WARNING TO HEATHER: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SYTYCD!!

I'm watching So You Think.... right now.

My favourite girl just got eliminated. First I screamed a long, drawn-out 'noooooooo' and Keith just asked me if I was going to cry.

I might.

Now it's time to find out about the boys...

Eh. Got what I wanted, but I didn't really care about the guys as much as the girls.

Damnit, I'm so disappointed Chelsie didn't make it to the top 4. I love her! All Courtney does is stupid fling-yourself-and-your-hair-around contemporary. Chelsie does ballroom/latin, and DAMN GOOD stuff at that. So disappointed.

*sniff sniff*

Now onto watch the last hour of Last Comic Standing. We're at the Top 8 right now, being narrowed down to the Top 5. I'm pulling for the (only) female and (only) Canadian to make it. Cross your fingers for me!

Pre-Ordered!

So within an hour of finding out that, yes, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer is being released on FREAKING SATURDAY, I have pre-ordered my copy from Amazon!!! WOOO!!

Stupid thing is that it says it won't ship until August FIFTH, arriving August 7th. Like anyone who pre-orders it three days in advance really wants to wait a WEEK after the release date. Silly Amazon. But I'll wait, because it's cheaper than going to the store, and I don't have to risk the store running out of copies. Not to mention the hordes of people trying to buy the book the old fashioned way. *shudders* No, I'd rather wait, thank you very much.

So now I own every single book by this author, including her adult novel The Host. (Which is definitely worth a read, by the way. Very interesting concept. Just have to get through her ever-growing penchant for long, overly descriptive passages).

And, just for the record, I discovered, read and loved Twilight WAAAAY before it became the swollen-ego(ed?), much-hyped, obsessively loved series it is today. Which is probably the only reason I'm buying this book. I'm not really obsessed about it;I'll admit its a (very?) good piece of YA fiction, but like I said, I only found out about the release date an hour and a half ago. And I distinctly remember being a little dissatisfied with her last novel in the series, Eclipse.

Now I just sit back and wait until it arrives. I would be lying if I wasn't hoping it'll arrive before the 7th, though. Fingers crossed!

ASIDE: It's SYTYCD tonight. We're down to 6 dancers. I hope the Top 4 is Josh/Katee/Chelsie/Twitch. Or Mark. I don't really care who the fourth person is now that Will is gone. But Twitch slightly more than Mark.

I've said 2 things about this episode: a) if Josh's choreography doesn't have lifts in it, I'll eat my hat. And post it on youtube for the world to see. and 2) If they do that "IV Real" hand gesture thing ONE MORE TIME, I'm pulling a Mary Murphy and screaming at random times throughout the night. Yep, I am. I HATE that "IV Real" thing.

After: The Bedroom (A Series)

Once, for a brief instance, a very long time ago, this room was clean. Then, we moved everything of mine over and dumped it here. And we started living in it. Without garbage cans. (ick, I know). Because we didn't have visible laundry baskets, our dirty laundry ended up on the floor. Add to the mix two animals who love to chase each other and in doing so, knock everything in their path over, and it started getting messy. Really messy.


But no more. The laundry (all four baskets of it) is clean and folded and put away. The bedside tables have been cleaned off and garbage cans put underneath. The carpet has been vacuumed. The bed has been properly made. The garbage - every last little scrap of it - has been picked up. We moved the dresser around so the TV didn't hang off the edge any longer (it still doesn't look perfect but thats okay) and properly set-up the mini-entertainment system on the other one. Every box and all the other assorted junk has been stored away in the closet, and all the clothes that need to be hung up have been.


It's refreshing and serene to spend time in, and I can't tell you how much it rocks to not have to run an obstacle course from the door to the bed anymore. Or even begin to describe how much the fact that you can see the floor rocks my non-existant socks.

Anyway, onto the photos: (please excuse the horrible quality! ugh)


The view from the doorway. Can you guess which side is which?


The view from one side of the bed. Nothing really too fancy; forgive the closet, the doors don't close.


Two and a half rooms (half room being the foyer) down! Now, just to put the finishing touches on the kitchen and do the living room....we're getting close guys!

(I just realized I'm wearing shoes. Huh. When did I put these on? Weird.)

Things I Don't Get...

• This morning I spent ten minutes trying to open a crouton bag. TEN MINUTES. I had to resort to slicing it open with a knife. Its a bloody crouton bag, not Fort Knox. Why are they so hard to open?!!
• Another thing that baffles me is this whole pollution thing in Beijing being dangerous to the athletes health. WTF? They're just realizing this NOW? Apparently they're giving the cyclists some kind of air purifying masks automatically, and Australia has gone so far as to say that if their athletes feel it's unsafe to compete, they don't have to. Um, WHAT? You're talking about a city that is so filled with air pollution that they're WORKING ON being able to see the sun more than 241 days a year. How the hell did they get the Olympic bid in the first place? The ICO must have been smoking some real good crack if they believed that Beijing could fix such a serious problem in 7 years. Bah.
• Why anyone would think that wearing anything tight and white is a good thing. Blech! That combination of clothing should not even exist. Not ever. I have nothing against a loose, breezy pair of white linen pants, but when its a pair of tight white short shorts? White is not a very forgiving colour for clothing, people.
• Why everything thats bad for you tastes so damn good and everything thats good for you doesn't.
• How I can possibly sleep so much. Seriously. It's getting ridiculous. Last night I slept from 2:30am to 6:50am, then went back to bed around 8:30 and slept until noon. Then I fell asleep around 6pm and slept until 11!! AND I STILL SLEPT FROM TWO THIRTY AM TO NINE AM TODAY. Of course, I've been having super weird, long, detailed, intricate dreams that border on nightmares, but still. That's just too much sleep. Not even Elvis sleeps that much.
• Why Molly is so terrified of the sound of our flushing toliet. Never fails; everytime we flush, its a big quick scramble to get away. Granted, it IS loud, but you'd think she would have gotten used to it by now. Remind me to videotape it for you guys sometime.
• I also don't get why I still find it hilarious when she does it. It never fails to crack me up. Does this make me pathetic?

