I always feel like....somebody's watchin' me....

Japanese woman arrested after living undetected in man’s closet for a year

TOKYO — Police say a homeless woman who sneaked into a man’s house and lived undetected in his closet for a year was arrested in Japan after he became suspicious when food mysteriously began disappearing. Police found the 58-year-old woman Thursday hiding in the top compartment of the man’s closet and arrested her for trespassing. The resident of the home installed security cameras that transmitted images to his mobile phone after becoming puzzled by food disappearing from his kitchen over the past several months. One of the cameras captured someone moving inside his home Thursday after he had left, and he called police believing it was a burglar. However, when they arrived they found the door locked and all windows closed. The woman told police she had no place to live and first sneaked into the man’s house about a year ago when he left it unlocked.

A year??! Do you suppose he played loud music frequently? Do you suppose he was a heavy sleeper? Do you suppose he had a hearty social life and spent a lot of time away from home? I wonder if she 'lived' in his house while he was away, carefully putting things back as she'd found them...taking leisurely bubble baths in his bathtub unbeknownst to him?

Source: http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=139387&sc=117

Beyond cute

And people wonder why 'cat ladies' exist?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY0MSuyaKMk

This is too cute for words.

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity

Every day I bitch and moan about something...most things are trivial, but at the time, of course, they feel catastrophic. We all need a little bit of perspective every now and then to 'ground us', and show us what we really need to concentrate on. How fortunate I am, for example, to have the ability to walk, to dance, to feel the sand between my toes on the beach, to hug...

Dianne Odell from Tennessee passed away after living in an 'iron lung' for 58 years - after contracting polio when she was 3 years old. She received her high school diploma - took college courses, and even wrote a children's book - all the while encapsulated inside a 750 lb iron chamber that was sealed at the neck, the iron chamber 'breathing' for her. The fact that her will to live was as strong as it was - and how accepting she was of her inabilities is just phenomenal. I'm so sad for her family. The most poignant line in the article is this:

"Everyone she encountered came to her because they cared about her," he said, "so she grew up in her 61 years thinking every person is good."

Full story: http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/05/28/iron.lung.death.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

The tribe has spoken

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/05/27/dnt.fl.voted.out.class.wptv

What is the world coming to? A 5-year old child with special needs is voted out of class - the teacher apparently lined up the classmates and had each child berate him...telling him why he shouldn't be allowed back to class, the child's words recounting the incident: "Tell Alex why we hate him". Obviously, there is an on-going investigation with the school board and (hopefully) disciplinary action to follow on the teacher. Makes me wonder if the teacher has an unhealthy obsession with Survivor? If you watch through the whole video, pay attention to the shots of the kid...he's in the backyard, you'll see there's one of those 'torch' lights in the background..."Alex, the tribe has spoken"... coincidence, or creative journalism, hmmm?

Tribute to a winner

In lieu of there being no American Idol this week, I leave you with this a heartfelt, humble interview with the winning Dave Cook... He really seems like a genuine nice guy. I'm still so glad that he won :)

The video is an excerpt from the Larry King Live show. He talks about the competition, his thoughts on the other contestants, as well as touching on a more personal side, confiding about his older brother and his struggle with brain cancer.

It won't be long, folks - before we know it, Canadian Idol will be starting. I know you'll miss my weekly critiques, so I will indeed watch CI ....again just for you.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2008/05/26/lkl.idol.winner.cnn?iref=videosearch

Geekin'

I had a productive evening last night - doing 4 loads of laundry and actually putting about 5 loads away. You can now, for the moment, see the bedroom floor! I also made supper (which, to most, would seem uneventful - but it truly is an event when I do any cooking). In addition to my Holly Homemaker-ness, I also finalized the purchase of my new lappie!!!

A spring green Inspiron 1525Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5550 is on its way to me! I'm not crazy about going to Vista, but it was in my budget, and let's face it...how much of a computer do I really need to blog, email, Facebook and share a few photos? Chris insisted that I upgrade to the high resolution screen, so that was the one add-on that I splurged on. The nicest thing was the price - I did get a break on the cost from Dell, with $100 off as well as free shipping, but an incentive program at work aided me in accumulating a nice balance on a credit card which I was able to use (and which needed to be used up very soon or I'd lose all the points. I can't tell you how much I wanted to blow it all on clothes and/or scrapbooking supplies, but I digress). So, out of pocket, it was very minimal. I look forward to embracing the inner-geek in me with this new purchase. I can see myself sipping a large coffee at Timothys, splitting up my time between blogging and watching passers-by, inbetween sips. Think of all the blogging I'll get done now, folks! See, I did this for YOU! It's all about you, baby :)

Family Business

Back to the work week again - after a busy family-filled weekend.

