm on my first listen now and my heart of stone is melting, as usually happens when I'm listening to my favourite emo artists who speak to my inner sixteen year old self. JM and DC are like grilled cheese sandwiches to me; perhaps a little low in nutritional value, but the ultimate in comfort.

2) Speaking of grilled cheese, that was my dinner. I actually broke my spatula when I was making them. Weird.

3) Speaking of new albums, I also bought the Tori Amos holiday album "Midwinter Graces". I tried to listen to it, but it's a little early still for Christmas music. I think it's gonna be brilliant once I'm in the holiday spirit. Oh, how I love Tori. She's just so special. My pal Eric and I are going to have a Christmas/Tori evening with egg nog sometime soon.

4) I have been treating myself to Starbucks holiday beverages. I had a Caramel Brule Latte on Miss A's advice (it was delightful) and an egg nog latte. The first sip of the egg nog latte is always the best one.

5) I went out for sushi last night because I had this wicked craving for salmon rolls. And, it looks like the fates are taking me for sushi tomorrow night too.

6) I used to be a phone person, but I've found that ever since I've become a chronic blogger/facebooker/emailer/twitterer, I don't do the phone call thing so much. However, tonight I had some free time, so I gave an old friend a call and had a lovely chat. Need to do this more.

7) Oh, does this Dashboard album make me happy. Right now I'm listening to a song called "no news is bad news" and I want kind of want to shout "sing it brother!" but you know, the cat might think I'm crazy.

8) I love how much of a princess Miss Rilo Kitty is. Right now she is sleeping on the good pillow on the good sofa. As if merely furniture isn't enough for her highness, she must be on a pillow on top of the furniture.

9) Last night I really needed to do laundry, but didn't feel like it, so I bought a new outfit instead. Then, when I got home, I felt that my new outfit was out of place in a messy bedroom, so I went on a laundry/organizational spree.

10) I'm going home this weekend for a break, and to celebrate my friend Sandee's birthday. I'm looking forward to going for a walk around the river, doing some downtown shopping, chilling with the 'rents gossiping with friends, and bringing out the silly Christielli in honour of Sandee.

And since I like mulitples of ten, I'll stop there. Happy Wednesday!

Boogie Woogie Sheep

I'm sure that if you've perused any entertainment section of a newspaper lately, or googled something, you are well aware of the fact that Sesame Street is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

I, like probably all of you who read this blog, am a total child of Sesame Street. Did you all go through the phase in grade two or so where other kids would say "Sesame Street is so lame" and you'd agree to keep your schoolyard cred in check, but then as soon as you'd get home you'd watch it? Well, schoolyard cred be damned, I'll admit to it now.

Anyway, since I was feeling under the weather this weekend (and we did have lovely weather this weekend), I spent a lot of time on my couch resting, and watching some vintage Sesame Street on Youtube. And I realized, man did I learn a lot from that
show.

Here are some of the important things that I learned from Sesame Street.

(Note: I don't expect you to watch these all now, but honestly, if you are having a bad day, watching will make you feel better. Maybe bookmark this post just in case.)

1) Eat your vegetables.



My fave part of this song is when Eddie says "What are you? Are you some kind of weirdo?" and Captain Vegetable says "Do I look like a weirdo?"

I noticed that in the comments, someone mentioned that Captain Vegetable would make a good Halloween Costume. I have noted this for next year.

Also, I saw that they made an updated Captain Vegetable with John Leguizamo playing him. Is nothing sacred?

2) It ain't bad to feel mad.



Goats are wise. And funny.

3) Co-operate



4) Own your eccentricity.


I love Bert 'cuz he thinks oatmeal, pigeons, and bottle caps are cool.

5) Don't be a know-it all. Listen when someone is trying to warn you of something. (Or, at least, don't keep going back to the same restaurant if you don't get along with the server.)



6) Culture is important. And, pipes are edible.



Note: I read that Alistair Cookie doesn't have a pipe in non-vintage Monsterpiece Theatre. Oh, thank goodness. I developed a pipe habit as a result of watching Sesame Street. Insert giant eyeroll.

7) Public transit may be imperfect, but it if it's good enough for Bert and Kermit and Betty Lou, it's good enough for me.



8) Dance yourself to sleep. Even if it annoys your BFF.



Anyway, if there's one thing I know, it's that Jim Henson is in heaven. What a great man.

Wild card inside.

I love when something fun happens spontaneously. Especially when it involves live music, of course.

Last night, I was up way later than I should be, and I notice a tweet from a friend saying that at the last minute *Feist* is replacing Kristen Chenoweth at the Holt Renfrew Holiday Window Unveiling on Bloor Street event tonight. (Holt's is Canada's most high end department store.) So yay! Twitter is good for something besides being silly! After a few more quick tweets, we made arrangements to meet up at the event this evening.

Anyway, it was awesome to have something to look forward as I slogged through another school day.

It's really cool that part of Bloor Street is closed down for this event. We had to endure a few minutes of commercials for ET Canada, then there was an opening band, whose name I forget, but they were basically the bluegrass version of the Jonas Brothers, as Jason noted.

After some chit chat from Holt's CEO, Feist was on. Oh how I love Feist. She hadn't played all year, so she joked that this show was her 2009 tour. It was a complete last minute thing: I guess she only found out last night too that she was playing. (I wonder how all of this was arranged? Were organizers stressing over who to call, and someone was like "let's call Feist!" And how does one get ahold of Feist at the last minute?)

