Nine

And now we have a week of 'current' songs. This should be a better night of singing, no?

Anoop Desai - It didn't suck, but it sure didn't do much for me. I find I like him better if I don't actually watch him on the tv.
Megan Joy - My momma taught me to not say anything if you can't say anything nice - so I choose not to say a word about what I thought about this performance.
Danny Gokey - When I first heard what song he'd be performing I thought to myself, "He's gonna kill this song", and I wasn't wrong. To quote Simon, "Brilliant!".
Allison Iraheta - Speaking of brilliant...this girl will go places regardless of how she fares in the competition. I do agree that the outfit was horrendous, but here's hoping people who vote are voting for what they heard, and not what they watched.

{Ah, I see Paula has been heavily medicated for the evening's show}

Scott MacIntyre - Scotty, Scotty, Scotty...of all the songs that are out now and 'current' why choose Billy Joel? Not that I don't respect Mr. Joel...just sayin'...was the theme not "current"? Anyway. It's nice to see them add a little mousse to your locks... As for your performance, I feel like I'm aboard the Love Boat when hearing you play. I fear it's soon time for you to be sailin' away...
Matt Giraud - Shaky start...but he recovered...but, not his best, unfortunately. I really enjoy this guy...let's hope America agrees.

{Oh.Paula.I.want.to.just.punch.you.in.the.face.when.you.talk.}

Lil Rounds - a better choice in wigs tonight. As for the performance, I didn't like it. It's just not my style. Yeah, yeah, she can sing, but...it was all very 'meh' to me. The big hug between her daughter and Randy was pretty adorable, though.
Adam Lambert - He forgot to wash the Brillcream out of his hair from last week; wtf? It was as though there was a person behind him squeezing his left and right nut respectively until he screamed from the pain. I appreciate the effort...but that did nothing for me. I like a softer side of Lambert. The dramatics bore me.
Kris Allen - Everyone knows that this song holds a special place in my heart...and although I feel no one can hold a candle to Matt performing this song, Kris definitely did it justice (note to Scott MacIntyre: this is how you sing a song with a keyboard and make it "current"). He has a Richard Marx-y kinda vibe to me, and I do indeed think he'll go far in this competition.

Bottom 3: Anoop, Megan & Scott. Going home: America, for the love of the sweet Baby Jesus, SEND MEGAN HOME!

Eye Test

To distract angry thoughts of a bazillion more centimeters of snow from the past few days' weather "event", I thought I'd post the following eye test, courtesy of the lovely KA:

******
Count every ' F ' in the following text:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS...

Look in the comments for the answer - and don't forget to comment yourself to let me know how many "F's" you found :)

Spring?

A few reminders that spring just might be on the way...
- driving with the windows cracked
- the first barbeque of the season
- leaving the house without a winter jacket on
- tomorrow's forecast: Freezing rain mixed with ice pellets changing to snow at times heavy mixed with ice pellets in the morning. Snow and ice pellet amount 10 to 15 cm.

Heh. I said 'might be on the way', not 'here'.

Slightly further from reality

Today I have the energy and productivity of a sloth. Thank goodness the weekend is almost upon me and I have a few days to recharge. Chris & I have a few days of open houses planned. The hunt for a new home, while an exciting prospect, is slowly starting to fizzle out in perspective. Realistically we don't have a nest egg squirreled away to aid in a larger down payment for an upgrade. Technically, our spending habits are nothing but an an apartment dweller, as living in a mini home has a mortgage amount that is actually a lot less than some of the nicer apartment rentals out there. We fill our oil tank once a year to heat the mini home vs 3-4 fills for an average bungalow... Just because the bank lady says we can get into a home that is double the net worth than our current living space doesn't necessarily mean it's do-able. And that, my dear friends, is a little depressing. The silver lining in this realization? Chris and I don't have to settle our differences in what we desire in a home.

Last weekend we happened upon an impromptu Open House while travelling down a street to reach another one. From the outside, it looked like a respectable little bungalow. It had a nice, large yard, with many mature trees. The roof looked to be in terrific shape. The front step pointed downward, and the deck left a little to be desired, but still, respectable.

Then we walk into the home.

Circa 1975 laquered kitchen cupboards. A distinct 'smell'. We go in closer...the 'smell' continues. Dirty hunter green carpet. A preposterous looking bathroom. Broken closet doors. Then, my friends, we meander down to the basement - the basement that boasted an 'in-law suite'. I wouldn't let my dog live down there. The smell was 100 times worse. I'm unsure if the plumbing would be functional it was so...old and dead-looking. Needless to say if a person was to purchase the home, he would have to strip the basement down to the studs and start all over again. He would have to take up the flooring and re-do it, and to add some esthetics, put in new kitchen cupboards and a whole new bathroom.... All feats that I did not realistically see myself (ourselves) doing. Chris, on the other hand, had a twinkle in his eye and and excitement in his step.

He really thinks this has potential. He likes the idea of us taking a home and 'making it our own'. A sweet thought in itself...and technically, it could be an option - if we had $50,000 to sink into renovations... but that figure, added to the cost of the home is way, far, totally outside of our budget. Not to mention a thought such as that would require a LOT of free time for a person to do...and that is hard to imagine possible for a person who works pretty much 2 full time jobs lately.