Friday night after work, I stopped by Angela's, who was having a stamping/scrapbooking "yard sale" at her house. It's hard to pass up a good deal, so of course I left there with a little bag in hand :). From there, I headed straight to Mom's to visit with Fred & Belinda who were visiting from Ontario. Chris joined me, and Todd was also home so it was a full house.

Saturday, Chris & I went to his parents place - his two uncles and their wives were over from NB/NS. It was the first time all of the boys and their wives were together, and they wanted a group photo taken to give to the grand-W's for their 60th anniversary gift, so Chris was elected photographer of the event. I think Chris would have had an easier time if the camera had've been taken out a bit before the wine/beer consumption, but the final shots were nice, just the same (Photoshop is a Godsend! lol).

Sunday was a repeat of Saturday -heading back to Chris' parents for the majority of the afternoon. Thanks to Chris' mom for the potato loan, we were then able to head back home to make supper - a delicious bbq'd dinner of salmon, potatoes, and frozen peas. We also took advantage of the warm sun beating on our deck. It was surprising how much color I got on my face/arms after about an hour sitting out there...and this was 6:30 -7:30 timeframe. Scary how strong that sun is now...

As you may have guessed, the goings-on that were this weekend left very little time to launder...and that ominous pile of laundry has begun, yet again. *sigh*.....ooooh cleaning fairy....cleaning fairy...do you do laundry too??

Ode to the Muumuu

Isn't it kind of creepy how added pudge can 'all of a sudden' be there? Like the closet has some evil plot and 'shrinks' our summer wear during the winter months to torture us as we painstakingly try outfit after outfit - the 'reject' pile growing and growing as we try stuff on and subsequently biff it? Maybe the pudge redistributes itself...I mean, I know I have a bodacious badonkadonk...but when did my arms get so puffy? The shirt I decided on was one that I loved last year. This year...aside from the arms, it's still ok. Why are these little 'capped' sleeves in fashion? Every year I tell myself that I will lose the weight so that 'next summer' I'll be able to wear cute little tops and not feel completely self conscious. Every year I loathe my reflection as I fitfully try on outfit after outfit, rejecting each one because it looks all wrong.

Seriously, people...why not bring the "muumuu" in style? Think of how free the population would feel? Not only would it help us, er...more voluptuous types feel more comfortable because it wouldn't cling to our 'areas'...but it would be so damn comfortable! It would be like every day is pyjama day! No binding bands, straps, zippers, buckles...just free-flowing soft fabric. :)

And the winner is crowned....

Congratulations, David - a most deserving win...!!!!!!!!!!

Aaaaand the winner is.............

So a final night of singing is at a close - I was underwhelmed...and the Boxing theme? That was just STUPID. DavidC sang his 3 songs professionally, imo - and maturely, and each song showed a different side of him. DavidA sang well, but they all sounded the same. All along he's sounded the same... so where, for the love of baby Jesus, is his growth in this competition? And WTF was with him singing a duplicate that he'd already sung before...and more still...WTF was with Simon 'agreeing' that this was a good choice, and chastizing DavidC for not doing the same thing??? Obviously, the makers/producers have an "Idol" persona in mind, and DavidA fits the bill, because why else would Simon continually push for DavidA as being the 'victor' of the night, claiming it was a "knock out" (again, back to the boxing thing....gay!) ...when, all along prior, he kept maintaining that Cook was the one to beat?

It seems the voting public usually follows suit with what Simon predicts ...so I won't be surprised tonight if Archie comes out on top - though for the life of me I don't know how he'll handle it. The guy is completely broken when he gets praise. They should alert medics to be on stand-by if they do crown him victorious. If the voting public, however, wants to vote in the most deserving of the coveted top honor, they will choose Cook... Sure, I'm a little biased...DavidC has always been my favourite - but I judge on what I've witnessed throughout the entirety of the contest. Regardless if it's Cook or Archie, Cook will win in the end. He will be the more popular of the two, surpassing not only in record sales, but in continued growth as an artist as well.