Musical, Flowers, Books (and it's not even our anniversary)

Keith and I are thisclose to getting tickets to go to Wicked. YAAAAAAAAYY!!!! I've been wanting to see Wicked for ages, and its finally coming to Ottawa, August 13-31, and WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING!!!!

Now I just have to wait until August without exploding from excitement. Can it be done? Stay tuned to find out.

Keith finally let me get flowers too! Granted, it was when we were grocery shopping together, and I picked them out. But he did pay and they are sooo gorgeous and its the first time there has been any kind of flower giving in our relationship, so I don't really GIVE a rat's ass about the level of romance (read: zilch) in getting them.

He also got me four books of my choosing yesterday. (Yep, I'm spoiled.) I got Jodi Picoult's "The Tenth Circle", two by Philippa Gregory "The Virgin's Lover" and "The Queen's Fool" and "Little Earthquakes" by Jennifer Weiner.

I got The Tenth Circle because I'm on a mission to collect all of Jodi Picoult's books; so far I have four including this one. I got Philippa Gregory because historical fiction is easily my favourite genre as well as she wrote "The Other Boyeln Girl" which was decent enough to turn into a movie. As for Jennifer Weiner, she wrote a book called "Good In Bed" that I own and it had me laughing out loud, so that's another author I wouldn't mind collecting her complete works. (hint, hint :P)

Limited.

I just want to pre-face this by saying, normally, I LOVE apartment living. Especially when your utilities and rent are combined, like we have (which means for this summer we've had TWO air-conditioning units going 24/7, and it doesn't affect the amount we pay monthly. Same if we left the lights on, etc). I like the convenience of not having a lawn to mow/backyard in general to care for, I love the fact that it's secure entry, that we're on the 7th floor with elevators, that there's an on-call 24/7 person to fix your plugged toliet, etc etc.

But whats really getting me down? If we actually owned this place, then WE could renovate as we see fit.

Right now, we have a nice sized 1 bedroom with carpeting in the bedroom/living room. Because landlords aren't legally obligated to fix anything except what is a) broken and/or b) a safety hazard, they don't. Because they don't have to.

Given the fact that Keith's been living here for 10 years means they haven't renovated (at LEAST) in that length of time. This place desperately needs a new kitchen, new carpeting, and a new tub. And I KNOW that the moment we move out, that's just what they'll do, plus a fresh coat of paint on the walls. But because it's not technically "broken", we can't actually a) DO anything to the place, or b) ask that they do so.

Because they're covered under this clause "20. (1) A landlord is responsible for providing and maintaining a residential complex, including the rental units in it, in a good state of repair and fit for habitation and for complying with health, safety, housing and maintenance standards." (Residential Tenancy Act, 2006.)

And really, this apartment does comply with all those standards. It's just (in the kitchen, at least) PLAIN BUTT UGLY. And outdated. No one viewing the apartment these days would take it the way it is, at the price they would be paying for it (which is 60$ more than we currently pay). And the tub has some funky, black, impossible-to-get-rid-of patches/markings. I'm pretty sure all the protective coating is somehow gone or worn off. So they're definitely going to renovate it once we leave. But that just begs the question: If they're just going to do it ANYWAYS once we leave, why not do it now?

It just really irks me, because if this was legally OUR place? and we could financially do so?
KITCHEN GOES BYE-BYE. And that's just for starters.

fridayfive #7

It's time for the fridayfive!

When you go to the beach, lake, or pool, are you more likely to lower yourself gradually into cold water or to take a determined plunge and get it over with?
If it's a pool, I lower myself gradually. Beach/lake/ocean, wade in until about waist-deep and then just dive in. Man, I miss swimming in natural water sources.

How is this like (or unlike) your approach to other tasks or ordeals?
I like having kind of a loose plan in my head when I go to approach a task. Of course, my ADD dictates I'll be sidetracked twenty minutes into it, and have to make a conscious effort to go back to the original task. Unlike?

When someone gives you flowers, are you more likely to let them turn completely brown and gross before throwing them out, or to discard them the moment they take on that sick-flower look?
Completely brown and gross. I hate throwing flowers out; they're so pretty, I love them so, and I get so few.

How is this like (or unlike) your approach to other gifts, purchases, or relationships?
I've been through too much and through too many moves to be a packrat. Yes, I admit to keeping things out of sentimentality (like my baptism candle, or the article that informed me of Tim's death), but the majority of it gets junked. So, unlike, I guess. Flowers are special though, it's a bad comparison!

Think of your favorite movie (or a movie you really like, if you can’t think of a favorite). Some people say that the reasons you love your favorite movie are related to what you value in romantic relationships. How is this true or untrue in your case?
I guess that would be Pride & Prejudice? Not sure how it relates to my love life, except I value family ties, and quick witty dialogue between two people. (give me a break here guys, its 630am).

After: The Bathroom (A Series)

(toliet/cabinet, shower curtain)

(mirror/counterspace, decorations on wall next to door)


Two words: Finally. Done.

I didn't show you any pictures of the bathroom before, because, seriously? Who wants to see a dirty icky bathroom?

Being the smallest room in the house it just needed a basic all over scrub-down clean and a few little changes. I couldn't believe the difference it made, just by cleaning the counters to sparkling white and wiping down the cabinet over the toliet. We replaced the shower curtain (isn't it cute? I couldn't get all of it in the picture) and bathmat, and then it was all about product placement (mostly mine, of course) on the counterspace and cabinet.

One thing left is the never-ending debate of whether we should paint the cabinet. I was thinking either white or black, but if it's white is that too much white? and if it's black, well, I can't think of anything really bad. I think it would provide contrast in an all-white room and give it just that little "pop" that would be cool to see. Maybe it'd be too stark of a contrast? In light of this, I'm doing what I usually do when I can't decide things for myself, which is ask you guys. What's your vote? White, or black? Or just leave it?

I have a dream.

Because writing about my wedding is definitely more fun than unpacking, rearranging and cleaning, here it is.