Feist played about five songs, and they were all awesome. I love her voice. I love how she plays guitar. And her banter is funny.

It's funny to think that about a year ago, I saw her play at the Air Canada Centre. I remember the dude who went with me commenting after the show "it was all right, but I wouldn't want to see her every night." I thought that was stupid comment. (I'm not even in touch with that dude anymore, ha-ha.) Anyway, not only was it a dumb way to assess a concert, I'm pretty sure that one could see Feist every night. She's that awesome.

Oh, and as for this year's holiday window display, all I could see was badass looking giant penguins and snowmen tricked out in coiture. I forgot my camera (of course), but one day I'll walk by and get some pictures. Holt's windows are always all sorts of interesting.

And, I was home in time to let my feet thaw, drink hot chocolate, and catch The Office and 30 Rock. Win!

And, tomorrow is Friday. I'm being sent off to a workshop, but on the bright side, it means I can wear jeans, and be a little more passive during the working day than I usually am.

Happy weekends everyone!

Everyone else is doing it...

...talking about H1N1 that is. Most conversations that I have with anyone these days seem to go along the lines of "Hi, how are you? How about that H1N1? Are you going to get the vaccine?" It's even been a hot topic on the Group of 9 wall on Facebook.

One of my classes today was all worked up over H1N1. One kid was coughing a bit, and then someone asked me if I had any hand sanitizer, so I ended up walking around the room squirting everyone with some, which amused me more then anything.

They were also all abuzz over this Youtube video of a woman who had a negative reaction to the flu vaccine.



I don't watch much news on TV these days, and I'm glad I don't. The media isn't very good at fairly covering anything, and it seems like people are more confused and scared than actually informed about H1N1. The video above is good example. You have a one in a million chance of having such an adverse reaction to the flu shot, however people get so worked up once they see one person on TV to whom this has happened. Discussing this video with my class made me think of the availability heuristic that I learned about in psych class: basically, if we can bring something easily to our mind, most likely because it's extraordinary and memorable, we think that there's a greater chance it will happen.

I love Rick Mercer's rant on H1N1. We might as well accept the fact that comedians (the Mercers, Stewarts, etc.) are the people in our society who give the best criticism of current events. That's a giant fail to the "real" media.



So, everyone, are you going to get the H1N1 vaccine? I will, however, I'm not going to wait five hours in line to get it. Hopefully, the distribution of the vaccine will become smoother (it's a mess here). Either that, or it's time for me to join a professional hockey team.

But, provided that I can eventually get access to the shot, I will get it. Here's the rationale behind my decision:

a) My motivation is purely selfish. Taking time off in my profession requires advanced planning and organization. If I get felled by a flu that hits you right away, I'll have to scramble to put together lesson plans while feeling like death. Not fun. I'll take the sore arm.

b) Also, being that I work with around people, and take public transit, and I don't shy away from crowded places, I will most definitely come into contact with someone with H1N1. Don't want it, thanks.

c) I don't want to give it to anyone else either.

d) I'm not afraid of the "newness" of the shot. It's just a flu shot for a new strain of influenza. The seasonal flu shot is always tailored for whatever new flu viruses are going around the year. The only thing "new" about this flu shot is that the particular adjuvant in the shot has not been used in Canada before . Similar ones have been used in Europe. The adjuvant doesn't contain any new or revolutionary chemicals. Interestingly, it contains vitamin E and squalene (derived from shark liver).

So, how about everyone else? Are you afraid of H1N1? Are you becoming 80% Purell? Are you going to get the shot?

ps When I was thinking of writing this post, the title of the Cranberries' first album came into my head. So, as I've been writing, I dusted out my old Cranberries CDs from the 90s (they're not even on my iPod), and I've been listening to them. I feel sixteen again!

Just another door that won't open for me anymore.

First of all, thanks to everyone for cheering me up after I posted my list of annoyances last post. I think I'm less annoyed about most of the things. I've been getting plenty of compliments on my hair, the eyebrows will be taken care of tomorrow, I still miss Becca T, but I'm def going to investigate Skype, and I'll take a step back from the rest of it.

Here are some random going-ons from the last few days.

a) I've discovered the show "Intervention" on the internet. I don't get A&E, so I'd never even heard of it before. I feel guilty for watching it, because it is so exploitive, graphic, and disturbing, but I've been watching episodes like they are leftover Halloween candy. Soon someone's going to have to pull an Intervention intervention on me.

b) John K. Samson (of the Weakerthans) put out a solo EP that was released today. It's only three songs, but it makes me happy. A pal of mine from Winnipeg describes it as "so very Winnipeg" and is currently explaining all of the inside references to me.

c) I had a very long day (13 hours) at work today. On my way home, I treated myself to the next Sookie Stackhouse novel. (These are the books that the TV show "True Blood" is based on.)

d) I think I'm fighting off a cold. My throat's been just a little scratchy the past two days. I hope I can keep it at bay.

e) How did it become November?

f) Why do I always come home with an elastic band around my wrist? Rilo loves to chew them off of me, so I know she hopes that I'll never solve the elastic band mystery.

g) I had Portuguese chicken for dinner tonight with rice, potato balls, and salad. So good! I should have eaten more of it.

h) Can I interest anyone in a set of element posters to mark?

i) I had to take my rings off today at school 'cuz of a demo I was doing and I forget them there. My right had feels terribly naked, and my thumb keeps going to play with them, but it's strange that they aren't there. And I didn't realize that I had the habit of playing with my rings with my thumb as I think until they were gone.