Dirty math...

zero hours of sleep last night
+ required OT today (10 hr day)
+ a cut of a major system at work today (that didn't cut over well)
+ maneuvering through the beginning stages of summer-long construction on the way to work
+ a full moon
-------------------
= a very cranky Amber

I'm not fit to be around today.

Finishing up supper as I type (thank you hunny), AI, then BED. Perhaps I'll be able to post something more coherent tomorrow.

What's in a name?

1. My rock star name (first pet and current car): Bosco Golf
2. My gangsta name (favorite ice cream flavor and favorite cookie): Mocha Almond Fudge Choc o' Chip.
3. My "fly girl" name (first initial of first name and first 3 letters of last name): A-Man
4. My detective name (favorite color and favorite animal): Pink Kitten
5. My soap opera name (middle name and city where you were born): Dawn Geleen
6. My Star Wars name (first 3 letters of your last name and first 2 letters of your first name): Manam
7. My superhero name (2nd favorite color and favorite drink with "The" in front): The Blue Mudslide
8. My Nascar name (first names of your grandfathers): Arklo Frederick
9. My lounge singer name (name of your favorite perfume/cologne and your favorite candy): Light Blue Lindor
10. My witness-protection name (mother's and father's middle names): Kathleen Albert

It was not a laugh but merely a loud smile...

"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh."~ Wystan Hugh Auden

Thank you, thank you, girlies, for a night of side.splitting.tears.rolling.down.your. face.belly.laughs. You're the best! :) We must make a commitment to reconvene on a regular basis - not only was last night fun, but it was also therapeutic. By times, circumstances in life might make us miserable - but knowing you're "not the only one" makes it more bearable.

Friday Funny

TGIF! Happy weekend - what better to celebrate than a cute kitten. Better still, a cute kitten passing a little gas.

Mindless ramblings...

Greetings - did my headache dissipate, you ask? No. I think I may be suffering from allergies - coincidentally, over the past 2-3 years I'd bet money that if you checked my attendance you'd find that around this time of year I miss a few days - the reason for leaving - blinding headaches that occur with dizziness. I'm sure I shouldn't even be driving... The extra-strength Ibuprofen is still being pounded in...it dulls the ache a bit, but it's never gone. Today my entire face, inside and out is also itchy, a tell-tale symptom of allergies? (If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm also a raging hypochondriac - couple that with the fear that something really IS wrong, so I shy away from medical attention. Yep, I'm a real piece of work).

And how are YOU?

I finally finished reading the archives of the blog I mentioned finding a while back - and now I've found another to lurk...she's quite hilarious, so far. I've only read a little bit so far, but was quite tickled by her post about her dog 'missing the mark' and humping the other dog's head. A little excerpt: "...I was loading the dishwasher this morning when behind me I heard an ominous thump! thump! thump! thunp! and I turned around and found Peewee trying to hump Cookie's head while it banged into the refrigerator...". Classic :)

Quote of the day: "Sh!t rolls down hill and I feel like I'm in the gutter."

And the gouging goes on...

Word in the office - gas is going up 6 cents/litre tonight, and furnace oil 10 cents/litre. I filled up on Monday night, not in anticipation of the next hike, actually, but for the fact that the gas light screamed at me. This time, it was $63.00 - and I hadn't even travelled 400 kms -398 I believe the ticker sat at.

Pardon me while I bend over. How tall, again, is the expected new 'highest tower' proposed for Saudi Arabia?

I just threw up in my mouth.

Killing me softly...

So the Idols had their pick at a song, the judges had theirs, and the producers theirs. WTF was with the producers' choices, might I ask? Ultimately, I think they should have left out the producers picks for all of them - as none did much to help any of their plight, if you ask me - and they should have sung more of the remaining two songs each. 1 min, 30 secs? DavidC just teased me with his version of the Roberta Flack song (goosepimples). Mind you, 1 min, 30 secs was more than I needed of Fever. Thank you, Syesha, though, for making me suffer through that 1 min, 30 secs of that song, as I think you've finally sealed your ticket home. Good bye.

As I've said all along, bottom 2 will be a match between the two Davids. I change my mind about the winner off and on... while I don't want DavidC to be 'boxed in' and made to sing "American Idol-esque" songs for the life of a contract, I still think he's the most deserving of the coveted top honor. DavidA can sing, don't get me wrong, and I'm sure they have an open spot for his itty- bitty-cutesy-wootsy-ness in the Mickey Mouse Club, but he's got some maturing to do before he comes out on top.