***
I admit to having a document saved on my computer, titled quite innocently, "notes". This is to deflect anyone's curiosity if they ever ARE snooping around on my machine. (I mean, what piques your curiosity more, something titled "WEDDING PLANS, OMG!!!!" or, just "notes"?)Now, this document didn't materialize until after Keith had put the magical word on the proverbial table of our relationship, but my good golly gosh, they sure as heck flowed out of me once he did! And since my wedding is still a good distance of years away, I have no doubt many details will be changed over that time period, but the basic elements will stay the same.

• My dad walking me down the aisle is super super important to me.
• Not seeing Keith that day until I'm walking down said aisle.
• Photography. I want lots and lots of pictures of the entire day, because I am absolutely obsessed with wedding photography. I want the posed photo session, candid photos, getting ready, ceremony, and everything in between. I'm even thinking of hiring two photographers so I don't miss a single detail.
• Location would be here in Ottawa since we've been living here (already) a combined 15 years and it really is home to us, especially to me, in a way that my hometown area never really was. There's little appeal for me to marry back home now that my church has been torn down, other than cost.
• Still undecided whether we want a church wedding with separate reception, or have it completely non religious in the same building, but I'm leaning towards the latter. Mostly because we aren't religious, most Catholic churches require you to do some type of marriage prep, and I can't think of any churches I'd like to be married in here. Of course, if my church back home hadn't been torn down, it would be a no-brainer. (can you tell I'm still a little bitter about the whole thing? No? Must just be me then).
• We both want a fall wedding. It's the most beautiful time of the year and I want to maximize the colours fully in my wedding; faded yellow, fiery orange, burnt red, coppery brown.
• I'd like to do nearly all of the planning myself, but hire a "Day-Of" Coordinator, just because I want myself and my wedding party to be fully present and enjoying the day, and not worrying about any details or last minute emergencies that can/will occur.
• Decor. Super important. I want it kind of simple, yet tasteful. Fairy lights, tea candles, and lots of flowers in fall colours. Boring, but pretty.
• In a perfect, perfect world, I'd have ALL OF IT here. Just look at it. (seriously, go check it out, its GORGEOUS). And the perfect thing about having that venue is there's tons of options as to where exactly you want your reception. Of course, this one comes with a really hefty price tag *sigh*, so unless we win the lottery, or I want to get married in jeans and a tank, we'll probably be married somewhere else. Where that somewhere else is I have no idea right now, but I think that'll be a fun part to the actual wedding planning.
• Small wedding party, 3 people on each side. Tea length coppery reddish/brown dresses for my side, traditional suits for the men.
• For the dress I know what I DON'T want: I don't want white (i want ivory). I don't want sleeveless (i want off the shoulder or capped). And I definitely do not want super poofy with a long train (straight down touching the floor. That's it). I want it to be as easy as possible to move around in and wear for the entire day. After all, it'll probably be the only day I'll wear it. Undecided as of yet if I want a veil, tiara, stuff like that. If I do decide to go that route, it'll be one or the other, not both. Simple hair and makeup; I might even leave my hair down rather than putting it in an up-do.
• Keith wants to wear a white suit. Or a Don Cherry-style suit. I really hope he's kidding.
• A DJ, that, after the compulsory first dance songs, will play anything to get people on the dance floor.
• Being introduced as "Mr & Mrs. W", not "Mr & Mrs K W".
• I'd like to spend the first-night-as-a-married-couple here. Just becaue it's so incredibly over-the-top that I will never, ever get to do it again.
• Canon in D for the processional by string quartet. Oooh, fancy.
• One of my major regrets is that my Grandma didn't live long enough to see me getting married. I will really miss her on that day, and was thinking of incorporating an instrumental of her favourite song (When Irish Eyes Are Smiling) during the ceremony. Maybe during the signing?
• Flowers will be predominately dark red, orange and yellow roses (my bouquet) and red, yellow and orange gerber daisies (bridesmaid's bouquets).
• I want the wedding favours to be something functional, or just plain delicious. Like candy apples or a wine stopper in the shape of a heart, engraved with the date and our initials.
• First dances will be Lay Me Down by Ashley MacIssac for us, Against The Wind by Bob Seger for my dad and I.
• 100 - 125 guests. I'd like it to be smaller but my family is kinda huge. As for the kids/no kids debate, I want my adult guests to enjoy themselves without worrying about their offspring...but I think that's up to the parents to decide if they want to bring them.
• Transportation is something I'm willing to compromise on. I want vintage cars, Keith wants anything but.
• Three tiered cake, with different types of cake in each tier. I don't care if there's not enough cake for everybody, there's a dessert table for that exact reason. NO SMOOSHING. (Keith, you hear me? NO SMOOSHING).
• I'm not huge on the whole garter thing, but catching the bouquet is something I would definitely consider.
• I'd like our guests to blow bubbles over us as we exit the ceremony. (Except, how does that work exactly? If you're going down the aisle while your guests are still seated, who's outside to blow the bubbles?)
• Three or four course meal, nothing too too fancy. Not sure what the other three courses are, but seafood has to be one of them. Dessert bar. Cocktail hour, open bar, 2 bottles of wine per table, circling glasses of champagne.
• Afternoon ceremony, followed by formal pictures and then evening reception.
• No receiving line. I'm dealing with divorced, I-only-talk-to-you-for-the-sake-of-the-children parents here. Let's just keep the awkwardness to a minimum. Plus, Keith's mom can't really stand for too long. Instead, we'll try to circle around to everyone during dinner, since we'll be gone for the cocktail hour (taking photos).
• Centerpieces with a bit of "ooomph" and plenty of awe, but not blocking peoples views of each other.
• I'm totally stealing this idea from Jess, because I think it's absolutely brilliant - a big basket of flip flops and slippers near the dance floor for the women to change into so they can dance all night and go home comfortable.

What do you think? It's a fairly traditional and budget-conscious wedding, but I've always been of the mindset that the wedding is one day while the marriage is a lifetime. I'd like your opinion though; what works, what doesn't?

Too. Many. (or just too anal?)