Bed time. Week's almost half over. Phew.

Life is always hard for the belle of the boulevard.

So, I did have a good weekend. I did. All the Halloween activities that I worked so hard on for school were a success. My costume went over well. I had fun. I hung out with friends this weekend. I saw "Where the Wild Things Are" which was interesting. I listened a lot to the new Tegan and Sara, which is amazing. I read a fun vampire book (the first of the series that "True Blood" is based on). I got an extra hour of sleep. I went for an awesome walk where I got momentarily lost in the cemetery. It's good leaf crunching weather.

However, despite all of these things, I'm dismayed by a few things, and even though I've just complained to a couple of people about them, I think I'm going to vent them here and hopefully they will leave my system.

Here's the list of things I'm annoyed about:

a) A person who told me they'd do something, but is not doing that thing. Said person can still redeem themselves.

b) I had a hair appointment on Saturday, but it started half an hour late, which resulted in me missing my eyebrow appointment elsewhere. (It's rescheduled for Wednesday.)

c) I told my stylist I just wanted my hair trimmed in the back, and my bangs trimmed. He said "Oh, I thought you were growing it out." I said "no, not really." And suddenly, my hair is super short! Gah. I think it'll grow to a good length in a few weeks though. I'd break up with my stylist, but his cuts always grow out well, so I'll be fine I think.

d) I was in a bitchy mood on Saturday because of the hair, so I was annoying and whiny to a friend. However, I apologized to him, but he wanted to argue the fact. So I argued, when I really should have just stuck with the "I'm sorry", so I think I've made things worse, but if my apology was just accepted, I think I wouldn't have fallen in the arguing trap. So anyway, I'm annoyed that my apology just wasn't accepted, and that because I was a petty person, I now have to re-apologize.

e) I miss Becca T. I would really like to sit down and drink a bottle of red wine with someone, and she's my favourite person to drink with, especially when I'm in an "annoyed at ten million things" mood. Well actually, there are a bunch of other people who could stand in for Becca T, but they are in London England, London Ontario, Vancouver, Winnipeg, North Bay, Midland, or the greater St. Ratford area. All of my good Toronto wine-drinking buddies are breast-feeding now. :(

Anyway, I feel better now, I think. Well, I'd feel better if I didn't have work tomorrow, but let's hope the kids are well behaved. And, work takes my mind off of stuff too, 'cuz I'm too busy to think.

Happy Halloween!!

As promised, here's a picture of Rilo in her Halloween costume, as mailed to her by her friends Fern and Norton in Fargo. She actually doesn't care much for being a ladybug, as you can tell by her expression.

However, she discovered that her costume makes a great toy!


Happy Halloween folks! Eat lots of candy!

ps I just realized that it's not actually Halloween. I keep thinking that Friday is Halloween because I've been spending so much time planning Halloween for work tomorrow, and tomorrow is the day that I am wearing my costume, so it's essentially Halloween for me.

pps When I went out this evening, I drank a lovely pumpkin ale. Yum.

General Malaise

Argh. I just feel out of sorts today. I have a lot of work to do, but it's just not appealing at the moment. I think it's because the past two nights I haven't been able to sleep very well, so that is part of it. Well, lack of sleep, impatience, and self-doubt are the three causes of this yucky feeling I have right now.

On the bright side, I'm going out this evening, so that will help, I'm sure. Maybe I just need a good laugh.

And, I think going for a little walk to the mall right now to get a second coffee might help. Yup. I think that's what I'll do.

Update: I went and got a second coffee. Then, I made arrangements with a friend for a ride tonight, and decided that Saturday will be a day of pampering myself. I've booked appointments for my hair, eyebrows, a manicure, and a pedicure. So, I'm feeling better. :)

Feel the feathers of an arrow.

Things I should be doing:

a) Dishes
b) Laundry
c) General household upkeep.

What I am doing instead:

Sitting here blogging in my Halloween costume. I'm a dork like that. I finished getting all of the parts of my costume today, so I had to try it on. On top of the dress, which I ordered online since I thought would be an easy costume (wrong), I had to buy white socks, red shoes, nylons, a long brown wig, hair ribbons, a basket, and a stuffed dog. However, it's come together quite well even though my Toto is a black lab. I must say say I'm pretty Oz-riffic. The funny thing is that I haven't even seen the movie in years, and I can't remember much from it. This costume is a total whim, but I think the kids will like it 'cuz I look much different with long brown hair. And I usually don't wear blue gingham dresses with crinoline. However, the red shoes will be put into the regular rotation.

Halloween has taken over my life lately. I've been running around getting all of the pieces for this costume, as well as buying many pumpkin carving kits, pumpkins pies, and organizing pumpkin distribution at school. Oh, and buying candy to put in my basket along with Toto.

What's I'm listening to:

a) New Tegan and Sara album. It came out today. It's good. I really like it on first listen.
b) New Dashboard Confessional single. Oh, is my inner teenager happy right now. I have such an eternal crush on him.
c) Itunes free single: "The Second Time" by Carolyn Mark and NQ Arbuckle. It's fun and twangy.
d) Timber Timbre, who are on Arts and Crafts, are giving away their album for free. I've downloaded, but not listened yet. I intend to. It made some best of lists last year.