Calgon...take me away........

One might say that it's not a positive to wake up with a pounding headache that makes you dizzy just sitting upright. As I woke up from bed rather suddenly a few different times in response to the devil cat of mine*, I had thought that I had just gotten up too quickly. Alas, the aches/dizziness have continued. The headache started in the back of my head/neck, and now is moving into my temples. Stellar. The workhorse that I am, I did get up and get ready and went to work - several extra strength ibuprofen is now sloshing through my system, and I just pray they dull the ache a bit to get me through the day. Send me good vibes, peeps.

* Yes, I very rarely complain about my 'babies', don't I? Well, this morning, Bosco wore out his welcome a bit as I awoke to him atop of my makeup table (yeah, I have a makeup table - oh the vanity). I heard a ruffling of paper or something... Now, keep in mind the cat isn't even allowed on top of tables (a hard lesson for him to learn though). The ruffling sound was the sound of him ever so diligently trying to stuff down a long piece of paper into his mouth. I caught him in time, and was able to pull out the paper and shoo him away. WHAT is the obsession of all things plastic and crinkly with my cats?? He kept returning, hence the "woken up rather suddenly a few different times". Little 'effer.

Quote of the day: "Maybe the nuts. But not the head."

Cleanliness is next to Godliness

Last night upon returning home from my late shift I was delighted to see that my cleaning fairy returned to the premises! The floors were sparkling - the rug was vacuummed - the couches and blankets on the couches looked more colorful. Now, if only my fairy would stick around a wee bit longer and find the atrociousness that is our bathroom. Please cleaning fairy! Please!! May I also mention that a male cleaning fairy is the sexiest of all cleaning fairies?

So Bachelor Matt did pick Shayne after all, though did anyone else find it a bit disturbing when his proposal was, "Monkey, will you marry me?" ? I have to admit, though, after seeing both girls interact with his family, she did seem to 'fit' nicely. Will it be a match made in heaven, forever after? Doubtful. They'll make pretty babies, though. And the writers/producers of the show aren't leaving us hanging for too long - with a new season of the Bachelorette starting next week :). Oh I'm a slave to my tv. But I'm ok with that. Especially when I can sit back, with my feet up in a clean living room :).

Quote of the day: "I can fix it. I just need some popsicle sticks"

It's Monday again?

Happy Monday folks - wishing a Happy Belated Mothers Day to all the mothers, be them mommies to furbabies, kid-babies or babies yet-to-be, out there - hope your weekend was grand. Here's mine in a nutshell:

Friday night I went to Angela's house for some scrapping - with the sole purpose of making a Mother's Day card. Saturday's plan was to clean the house - it soooo needs it, but, for some reason, I could not find the needed motivation, so alas, the house is still a sty. Chris and I chillaxed on the couch for the better part of Saturday, stopping to go get some necessary groceries, and then headed on to Bruce & Lana's for some board games and take-out pizza (we didn't trust ourselves with the oven...lol). I gave up on the Peter Pan idea. And yesterday, I spent the day with Mummy; we watched TV and dined on Chinese food. It was relaxing, and fun. Love you, Mummy! :) What did you do this weekend?

This week, I have to work the evening shift again, so there will be lackluster posting, I'm afraid. Maybe I'll write a few posts about some of my most irritating pet peeves, or perhaps random, stupid things about me? Whattdya say?

Tough Sell. It's Peter Pan.

A Summerside school is putting on a Peter Pan musical and I've landed free tickets for this weekend's performance. Of course I approached the hunny on a potential date, especially seeing that it was "free" entertainment. The exchange went like this:

A: I just landed 2 free tickets to a Peter Pan play...Care to join? It's free.

C: No offense, I think I'll pass. Peter Pan is not my thing. At all.

A: It’s a play…based on the Disney story Peter Pan…as was Hook, the movie. Are you sure?

C: I didn't see Hook, and I watched Peter Pan 20 years ago. Pretty sure. ;) Just not my thing... Perhaps if it was in Ch'town. I just can't see myself driving 45 minutes both ways to see a little boy jump around on stage. I feel pretty negative towards Mr. Pan.