We have way too many games (see picture at left for proof) for our respective gaming devices. We also have quite a few gaming devices; collectively we own two Playstation 2's (one regular, one slim), a XBox 360, and a PsP. A Wii (and subsquently, a Wii Fit) have been off-handedly discussed, but that's not for awhile yet.

Anyway, here's the anal part, because I am just one big fat butt, apparently - every single one of these games has to be taken out, dusted, and then checked to see if it contains the right game in the right case. And then sorted according to genre (sports games go in one pile, shooting games go into another, etc) as well as if they are PsP, Xbox, etc. Of course there's a few movies mixed in there, both for DVD and PsP, which need to be sorted as well. In the case of sequels and yearly games, they have to be arranged according to year/sequel, because, dude, would you really expect anything else from over-organizational, anal, little ol' me? REALLY?

(Don't even ask what I do for DVD's, okay? It's best we just don't open that can of worms. Trust me on this one.)

Dad, I hope you're reading this, because this is ALL YOUR FAULT. ha.

No Fair!

You know what SUCKS THE BIG KAHOONAS?

Being so incredibly fair you burn....

...on a day that doesn't have an ounce of sunshine. Seriously. It was incredibly overcast and cloudy today (literally couldn't see the sun at all), and I still wound up with a wicked burn. I was outside from 8am to 2pm today for a work function for Keith. My skin is so hot and feels like it's too small, especially on my face.

Tell me, how is that fair??! Bah!

If the cigarettes don't get me first, the skin cancer will. Methinks it's time to invest in some high SPF sunscreen, mebbe?

(please excuse the double chin)

It's all up to you now....

You know what I'm sick of?

Having to wait for a ring in order to feel like I can discuss what I want in a wedding.

I watch ALOT (as in, I DVR every episode) of Rich Bride, Poor Bride and use it as a discussion starting point with Keith over what we like and what we don't. We also laugh at how psycho and stressed out the brides get (it's guilty laughter on my part, because I know I'm more than likely to turn into a basketcase the closer it gets to my wedding. ha.), tease each other on who's going to cry as I'm walking down the aisle, and shake our heads over the ones who spend zillions of dollars on silly things (one bride had a stretch hummer limo, a sportscar, a donkey, AND a helicopter for transportation. not for the wedding party or anything, just for them. Another bride had a walking dessert table. and candy apples as favours (which I secretly loved, shhhh).)

So I have all these ideas swirling around in my head, but I kinda feel ridiculous talking about it before I have a ring on my finger. Like I'd be jinxing it or something. Which is ridiculous, of course. Keith is still going to propose no matter what.

So I think I'll leave this one up to you guys. Do you want to hear about it, or not?

fridayfive #6

It's time for the fridayfive!

What was the last meal that caused you to be ill?
Um, I get ill on a regular basis. It happens so often I can't remember the last meal I ate to make me ill, just that I am. Although anything excessively dairy and/or excessively caffienated seems to do the trick.
Are there any places you never dine anymore because of a bad experience hours after the meal? What’s your prescription for dealing with a food-caused illness?
Yep, Kentucky Fried Chicken is one place I got sick off of once just over two years ago now and I haven't touched it since. Lost all desire to, actually.
When friends tell you about coming down with food-caused illnesses, do you avoid the places they name, or do you figure it’s a dice-roll wherever you go?
None of my friends have name-dropped like that (other than the compulsory joke about Chinese places using cat/dog as their meat), but I say know your limitations - aka if you know Indian food makes you ill and you go anyways, well, uh, let's just slap a big fat D'OH sticker on your forehead. okay? - and you should be fine.
After numerous citations, a very, very popular restaurant that you’re quite fond of is shut down by the health department until it can get everything up to code. When the health department gives the restaurant the o.k. to reopen, do you go?
Sure, but only in the first month or so that it's re-open. Think about it - it'll probably be the cleanest it's ever been during that time! It's after that that it'll start to slip again (if it does).

Just a quick note to Heather - Are you watching the American season of So You Think....? Where are you in the series? Right now we're down to 8 dancers, but I don't want to spoil the series for you by talking about it on here if you're not there yet. Unless you don't mind. Of course.

Gangsta Keith

(is that not the funniest picture?)

It's a dog's life...

5:45 am : greet Humans enthusiastically with much tail wagging.
6:05: go for pee.
6:08: sniff grass
6:10: go for second pee.
6:18: Sit. Stay.
6:30: chase cat.
6:40: chase cat.
6:50: stare at cat.
6:52: chase cat.
7:00: Human disappears. whine.
7:20: Human re-appears. wag tail.
7:25: stare at cat.
7:28: lay down.
7:35: sleep.
7:40: perform "please" for something that's delicious.
7:50: Human disappears. whine.
8:00: chase cat.
8:20: sleep.
1:00: Human re-appears. wag tail.
1:05: chase cat.
1:10: drink out of big white bowl.
1:15: eat.
1:18: chase cat.
1:30: sleep.
1:35: get swatted by cat.
1:38: chase cat.
1:45: gaze longingly at Human food.
1:48: ignore cat.
2:00: sleep.
3:00: Second Human appears. wag tail.
3:05: get yelled at.
3:07: be petted.
3:16: Humans disappear. whine.
4:01: Humans re-appear. wag tail.
4:05: Sit. Stay.
4:13: sniff grass.
4:15: sniff grass
4:20: go for pee.
4:22: sniff grass.
4:25: go for another pee.
4:27: sniff grass.
4:34: Sit. Stay.
4:50: play with little round thing.
5:15: lay down.
5:30: Humans disappear. whine.
6:45: Humans re-appear. wag tail.
7:00: gaze longingly at human food.
7:05: gaze longingly at human food.
7:15: chase cat.
7:16: get swatted by cat.
7:18: get yelled at.
7:20: lay down next to Human.
7:45: play with fake bone.
8:00: eat.
8:15: sleep.
9:45. Sit. Stay.
9:50: sniff grass.
9:52: go for pee.
9:55: go for #2.
9:57: sniff grass.
9:58: sniff grass.
10:05: Sit. Stay.
10:09: stare at cat.
10:12: chase cat.
10:14: get yelled at.
10:20: lay down.
10:22: sleep.
11:30: Humans disappear. whine.
12:00: sleep.