So that's what's happening in Christielli-land. This skirt and this wig are itching me, so it's time to change. I'm such a weirdo, blogging in my Halloween costume.

Oh! Rilo has a Halloween costume that was sent to her by some of her feline friends through AlieMalie. (Rilo's human got some neat-o skull and cross bone socks too!) I'll post a picture of Rilo in her costume on Halloween. That'll be your candy, folks.

Still hooked on cellophane.

This weekend has been enjoyably quiet and filled with friends.

On Thursday night, I got a call from one of my favourite people. We used to work together, but she got married and decided to move someplace rural. I miss her a lot; and not just because I have one less person to high-five in the halls. It's great fun working across the hall from a real friend, not just a co-worker. Anyhow, she called 'cuz I'd mailed her a book of Shakespearean insults. I'd book-marked various insults with people whom they reminded me of. It made her laugh. We had a great time catching up on the phone, which made me feel nostalgic for when we worked together (last year).

The weather on Friday was disgusting. Cold rain and wind. I made it worse for myself by forgetting my keys/metropass at work, and didn't realize this until I got to the subway, and had to trek back in the rain. However, this was fortuitous because I ran into one of my remaining friends at work. We've been trying to have lunch together all year (and it's the end of October now) and haven't been able to because we're both so busy. Remedial. And next week won't work either, 'cuz I'm busy during every single lunch. However, I hope we improve in November. But it was good to see her. And we're going out on Thursday with other people, so that'll be fun.

Once I had my keys/metropass I made my way to my work spouse's place (she's on mat leave still). We caught up, made our own sushi, and then stuff ourselves with food. Good times. She'll be back next semester and I'll have a friend in the desk beside me which will be nice again. And yes, *I made* my own sushi. That's exciting.

Yesterday was a pretty lazy day. I met up with a friend for coffee in the afternoon and then rented some episodes of "True Blood" and watched while knitting. I need to get my knitting groove back on. The pair of mittens I'm knitting is a Christmas present that I wanted to give someone last year. Remedial yet again. Anyway, something to watch on TV def facilitates the knitting. Also, Rilo loves to watch me knit which is pretty hilarious. She'll sit beside me and stare at the needles.

Today I'm meeting up with another friend from work on mat leave for coffee then I need to grocery shop because I'm almost at the point where all I have to eat is dry pasta, soup, old crackers, and freezer-burnt frozen yogurt. Yum.

Happy lazy Sunday to you!

And it's only a matter of whom, and it's only a matter of when.

Today I had to diametrically opposed thoughts within twenty minutes of each other. These thoughts were:

a) Tomorrow is only Thursday? Yeesh.

b) It's already Thursday tomorrow? Holy!

It goes to show you that time both inches and flies by at the same time. (I'm quoting my pal AlieMalie here).

This evening I did some chores around the apartment, and then Mathew dropped by and we hung out for a bit. He teased me a couple of times about how quickly I'm approaching the big 3-0 (must be nice to still be 27), and I told Rilo to attack him, but she didn't. She and I are going to have to work on that. I've given up on the hope that she'll ever learn to clean, so the least she can do for her free room and board is to defend my honour.

Speaking of time flying: can you believe I've had Rilo for a year? Our one-year anniversary was on Monday! It feels like just yesterday that I brought a scrawny cat home from the humane society. She's now doubled in weight and is even a little chubby.

Here's a question for you: how accurate are your instincts? How much do you trust your gut feelings? Right now, there is something that I have a gut feeling about, and I spent sometime trusting my instinct, but in the past couple days I've questioning myself. I don't think I have any reason to doubt my instinct, other than the fact I get nervous about stuff, and that I'm more comfortable with doubt than certainty. I think it's because if you are sure about something, and you're wrong, it's disappointing. However, if you are doubtful about something, and turn out to be wrong, it's a pleasant surprise. Soooo, maybe that's why I'm more comfortable with doubting myself, if that makes any sense.

However, I think it's just best to stay positive, but staying positive is easier said than done.

Anyway, and with that cryptic rambling, I'm out. Pleasant Thursdays everyone!

ps I paid back Tim Horton's for Monday's coffee.

Breaking news: people are nice!

This morning, a Monday, of course, I forgot my wallet at home. Why? Because I had taken it out of my purse to put my latest concert ticket stubs in my ticket stub diary. (Nerd!)

Of course, I realize that my wallet is at home while I make my daily stop at the Tim Horton's by work. Right as they are pouring my coffee into my reusable mug from Starbucks no less. Anyway, as I mumble "I'm sorry, I forgot my wallet" to the lady at the counter, the woman behind comes to my rescue and offers to pay for my coffee. However, the lady at the counter, who knows me since I come in every freaking weekday morning for my caffeine fix, says not to worry about it, I can pay tomorrow. I thank both women, and leave happily with my coffee. As I'm walking out the door, a third lady says "Don't worry, we wouldn't have let you go without your coffee - it's Monday!"

Anyway, it made me happy that two random strangers would have paid for my coffee. Strangely enough, there was no one in the store from my work (adult or teenager), because I think most mornings I'd be able to hit someone up that I know for the cash. But, it makes me way happier to know that random strangers will help. I love random acts of kindness. I need to do some. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for people in distress. Anyway, rest of Canada, people in Toronto are nice, at least when it comes to forgotten wallets and Monday morning coffees. Take that!