Hmmm....being that it's a story about a boy who refuses to grow up (Chris is such a kid at heart), I thought he'd be a liiiitle more open to the prospect. Ah well :). Perhaps Lana will join me and we can go back to my place and finish that bottle of wine. She's usually a pretty good date :).

last weekend in pics

Angela, our "scrap leader" - mentor extraordinaire!

Penzie - inspiring us all with her organization as she scraps!

Maria - if you don't have a specific tool/embellishment, etc, she's got it!

The lovely Lisa - I've learned so much from her :)

Barb - always a ray of sunshine, generous & ever encouraging.

The "Sassy Scrap Sisters" hard at work.

A group shot.

Angela again - note the look of concentration on her face ;)

Penzie & Maria - where one is, the other is never far.

The Lovely La-La. Thanks for laughing with me til we cried :)

Another action shot - Lisa, and Leanne. Leanne is another of my 'mentors' - teaching me so much as my scrapping 'obsession' grew and grew.

Wishing it was 3:00 instead of quarter past 12...

Happy Thursday! Finally we're free of the Marley-wannabe-dread-boy. Now if we can just get rid of the biotch.

I'm having a wish-I-could-wear-a-muumuu day today. The pants feel ok if I'm standing up - notsomuch when I'm sitting. As I sit on my rump all day, the waist band continues to cut into my midsection. I'm sure I have permanent markings. Do you think palazzo pants will ever make a comeback? And while I'm at it, I may as well complain about the shirt too --I'm sure it fit nicely last year. Today, I'm feeling the draft behind me as I constantly try tugging it back down around me. I would have to surmise that my ever-growing bosom is the culprit. *sigh* I've resorted to donning my sweater to hide the unsightly backfat.

So hi! It's been a while since a 'real post', I don't know when I became so popular - but I've been busy! Here's a breakdown:

• last weekend I attended a 3-day crop; had a grand time, and managed to complete another scraplifted Lisa Bearnson's 'favorite' album. This time I did the "Celebrating You" album. It turned out well, if I don't say so myself. Pics to follow.


• Chris & I had a lovely time getting to know our neighbors Sunday night - it's a shame it took so long to do this - guess we just came/went and did our thing without being 'neighborly'. Shout out to Wanda & Steve :)
  
• Tuesday night I joined Angela and Brandi for supper at Little Christos. It was wonderful to see Brandi again - she's been very busy with her new boy. I'm so happy for her :)
  
• Last night I joined Melissa, Stacey, Tracey & their friend Angela for a movie night. We saw "Made of Honor". It was really cute - predictable for the most part, but it had some giggle spots. A total 'no-need-to-think-about-anything-chick-flick'. The actress who plays the grandmother was the kicker - Selma Stern is her name, and I'd recently caught an episode of NipTuck where she played Magda, the slightly more mature wife role (75 years?) - in at the doctor's office to have some work done to her much younger husband (35??) -and ended up killing him with kindness as he recuperated in hospital, post op...his heart stopping while she was, ...er...on top. The scene in the movie with the glow in the dark thunder beads made me laugh til I cried. It almost made me forget the two pre-pubescent ass pains that I sat beside. If they weren't texting they were eating and slurping their drink. It's hard to put in words the sounds that came from them...close your eyes and picture a monkey chewing on something crunchy - follow that by the sound made by getting the last bit of soda from a glass with a straw. The crunching & smacking stopping only long enough for the next slurp.

That brings us up to current. I'll be staying in for the entire evening tonight, enjoying the best TV night of the week.

The Idols - Now there are 4

I don't have a lot of time so I'll make this short and sweet -

Jason Castro MUST go tonight. I still hate Syesha - and she's next in line, but it would be wrong entirely to have him last longer than her. Final two definitely will be duelling Davids...with Archuleta possibly taking the prize -solely on the fact that I think if Cook wins it all, he'd be boxed in to the "American Idol" repertoire...and that'd just be wrong for a rocker like him. He will sell more albums, though, in the long run.

Bottom? Jason, and Jason. Going home: JASON.

Been there, done that, scrapped a page about it.

Tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day. This weekend, I'm attending a 3-day crop hosted by "The Scrap Shack" from Riverview, NB. Seems like the past few crops I've attended I did projects for other people or gifts - I think this time, I'll try to do something for myself. I'll post pics next week. Happy weekend folks, and for my 'scrappy' pals, Happy NSD!