BlogShare: The Event!

***Like I said yesterday, today's post is courtesy of an anonymous blogger. Enjoy! We resume normal transmissions on Thursday***

A few months ago, a tiny bandwagon rolled through the blog neighborhood I call home. The idea was to post a list of things you've never said to people--things you wanted to say, things you shouldn't say, things that are in your head no matter how much you wish they weren't.

I read those posts and I thought, "I could do one of those..." But when I started my list, I realized there were a lot of things my mind wants to say to people still actively in my life, and since some of those people read my blog, I thought it best not to make them wonder. Maybe the other people who participated in this exercise didn't write about anyone they know. Maybe the people they know are less curious or paranoid than the people I know. Maybe they themselves are less paranoid than I. In any case, it is Blog Share Day, and if you can't spill your secret thoughts on Blog Share Day, when can you; am I right? I thought so. So here is my list... out to prove, apparently, that if you can't say something nice, you should instead post it anonymously on someone else's blog, and if you CAN say something nice, you should hide it on the Internet instead of saying it to the person outright. Clearly I'm all about being emotionally healthy and responsible. Go me.

1. You have been given every opportunity in life, and you've repeatedly squandered every one of them.
   


2. You are incredibly creative, and yet you're frittering all your time away on nothing. USE your talent. DO something with your life. Take a step towards SOMETHING, and happiness will follow.
   


3. I don't want to give up on our friendship, but I feel like I don't even know you anymore. Who are you? WHERE are you? I miss you.
   


4. Your laugh makes me want to hurt you.
   


5. Your constant cough makes me want to stick a sock down your throat.
   


6. Part of me knows you and I were never meant to be, but another part of me can't help hoping I'll run into you somewhere someday, because I think maybe our timing was just off, and maybe if we met again now, you would never let me go.
   


7. You loved me for all the reasons I want to be loved. I wish that were enough, but it just isn't.
   


8. Your children are spoiled brats with little idea about how the world works, and you raised them that way. Congratulations.
   


9. I wonder how different my life might have been if I'd just figured out how to be with you all those years ago.
   


10. If we weren't related, I probably wouldn't ever talk to you.
    


11. If you're dealing with something you can't snap out of on your own, please, please, see someone. If you're not, get off the couch, put down the M&Ms, and laugh with us again.
    


12. If you think everyone is talking about you, might I suggest you stop doing things that make you such a hot topic of conversation?
    


13. I wish you knew how smart and funny you are. I wish everyone you met did, too.
    


14. You don't HAVE to marry him just because you are with him. You do have choices, you know.
    


15. We've never been close, and you drive me mad sometimes, but I still love you for everything you gave me.

BlogShare Eve

Tomorrow, I will be participating in something that -R- over at And You Know What Else organized called BlogShare. That means that tomorrow there will be an anonymous guest post instead of a regular entry, and I will be anonymously posting somewhere else out there in the blogsphere.

If you want to read more anonymous posts, feel free to check out the blogs below (if you want to take it a step further and try to match poster to blog, you have your work cut out for you!)(Not that I'm saying you aren't capable of doing so) (I'm just sayin...oh, forget it.)

Vent Vox
Turn On The Stars
Trudie - Life After AC
Swimming With Sharks
Stefanie Says
Shhh! Librarian-In-Training
Sauntering Soul
Sass Attack
Reflections in the Snow Covered Hills
Red Red Whine
One New Duck
Oh My Seven
The Occasional Truth
No Lady
Nancy Pearl Wannabe
Muse On Vacation
Messing With Texas
Melliferous Pants
Lizland
Live Work Dream
Just Below 63
Jonniker
Java Literally
Heidikins
Full of Snark
Face Down
Ex Everything
Everything I Like Causes Cancer
Did I Say That Outloud?
The Daily Tannenbaum
The Coconut Diaries
Citystreams
Catheroominations
Bright Yellow World
Breath Smiles Tears
And You Know What Else
Alyndabear
3 Carnations

Now I'm off to write m....oooh, are those jujubes??

Couple Meme (revisited)

I did this meme before, back in February, but since we're actually living together now, my answers have changed slightly, so I'm doing it again.

How long have you and your significant other been together? * 10 months on July 22nd. Now officially my longest relationship.
Who eats more? * We eat the same amount but I snack a bit more.
Who said I love you first? * He did, by a couple of months.
Who is taller? *He is, by a very small margin of four inches.
Who sings better? * I do.
Who is smarter? * Smartness is relative.
Who does the laundry? * Um. We pay his parents to do it. It's like having your very own cleaning service - it even comes back all nice and folded! We're spoiled, I know.
Who does the dishes? * Pretty much equal on this front.
Who pays the bills? * All our money is put together and then we decide how much to put on what bill.
Who mows the lawn? * We don't have a lawn to mow! Ahh, the beauty of apartment living.
Who cooks dinner? * Again, pretty equal. Keith really likes to cook though, not that I'm complaining!
Who drives when you are together? * His mommy does!
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? * I do, if you're looking at it from the foot.
Who is more stubborn? * I am, by FAR.
Whose parents do you see the most? * His, they live one building over.
Who kissed who first? * I think I did?
Who proposed? * We haven't gotten to that point yet.
Who is more sensitive? * Don't really think either of us are particularly sensitive?
Who has more friends? * I do, but he plays on a hockey team all year long (ice hockey in the winter and ball hockey in the summer).
Who has more siblings? * Mine's so complicated, oh god. Um, if we're being completely technical, I suppose I do - I have 5 and he has 3. Untechnically, he does - I just have 2.
Who wears the pants in the family? * I do. But he wears the jockstrap.

fridayfive #6

Oops, I forgot to do this yesterday with everything that was going on. So here's the fridayfive, a day late.