In other news, I've been listening a lot to Regina Spektor's new album "Far" a lot lately. I'm addicted to "Dance Anthem of the 80s". I dunno why I never listened to her before; actually, it's 'cuz I was always waiting for Becca T to make me CDs of her stuff, but she never got around to it, ha-ha. Anyway, she's a little bit Tori-esque, but makes more sense than Tori.

Speaking of Tori, I just signed up for last.fm on the advice of my new indie-rock friend from Friday. (He also suggested I look into Regina.) You can download a tool called the itunes scrobbler (yes, scrobbler is now my new favourite word), which compiles all of your listening statistics into graphs. I love this, of course, since I'm both a music nerd and a math nerd. Anyway, it turns out my most listened to artists are:

1) Tori Amos
2) The Weakerthans
3) Stars
4) Sloan
5) Jack's Mannequin
6) Dashboard Confessional
7) Matthew Good
8) Hawksley Workman
9) Neko Case
10) Rilo Kiley

Now, Joel Plaskett is only #15, but if you add up my Joel Plaskett solo listens with Joel Plaskett Emergency listens, he comes in at number 5. But then I guess I'd have to go adding in Matthew Good Band with Matthew Good, Ben Folds with Ben Folds Five, Jenny Lewis with Rilo Kiley, etc.

All right, enough about that. I'm going to make some hot chocolate, read some more of "Her Fearful Symmetry" and I have a phone call to make. Later, y'all!

We're all waiting for the right moment to move.

What a beautiful, sunny, chilly fall weekend. I love it. Can I bottle it up and keep it forever please?

Anyway, I had a busy Friday, but the rest of the weekend was pretty chill. On Friday, I was supposed to meet up with Eric and a friend of his to see Two Hours Traffic at Lee's Palace, but Eric had to unfortunately skip out on the show because it was too late and he had too much work stuff on his plate. Luckily, he was able to meet up with me for dinner in the evening.

We decided to go to the Mexican restaurant where I had my birthday this year, but as we were waiting in line, we started to discuss our mutual love of The Pickle Barrel, so we decided to go there instead.

I love going for dinner with Eric because he always orders three plates of food and a giant milkshake (and he's really skinny!), so I don't have to feel guilty at all for splurging on a burger and fries. Anyway, we had a really fun dinner while reminiscing about our favourite Eric/Christy adventures and stories. There is nothing better in the world than old low-maintenance friendships.

Since Eric couldn't go to the show, I had to find his friend, who I'd met once in passing: coincidentally at a Two Hours Traffic show about a year ago. Luckily, I was able to spot him, and we had fun since we're both into pretty much the same bands. I'm always up for a new indie-rock friend.

The show itself was great. Two Hours Traffic are a super fun power-pop band from PEI (and their records are produced by Sir Joel Plaskett). They are a really fun live band where every song is sing-a-longable, and hands-clappable, and danceable and just a great time. Anyway, if you're looking for a fun new band, check them out.

On Saturday I slept in, since I didn't get back home 'til 2:30 am. These late night shows are hard on a girl of advancing age such as myself. I decided to take myself to anthropologie to pick up a wee besmirch (present) for my friend Sandee, and unsurprisingly, since that store is very dangerous for me, I ended up buying a new shirt. My Thursday plans of last week are rescheduled for this Thursday, and having new clothes always makes social plans better. This is how I justify the vastness of my wardrobe. Does anyone have any hangers they can give me? I'm running out.



Today I went to Starbucks and continued reading Audrey Niffenegger's "Her Fearful Symmetry". I'm a fan, but not an uber-fan, of "The Time Traveler's Wife" but this book really appealed to me, and it's unsurprising that it does. It has ghosts, possible evil twins, cemeteries, people tragically affected with OCD, family secrets, and all the stuff that appeals to a person with a well-developed inner goth such as myself. And, it takes place in London, which makes me all sorts of nostalgic and I want to go back since I never did explore a London cemetery. (Next visit perhaps Claire?)

Anyway, now I'm catching up on emails, and procrastinating tidying this hurricane zone. Hmmm, I think if I tidy the living room, then I can get back to my book. Good motivation!

I know you feel it too.

Yay! for the new Tegan and Sara song "Hell".

Boo! to ticketmaster charges. I swear I've handed over so much money to them in my life.

Yay! for the fact that you can buy gift certificates for other places at Shopper's Drugmart. It'll make someone very happy tomorrow.

Yay! for the new Matt Good album. It's great listening for subway rides and errand-running. My fave song is "A Silent Army in the Trees".

Yay! for vanilla-flavoured soy milk in hot chocolate. Yes, my fridge usually contains soy milk for solely this purpose.

Boo! to negativity. I find that I get more and more sensitive to negativity by the day. I understand the need to vent and complain, and I'm guilty of complaining way too much. I want to stop.

Yay! for concerts. I'm going to see Two Hours Traffic on Friday night with one of my favourite people in the world: my pal Eric.

Yay! for forgetting my marking at school. Aww shucks, that means I can't work on it tonight.

Yay! for new books. I'm a sucker, and I bought Audrey Niffenegger's new book "Her Fearful Symmetry". It's advertised as a "gothic romance" and fall is the time of year for gothic romances imho. I'm going to start reading it tonight since I forgot my marking at school.

Yay! for the fact one of my fave coworkers got good news. I'm very happy for the dude and the fact he's now permanent.

Yay! for bubble baths. I am so having one tonight as I start my new book.