1) What are some recurring dreams you’ve had?
The recurring dreams I have are usually about rape or brutal murder or being chased or just generally unpleasant things. I've also had recurring dreams where Keith was cheating on me and/or leaving me. THOSE SUCK, but I get major cuddles when I wake up from those.
2) What is the significance of dreams in telling you about yourself?
I don't really put much stock in dream analysis. To me, dreams are just your subconscious firing random synapses. Or something. I don't believe it's your mind telling you things or even "a dream is a wish your heart makes, when you're fast asleep".
(fifty half points if you can tell me the Disney movie that's from).
3) How do you feel after you’ve had one of THOSE dreams?
What kind of dreams are THOSE dreams? If it's a nightmare then I usually wake up breathing hard and my heart racing. Then I usually stay up a bit just to make sure I don't dream about it again. The mental images are sometimes hard to make my brain forget.
4) What was the last dream you remember?
I've been having dreams every night for the past week, but I can't remember any of them more than five minutes after waking. Except for the (recurring throughout the night) one where Keith cheated on me & then left me a couple of nights ago. Weird thing is, when we woke up that day, Keith informed me that he had a dream that I told him I "didn't love him anymore" and left him. Pretty spooky eh?
5) When did you last dream about something that later happened as you dreamt it?
Never?

IT'S FINALLY DONE!!!!!!

Well, the title says it all!

Tonight we really pushed ourselves and cleaned the living room and cleared the kitchen and foyer area so we could - ready for this? - MOVE ALL MY STUFF FROM THEIR APARTMENT TO HERE!!!!!

It's all here! FINALLY! After most of it being in storage for 6 months, I'm really, really, really excited to unpack it all and find homes for everything. And, do you know how great a feeling it is to finally have a place that's really yours, with all your stuff in it?

Let me tell you, it's freaking fanTAStic. Oh, god. Can you tell how EXCITED I AM?!?! HA!

Yeah, so the next week will be spent unpacking slowly and putting things away, but this is the FUN part of moving in (at least for me, anyway). Hopefully within a couple weeks I can show you the "After" pictures of my Series, but because I'm anal it won't be until everything is nearly perfectly arranged - I'm pretty sure the only things that will be missing will be finishing touches like the artwork and things (which have to be bought slowly over a period of time because, hey guys, we're on a strict budget here).

IT'S ALL DONE!!!! YAAAAY!! =)

PS: Seriously? I thought his living room carpet was a medium gray. Turns out it's a very light tan.
Who knew?

PPS: Keith FINALLY updated his blog! If you wanna hear the other side of our story, head on over and check it out! (and please, leave comments. I'm sure if there were more comments on entries, he'd write more. Maybe?)

Fulfillment

I wrote this in my really old account at journalland when I was 17 years old:
"Serenity
Tuesday 16 November 2004 - 5.05am

You know what I realized I want more in than anything at this moment in my life?

A peaceful, one bedroom apartment, with a dog like Buddy curled on my floor, a cat like Anya curled on the bed, asleep with a boys arms securely around me.

*sigh*I hate 3am longings."

Last night I realized that, 4 years later, it's not a longing anymore. I have it. And it feels better than I ever imagined it could.

Before: The Living Room (A Series)

By far the WORST room in the apartment. The first photo is as if you just walked into the room, the second basically the same, just farther up the wall, and the third photo is from the windows looking at the opposite wall. The kitchen is on the other side of that wall.

Gah, this is turning out to be a HUGE job. We've been cleaning it off and on for three days now, mostly because if I push too hard, Keith pulls the "But I'm on vacation!!!" card, but also because it's such a huge job it's hard to get up enough enthusiam to do it. And I'm lazy. Mucho lazy.

*sigh* Just on the last stretch of it now. Hopefully I can push myself to finish it tonight and (re)start on the kitchen. It seems any extra junk (aka furniture/boxes) we have end up there, plus we've been eating so dishes have to be done again.

Yippeee. I'll be so incredibly glad when this is over. You have no idea.

Before: The Bedroom (A Series)

This is (obviously) our bedroom. It was the least dirty of all the rooms in the apartment, but I forgot to take a picture before we started cleaning the floor. Just imagine it covered in stuff, okay?

Most of this room just required cosmetic cleaning, like vacuuming and steam cleaning the floor and washing the windows and walls. And, of course, furniture.

Looking Glass Help

I need your help!!! I need to pick out a mirror for the front foyer. I thought it would add a nice touch instead of a photograph or a painting. It's also a really cheap and effective way to make the space seem larger than it is. I plan to put a medium-sized canvas print of probably bright cheery flower(s) in the kitchen, and everything else (except for Keith's 'hockey half-wall of fame') will be thin black framed photographs in black and white. The only thing I'm not sure of is the bathroom. Anyway, this is going above the brown bookcase where we're putting the dog & cat food dishes. and it's right next to the doorway for the kitchen.

I've narrowed it down to five choices, all from IKEA. So what I need from you is to choose your favourite and why you chose it. Please! This mirror will probably be the first piece of decoration people see as they come in.

So, first choice:

This is 29.99$ and, to be quite honest, I love it. I love that it's funky and stylish and I think it would make a great decorative mirror.

Second Choice:This is a bit more expensive at 59.99$, and the vertical lines are actually elastic straps, which I thought would be cool to put pictures in and you can actually re-arrange the straps into different patterns. But would that make it too cluttery? And would the cat (or us?) knock the photos off?

Third Choice:This is also 59.99$. I just like it, but do the etched flowers make it too girly? (it can be hung horizontally as well).

Fourth Choice:

This is back in the realm of 29.99$, and I really can't find too much wrong with it.

Fifth Choice:Also 29.99$ and very similar to the one above. Apparently you can hang things off the metal part, but I don't think we'll be hanging anything on there. At least, I hope not.

So. Which one is your favourite?

5 things meme

I got this in an e-mail from Kelly, so I thought I'd do this here to get those hideous pictures out of eye-level (ha!). I can't believe its Monday; Keith's on vacation for the next week so it feels like an extended weekend. It was so nice to not wake up to an alarm (he works at 6am) and instead wake up naturally and not have him be rushing out the door. Bliss.

10 years ago…
I was 11. Um. Not much going on when you're 11.

Five things in today’s 'to do list':
1) Finish the kitchen (do the food cupboards, wash out the fridge, mop the floor again).
2) Clean the bathroom from top to bottom.
3) Pick up the garbage in the living room.
4) Maybe bring over the kitchen table, my TV, bedside tables, bathroom stuff, etc.
5) Go to Keiths ball hockey game at 9:00pm.

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1) Air popped popcorn with salt and butter. I could (and do) eat it anytime of day. I had it for breakfast/lunch yesterday.
2) Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt. Favourite flavours are strawberry and chocolate.
3) Gummy candy in a tub. Wal-Mart has this cool variety where it's just all different ones mixed together so that's what I get.
4) Chips, usually either Ketchup, Regular or Sour Cream & Onion. Or Triscuits.
5) Fresh fruit, like berries and melons and tropical ones.

5 Things I would do if I was a millionaire:
1) Get married.
2) Buy Keith's parents a condo
3) Give my parents a "retirement fund" - especially my mom so she doesn't have to teach, instead she can choose if she wants to.
4) Pay off our combined debts.
5) Buy a house.

5 Places I have lived:
1) St. Paul, Alberta
2) Kelowna, British Columbia
3) Nanaimo, British Columbia
4) Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan
5) Clinton, Ontario

Now back to watching Grease. I LOVE this movie!

Before: The Kitchen (A Series)

Yay! I found the camera cord! Apparently we've collectively taken 150 photos since Stratford....someone has trigger fingers! (ahemKeithahem)

Anyway, I'm happy about it because now I can show you the mess I've been dealing with this past week. Of course there will be "after" photos as well when it's all perfect, but yeah. And because I REALLY don't feel like fiddling with Blogger and pictures at 2am, I'm going to show you one room at a time, starting with the kitchen. Prepare to recoil in horror.

BEFORE:

The KitchenThis is the floor I was talking about. YEUCH.

(And yes, that is Elvis' litter box front and centre -

there was no other place for it, honest! It has since been moved to the foyer.)

One corner of the kitchen:

(we ended up keeping the bookcase; it's now in the foyer next to the litterbox.

The plan is to use it for cat dishes on the top shelf and Molly's dishes on the bottom)

And this is the other corner/counterspace. The fridge is the white thing in the photo above and the stove is the yellow thing in the corner. Obviously the cupboards are above; the ones above the sink are for tupperware/everyday dishes and the ones above are for food and everything else.

Stay tuned to see how (good?) it actually turns out.....

fridayfive #5

If a traveling food show were to visit your neighborhood, what are some unique, regional foods it would spotlight, and where would it go to get them?
Um, Ottawa has about 93 (according to wikipedia.org) shawarma places across the city, so while they aren't exactly "regional" (they're Lebanese) that would be a definite must-taste.

On an American cable show, a celebrity chef surprises people by challenging them to a contest featuring their own specialties (he usually loses). If he challenged you to your specialty, what dish would you prepare? If he challenged someone you know, what would that dish be, and how might the competition turn out?
If he challenged me, it would be to see who can dial the local 1 for 1 pizza the fastest. Ha.

What are your feelings about cooking shows on television?
I like them, don't necessarily watch them. Except for Take Home Chef, which I think is kinda creepy. They totally do it.

What kitchen gadgets have you purchased because you saw someone using them on television?
Nothing. My dad bought me a George Foreman grill once though, I really wish I had hung onto it.

You get to (or have to, depending on how you feel about it) host your own food show on television. What will it be called and what’s it about?
I'm tired and not really up to being creative tonight, so I'm going to cop-out and say "No Idea". Sound good?

WHEW!

So.

Remember the kitchen I was so afraid of cleaning?

I totally just kicked its ass. Well, half of it, but instead of focusing on the negative (i.e., what I haven't done yet), let's focus on the positive, shall we? Oh. Yes. Yes, we shall.

Basically we have a pretty big front foyer area, so that as well as the kitchen was my focus for today. The floor in the kitchen was so full that you couldn't really move around, so clearing it out was my first task. Then I cleared some counter space, set up my dish rack, and started doing the dishes....only to discover that, in order to put the dishes away, I had to clean the actual cupboards themselves. Did four cupboards at two shelves each, plus the cutlery drawer. Check.

There was enough dishes to do six loads. At one point it felt like all I was doing all day was dishes, and I don't know about you guys, but it doesn't really seem like you're doing much when all you're doing is that. But we all know that's not entirely true, right?

But after dinner I attacked it again and got the foyer area clean of debris ("clearing it out" apparently meant "dump it in the other room") and then swept and mopped it. And with that, I deemed it clean. Success!

In the corner of the kitchen was a very dusty, long-forgotten bookcase full of recipe books that we don't want anymore (the bookcase, that is, not the recipes). Cleared out the bookcase, wiped all the books down, and transferred them into a cupboard, and then looked at the wall(s) behind it.

Yikes. It's looking as if cleaning the walls will be a three-step, arduous process, first involving a mop and some floor cleaner, then scrubbing with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser(r) (amazing product, by the way. I heart it), and, finally, spraying with some degreaser and wiping them down with a cloth.

Oh yeah. That'll just be a barrel of laughs to do all the walls in the apartment. Ugh.

It seems anti-climatic now to mention I then mopped scrubbed the kitchen floor, but I did. Boo-yah.

Then I decided enough craziness and fun times were had for one night, and I walked away feeling satisfied that I did nearly everything I set out to do at the beginning of today.

And that, my friends, is how I kicked the kitchens ass. Boom-sha-ka-la-ka. Word to your mother.

Overwhelmed.

I'm so overwhelmed right now. I'm trying to clean a kitchen that hasn't been cleaned in months. I found stuff with a best-by date that was fifteen months ago, and that wasn't even the worst of it. Did you know jam goes bad? Yeah, me either.

It's just so overwhelming and I don't know where to start. I feel all shaky and ready to cry, and it's only the beginning. And it's not like I can leave it, because nobody can live with it the way it is, and I want to get it done by the time Keith comes home (about 3pm).