Yay! for plans tomorrow that mean I'll have to tape my fave TV shows instead of watching them. Being busy means the power to fast forward commericals.

Boo! to my nails. I need a manicure and pedicure. Maybe I'll have time to treat myself this weekend.

Yay! for the fact that there are many more yays than boos going through my head these days.

Baby ain't it good to be back home.

Long weekend recap:

Friday - After the longest day of school in my life (it's not fun working when you are exhausted and it's pouring rain), I did a bit of shopping. I had a 30% coupon from the Gap, and well, I hate not using coupons, so I got this coat. I don't *really* need it, so I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it. Thoughts?

Then, I picked up sushi for myself, and went home and crashed while watching the big Office wedding on tape. Mathew called me to do something, but I was too beat, so I was in bed by 10 pm 'cuz that's how I roll apparently.

Saturday - I took the train to St. Ratford in the morning, hung with the 'rents in the afternoon, then my dad and I drove to Kitchener to see "Capitalism". The last movie my dad saw in theatres was the final Lord of the Rings, and before that was the Little Mermaid. So yeah, it's kind of a big deal when my dad says he wants to see something, and then actually goes. He's a bit of a happy hermit.

Anyway, we went and looked at books before the movie, then I treated him to a pumpkin spice latte, then we saw the movie. The movie was pretty good if you enjoy Michael Moore stuff. I usually do, 'cuz I'm on the same side of the political spectrum as he. My dad's complaint was that it wasn't polemic enough. (Note: my father considers himself the last true living socialist.) It was fun hanging out with my dad, and I wouldn't be surprised if he leaves the house for more movies, now that he's figured out that I'll do all the driving and planning if he asks.

Sunday - I slept in, then I did some downtown St. Ratford shopping, which I do enjoy. I went to my fave store called The Green Room, to stock up on funky tights. Of course, I ended up buying more silly stuff like...

a) a bird umbrella (here it is at home with Rilo nuzzling it). Hope I am not befalled by bad luck by opening it indoors for you all to see.



b) a sock monkey hat. Here I am rolling my eyes at the silliness of my purchase. It would go well with the new coat, eh? Hee-hee. I would have gotten the kitty hat instead, but ears on that one were too ridiculous. LOL I have standards.

Then Sunday night I had family dinner with the 'rents, and then had time to meet up with a couple members of the group of 9 for gossip and inappropriate discussions at Tim Horton's in Mitchell. (I think we might have shocked some of the older patrons if they were eavesdropping.)

Monday - I took the early morning train back to Toronto this morning then had a lazy day chilling with Rilo, running some errands and watching TV and movies. (I saw "Away We Go". It was okay.) I also got some important things done like ordering tickets for Tegan and Sara at Massey Hall in January (only crap seats were left, but I decided that's better than going to the godforsaken Kool Haus), and planning my Halloween costume. I broke down and decided to buy a costume 'cuz I've been a witch for 18 years straight (or so it seems). I got a Dorothy dress because it's appropriate for a school environment, and I figure all I need is red shoes, a basket, and a stuffed dog and I'm good.

All in all it was a great long weekend, and it's too bad that it's come to an end. I like vacay.

If you really wanna see me, check the papers and the tv.

Ben Folds with an orchestra was more awesome than I thought. His songs are just made for symphonic accompaniment. There was so much good stuff to listen to, that my ears didn't know where to turn.

My favourite song of the night was "One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces". But there were so many other good tracks too. He opened with "Zak and Sara" and did "Landed" and "Gracie" and "Jesusland" and "Not the Same" and "Lullabye". I could go on but I won't. He also played a couple new tracks from his upcoming album where Nick Hornby wrote the lyrics, and Ben the music.

Anyway, bliss. Yay. A life's goal complete.

The driving was okay. Thanks for the finger crossing! I made it to Buffalo in plenty of time to get myself good and lost. Luckily, when I phoned my pal Jason, he was able to figure out where I was from the description "ummm, I'm in a sketchy parking lot, I think blah and blah is the intersection."

Anyway, thanks for Ben for being awesome enough to get his songs arranged for orchestras, then finding in a place within driving distance. I'd still love him to join the TSO though. And thanks to Jason for talking me into going, helping be found, and taking me out for greasy pizza. Yay!

Unfortch, I gotta work tomorrow, so bed for me.

ps Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone! Even if you're not Cdn, you celebrate it up. I am taking off for St. Ratford on Saturday, and I've got lots of family stuff planned like a turkey dinner and I'm going to see "Capitalism: A Love Story" with my dad. Woot for left-wing family bonding!

I got my philosophy. (Keeps my feet on the ground.)