I think the trick for me to get through this - or at least the initial stages of it - is just to clean everything I can see, and worry about what's behind closed doors later.

Here goes nothing....

Answers.

As promised, here are the answers to yesterday's quiz:

1) What was the original name for Ottawa?
Bytown.
2) Where does Canada rank in the world in terms of land mass?
Second. (Russia is first.)
4) True or False: Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
True.
5) What Canadian province is named after Queen Victoria's fourth daughter?
Alberta
6) Which province was the first to introduce medicare?
Saskatchewan.
7) The face of what past Canadian prime minister adorns the $100 bill?
Robert Borden.
8) Name the province that was part of the initial Confederation discussions but decided to opt out of joining Canada until 1949?
Newfoundland.
9) Which is the only legally bilingual Canadian province?
New Brunswick.
10) The government of Canada is best described as:
a) a representative republic
b) a co-operative association
c) constitutional monarchy
d) people's democracy
11) What medical breakthrough led to a 1923 Nobel Prize for Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod?
Discovery of insulin.
12) What was the name of Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey team?
Indianapolis Racers.
13) Name the group of French-Canadian inhabitants who were deported from the Maritimes in the mid-18th century?
Acadians.
14) On what famous battlefield did General Wolfe and the British army defeat the French army for control of Quebec in 1759?
Plains of Abraham.
15) Which NHL team has won more Stanley Cups than any other?
Montreal Canadiens.
16) What is the name of the sailing vessel featured on the Canadian dime?
The Bluenose.
17) Who wrote the words to "O' Canada"?
Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier
18) What is the name of the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy awards?
a) Genies
b) Mulroney's
c) Junos
d) Trudeau's
19) What is the name of Canada's official summer sport?
Lacrosse.
20) Name the two official animals of Canada.
Beaver and Canadian horse.
21) Who was prime minister of Canada during the Second World War?
a) Lester B. Pearson
b) Sir Wilfrid Laurier
c) Louis St. Laurent
d) Mackenzie King
22) What is the name of the trade agreement linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico that went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994?
North American Free Trade Agreement - NAFTA.
23) What was the name of the route used by slaves fleeing the United States to get to Canada?
The Underground Railroad.
24) In June 1944, Canadians participated in a major military operation called "D-Day." Which of the following best describes "D-Day"?
a) The invasion of Japan
b) The bombing of Pearl Harbor
c) The liberation of Hong Kong
d) The invasion of France
25) Lieut.- Col. John McCrae served as a medical officer in the First World War and wrote what is considered to be Canada's most famous war poem. What is called?
In Flanders Fields.
26) Name the controversial political figure who is credited with the creation of the province of Manitoba.
Louis Riel.
27) Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte was taken hostage and killed during the October Crisis initiated by which extremist separatist group?
FLQ - Front de la Liberation du Quebec.
28) Which famous Canadian declared "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" in 1967 in reference to the controversial Omnibus Bill that brought issues such as divorce law, abortion and homosexuality to the forefront.
Pierre Trudeau.
29) Which prime minister was forced to resign after it became known that he accepted campaign funds in exchange for a lucrative railroad contract?
Sir John A. MacDonald.
30) Name the Canadian settler who was executed during the Red River Resistance.
Thomas Scott

Happy 141st Birthday Canada!!

Bonne Fête Canada!

In honour of this amazing, glorious country I am SO proud to call my home, let's do a fun quiz to test your knowledge. (I know it's kinda long, but I cut it from 100 to just 30. Anyways, just do as much as you want/know)

I'll post the answers tomorrow. No googling!

1) What is the original name for Ottawa?
3) Where does Canada rank in the world in terms of land mass?
4) True or False: Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
5) What Canadian province is named after Queen Victoria's fourth daughter?
6) Which province was the first to introduce medicare?
7) The face of what past Canadian prime minister adorns the $100 bill?
8) Name the province that was part of the initial Confederation discussions but decided to opt out of joining Canada until 1949?
9) Which is the only legally bilingual Canadian province?
10) The government of Canada is best described as:
a) a representative republic
b) a co-operative association
c) constitutional monarchy
d) people's democracy
11) What medical breakthrough led to a 1923 Nobel Prize for Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod?
12) What was the name of Wayne Gretzky's first professional hockey team?
13) Name the group of French-Canadian inhabitants who were deported from the Maritimes in the mid-18th century?
14) On what famous battlefield did General Wolfe and the British army defeat the French army for control of Quebec in 1759?
15) Which NHL team has won more Stanley Cups than any other?
16) What is the name of the sailing vessel featured on the Canadian dime?
17) Who wrote the words to "O' Canada"?
18) What is the name of the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy awards?
a) Genies
b) Mulroney's
c) Junos
d) Trudeau's
19) What is the name of Canada's official summer sport?
20) Name the two official animals of Canada.
21) Who was prime minister of Canada during the Second World War?
a) Lester B. Pearson
b) Sir Wilfrid Laurier
c) Louis St. Laurent
d) Mackenzie King
22) What is the name of the trade agreement linking Canada, the United States, and Mexico that went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994?
23) What was the name of the route used by slaves fleeing the United States to get to Canada?
24) In June 1944, Canadians participated in a major military operation called "D-Day." Which of the following best describes "D-Day"?
a) The invasion of Japan
b) The bombing of Pearl Harbor
c) The liberation of Hong Kong
d) The invasion of France
25) Lieut.- Col. John McCrae served as a medical officer in the First World War and wrote what is considered to be Canada's most famous war poem. What is called?
26) Name the controversial political figure who is credited with the creation of the province of Manitoba.
27) Quebec cabinet minister, Pierre Laporte was taken hostage and killed during the October Crisis initiated by which extremist separatist group?
28) Which famous Canadian declared "There's no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation" in 1967 in reference to the controversial Omnibus Bill that brought issues such as divorce law, abortion and homosexuality to the forefront.
29) Which prime minister was forced to resign after it became known that he accepted campaign funds in exchange for a lucrative railroad contract?
30) Name the Canadian settler who was executed during the Red River Resistance.

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.