A random post in which Christielli is all excited about her upcoming roadtrip to see Ben Folds with an orchestra, and then starts to reflect upon how truly awesome life is.

a) Tomorrow is my Ben Folds roadtrip! I'm so excited. I've got my directions all printed, my passport packed, and I threw in some CDs for driving music. So, I just have to get through tomorrow's day at work, and hopefully nothing will keep me past the bell. Your job, dear readers, is to keep your fingers crossed that I encounter no car rental problems, no traffic delays, no border-crossing problems, and just overall safe driving. Thanks in advance!

b) I'm feeling better. Taking advantage of my crappy state and sleeping a lot helps. Sometimes I rather like being sick in the fact it gives me an excuse to be lazy and spend a lot of time reading in bed.

c) Lately I've been thinking about all of the things I've knocked of life's goals list. They include going to Paris, going to Versailles, going to London (twice even), going to SXSW, learning to knit mittens, visiting NYC and seeing a Broadway show (done that twice again), getting a cat, living in Toronto, and tomorrow I'll knock off seeing Ben Folds with an orchestra off the list. So I'm quite pleased with my progress, and all before my 30th birthday. Before I turn thirty, I'm going to have to update the list. I've never really had a list on paper (I never write things down), but these were all in my head, and they've happened and have all been amazing. (Assuming nothing keeps me from seeing Ben tomorrow, that is.)

d) There's also a bunch of things I've done that have never specifically been on my list, but fate and opportunity have taken me to these places. I'd never thought I'd dip my feet in Loch Ness, road-trip through the Scottish highlands, go to Australia, see the crumbling city of Havana, bike across the Golden Gate bridge, take a train through the Rockies, fly around the globe to Australia, or road-trip through the Maritime provinces, but I did all these things. Awesome. I'm glad life threw those adventures my way, and I was smart enough to do these things instead of, oh, saving money and staying at home.

d) I've also been thinking that two of the most important things in life is to take risks and to be generous. If I hadn't taken risks, I wouldn't have had money to do the above things. Most of my travel funds come from the money I saved when I was teaching up in Northern Ontario years ago. That was a freaking huge risk and scary, and I did it, and it made me a stronger person. Plus, if I hadn't have done that, I don't think I'd have my job now, and it boggles my mind to think where I'd be if I hadn't spent 5+ years in the wonderful and crazy school community I think of as home.

Also, being generous is one of the things that brings me the most joy life. Of course I like sending/giving mini-besmirches (Christielli-talk for gifts) to the awesome people in my life. (Note: I still have four packages to mail out. I'm so remedial.) But obviously it's not just material generosity that is important. I get so much joy and fulfillment from being as generous as possible with my time, support, and compliments to my friends, family, colleagues, and students. Of course, one can always be more generous, and I think I can work on that for sure.

e) I've been reading Oprah's latest book pick: "Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan. All I can say is this book is amazing and really makes you appreciate life. It's a series of short stories written from the point of view of children in Africa. Last night I stayed up late finishing the story "Fattening for Gabon". The ending was so haunting and sad that it was hard to sleep, and it's hard to know what to do when you experience a story so powerful.

I ended up telling the story to a couple of students in one of my classes. I teach an alternative type course for struggling students and I love this course because it gives me a chance to chill with the kids and really get to know them. Anyway, today I was chatting with two students about how I love to read, and I told them the story that I just read. It's not a happy story, but as one of my students wisely pointed out, it's good to read stories like this because they give you perspective. I thought that so wise coming from a teenager, and it just was one of those little daily moments with my students that really touch me.

Anyway, read that book. Or at least the second story. Trust me. You'll be awestruck.

f) Speaking of books, I should go curl up in bed with that book, and sleep early since I've got a big day tomorrow. Woot!

But you're so contagious.

I have a very busy week planned.

Of course I get sick. Of course.

It's just a common cold. Not something nastier, thankfully. But, if I'm going to kick this thing in time for my Ben Folds roadtrip to Buffalo on a school night this Thursday, I'm going to have to commit to sleeping this mutha off.

Which I've gotten a good start on. I passed out on my couch for about a hour after dinner.

On my way home from work, I caught my reflection in the subway door. Usually when I do so, I think "oh look at that fashionable girl" but today I thought "Who's that beat looking person? Oh wait, it's me."

But yah, sleep will be the remedy. Even my horoscope today said to sleep more. So it's sleep, orange juice, hot chocolate, and tylenol cold for me.

Oh, also it was World Teacher's Day today. So I guess this cold is my gift. That and a sprinkle donut given to me by administration.

Pretty People Posing Questions

I had a pretty uneventful weekend, but I did have time while cooking tonight's dinner/lunch for part of the week to do this giant meme. Ahhh, memes. Godsend to blogger's block.

1. The phone rings; who do you want it to be?
Visa telling me that I won what I bought this month.

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
I use a basket most of the time. But yes, I always return my cart. I’m a chronic rule follower.

3. In a social setting, are you more of a talker or a listener?
Both. It depends on the other people.

4. Do you take compliments well?
Give me some and we’ll see.

5. Do you play Sudoku?
Yes.

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness, would you survive?
I’d be a goner.

7. Do you like to ride horses?
I’ve never rode a horse.

8. Did you ever go to camp as a kid?
Just day camp. And art camp, but that doesn’t count.

9. What was your favorite game as a kid?
Monopoly.

10. If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was married, would you go for it?
No. I’m a chronic rule follower.

11. Have you lied to get out of a date?
I haven’t. I hate lying, no matter what.

12. Could you date someone with different religious beliefs than you?
Yup.

13. Do you like to pursue or be pursued?
Be pursued. It's fun :)

14. Use three words to describe yourself?
Intelligent, considerate, talkative.

15. Do any songs make you cry?
No.

16. Are you continuing your education?
I’m done with the learning. Well, the “formal” learning. I’m always learning new things.

17. Do you know how to shoot a gun?
Of course not.

18. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you grabbed?
Rilo Kitty

19. How often do you read books?
My goal was to read a book a week this year. I managed to read two in the past month. So really, one every two weeks.

20. Do you think more about the past, present or future?
I think a lot about the past and the future. I need to live more in the present.

21. What is your favorite children's book?
From my childhood: The Twits by Roald Dahl. However, I really love Harry Potter, which I discovered in my early 20s.

22. What color are your eyes?
Brown

23. How tall are you?
5’6’’

24. Where is your dream house located?
In the neighbourhood where I live now, actually.

25. Do you have a secret fetish?
It would not be a secret if I shared.

26. Have you tried sushi?
LOL I’m not even answering this. If you don’t know the answer, you must be new to this blog.

27. Have you ever taken pictures in a photo booth?
Yup. But not since high school.

28. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
Last time I remember was when my pal Christa and I went on a shopping trip to Port Huron, Michigan after Christmas a couple years ago. We had a good meal there with breadsticks (!) and the waiter was really cute too.

29. When was the last time you were at Church?
About two weeks ago.

30. Where was the furthest place you traveled today?

The grocery store. It’s a lazy, rainy Sunday.

31. What was your favorite job?
Teaching, of course.

32. Do you like mustard?
Love. It was all I’d put on hot dogs as a kid.

33. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
That’s a tough decision! But, given the choice, ummm sleep. Sleep’s where I’m a Viking, as Ralph Wiggum says.

34. Do you look like your mom or dad?
I think I’m a mix of both.

35. How long does it take you in the shower?
5 minutes.

36. Can you do the splits?
Nope.

37. What movie do you want to see right now?
Whip It! (Directed by Drew Barrymore, who is like the only actress I like.)

38. If you could fast forward your life, would you?
I’d like to see how certain things turn out, but I’d liked to rewind back to now to live through everything. But, I promise I’ll act surprised when stuff happens.

39. What did you do for New Year's
LOL Last year it was too cold to do anything fun, so my pal Mathew and I had the lamest New Year’s ever. It was like we were an old married couple, without being old, and we’d never marry each other in a million years.

40. Do you think The Grudge was scary?
Didn’t see it.

41. Could you relate to a character in Mean Girls?
Don’t remember it.

42. Do you own a camera phone?
Yah, but I don’t use the camera part. Why does everything have to have a camera attached to it these days.

43. Do you have an "ex box" with pics and letters from past lovers?
That’s what campfires are for.

44. Was your mom a cheerleader?
Nope.

45. What's the last letter of your middle name?
A

46. Do you like your middle name?
Yes.

47. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually 6, but I need 8.

48. Do you like care bears?
Of course. I had Funshine bear.

49. What do you buy at the movies?
Usually a ginormous diet coke.

50. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes, but my strategy is to pretend I don’t know how to play. Shhh.

51. Do you wear your seat belt?
Yup.

52. What do you wear to sleep?
At this time of year, I’ve broken out the fuzzy Ally McBeal pjs.

53. Anything big ever happen in your hometown?
The Queen once visited. They had to build her a special bathroom. Also, once a swan was beheaded by an owl. That was front page.

54. How many meals do you eat a day?
3

55. Is your tongue pierced?
Nope.

56. Ever meet anyone you met on myspace?
Nope… but I’ve met five bloggers that I count.

57. Do you read myspace bulletins?
I don’t have myspace.

58. Do you like funny or serious people better?
Funny. I think serious people don’t really like me ‘cuz I can’t really stay serious for too long.

59. Ever been to L.A.?
I have flown through LAX on my way to and from Australia.

60. Did you eat a cookie today?
No. Day’s not over yet. But alas, I have no cookies, so it's not going to happen.

61. Do you use cuss words in other languages?
Sadly not. This is something I’d like to improve.

62. Do you steal or pay for your music downloads?
I usually pay. Especially ‘cuz I listen to all indie stuff.

63. Do you hate chocolate?
Who hates chocolate? People with no souls, that’s who.

64. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
My parents and I will get into huge arguments about the stupidest things. So stupid I can’t really remember what they are.

65. Are you a gullible person?
I don’t think I’m gullible per se, but I do believe that most people are genuine, so I can be taken in ‘cuz I’m trusting, I guess.

66. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
Not at all, I have neither and I am very happy.

67. If you could have any job what would it be?
I really do like my job, but I’d love to write a great novel. Then have Oprah pick it for her bookclub. Then with the GG award. Oh, and have my book nominated for Canada Reads too. And then have a movie made of my book. Starring Johnny Depp.

68. Are you easy to get along with?
Very much so.

69. What is your favorite time of day?
After work, when I get to do me-stuff.

Early morning post!

So, last night I went to bed an hour earlier because I never get enough sleep. I want to improve this, but here I am awake an hour earlier. So, I feel that I've gained nothing. Boo.

Anyhow, a couple posts ago I wrote that Tegan and Sara are one band I've never seen live but I'd like to see them live. So yesterday, I get an email informing me that they are playing not one, but two shows in Toronto! Apparently someone out there is listening to me. Anyway, I'm going to opt for Massey Hall in January, I think.

Los Campensinos! I hope you are listening too.

This is one of those weeks where I need a weekend very badly. The end of the school day won't come fast enough.

Last night's Office was pretty funny.

It's now less than a week 'til my Ben Folds road-trip. I'm so excited.

Thanksgiving is soon. Yay! Pumpkin pie is the bestest.

I haven't done very well in my goals for this week. Boo. I've been doing all right about the housecleaning and the reading. Anyway, I still have the weekend to get some of the stuff done.

Anyway, have a great Friday and it's oatmeal time. Woot!