Methinks we'll have a few more years in the 'hood.

Le sigh.

Little Lost Dog FOUND!

****SOPHIE WAS FOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!****

This morning at 11am, she was found under a patio in the Charlottetown area. My heart has swelled with relief and gladness!!

Watch your step!

Well Zoe more than likely lost one of her 9 lives this morning. I stepped on her. Her paw specifically...she let out the fiercest, wildest wail I've ever heard, which scared the bejebus out of me, and in turn made me scream in terror...all the while, no doubt, with her little bitty paw under the confines of my slipper. I felt like I was going to puke. She took off, running under the bed for cover, and I couldn't coax her out. I tried treats. She'll do just about anything for a treat. She did timidly make her way to the doorjamb of the bedroom...holding up the sore paw and looking up at me, as if to say, "Why, Mummy, why?". The first step toward her, she took off again to her shelter with the dust bunnies.

Eventually she did come out, and she seems to be walking ok. I picked her up and gave her a big snuggle. She stayed in my lap while I got ready for work, and let me check out her paws and didn't scream, so I think she'll be ok. She still ran quickly away from me when I walked near her. I can't say I blame her, though. If I saw my big ol' clown feet approaching me from her perspective, I think I'd run too.

The Top 10

Before I get started on a new week I'll just mention my thoughts on last week's elimination. While I am not surprised that the judges didn't choose to give Alexis another chance - it is very early in the competition to use a wild card, after all - I do think the voting public got it alllll wrong by having her be in the position to be sent home in the first place. Anyway.

Motown, eh? Meh. At least we have country week behind us. Without further ado...

Matt Giraud - I'm not convinced this was the very best song choice...but the more I see this guy the more I do enjoy him.
{I don't know that I can survive Paula's commentaries tonight....}
Kris Allen - Gotta admit this guy really crawled out of the woodwork for me...at first I was like, "Kris who?"...but now I very much enjoy his performances.
Scott MacIntyre - I'm so over this Barry-Manilow-wanna-be. America, it's time.
Megan Joy - speaking of being over someone...DITTO. I want to punch her in the face.
Anoop Desai - maybe it's the genre, but the only thing keeping me from sleeping is the uncomfortable position I'm in on the couch and the fact that I'm typing this as the contestants drone their drivel. Booooring.
Michael Sarver - I never agreed with his position in this competition. This performance only cemented it.
{is it bedtime yet? *yawn* At the very least, I'm getting several previews to tomorrow night's Grey's...and I gotta say...cannot WAIT for that.}
Lil Rounds - Hello, Lil - have you seen my missing mop head? I suppose she has the voice to do a Motown single. It all sounded screechy and one-note to me (I did type this prior to the commentary by the judges).
{SHUT UP PAULA!}
Adam Lambert - slight vulnerability...or good acting? Regardless, a vast improvement over last week's performance, and finally testament that there might be some talent in the pool. I don't like him, but there's no denying the guy can sing.
Danny Gokey - I think I'm ready to see Danny's sweet side. The shouty 'enthusiastic' Danny is sorta getting old. He's safe, but...just sayin'.
Allison Iraheta - Good, strong performance. Good job.

Bottom 3: Scott, Megan & Michael. Going home: Megan

A prayer for Sophie...

My heart is just sick... My friend's dog is missing. The pup was in the care of a mutual friend as her owner was retreating to the sunny South for an impromptu vacation. The friend had let her out to pee Monday and she ran away, and has been missing ever since. Sophie is a little Yorkshire Terrier, and quite timid of strangers. The weather overnight Monday and into yesterday is also cause for concern.... It's not spring in PEI. We just had a snow storm come through, and as I type today, the wind gusts are still really high.

I don't know who I feel worse for at the moment...for the girl who'll soon come to find out that her pride and joy has gone missing, or the friend entrusted with her safety as he painstakingly tries to find the little pup and loses sleep from the nauseating thought that Sophie went missing during 'his watch'. I can't even think of the little dog shivering as she tries to find shelter in the cold and wind...

Sophie was last seen Monday around the Spring Park Rd/Highland Ave area...if you have seen her, please let me know.

Please send your collective good vibes this way for a safe return of little Sophie.

Happy Birthday Lori

Lori is one of my oldest & dearest friends. We met in Mr. May's Grade 7 class at Stonepark Jr. High. Apparently, Lori scanned the room looking for prospective friends, and I caught her eye! Perhaps I'll have her guest post one of these days and she can tell you her side of the story. She's the writer after all ;).

Anyway...from that point onward, we became inseparable. We played Barbies together; we watched scary movies together; we shared crushes on boys. There weren't many weekends we didn't spend together. I had my first underage drink at her place (Peach Schnapps and Tang, no less!). Some of my favorite memories of the two of us include dining at the Dixie Lee for burgers and fries. It was close to her house, and right beside the mall, so we would walk up and have a real 'night' out. We'd also dress up on a Friday night and walk from her place to McDonald's, and welcomed the whistles and cat calls from passers by (oh the mind of a teenager...sad, really). She taught me how to drive, and she was my singing partner at our weekly karaoke ritual on Tuesday nights at the Playhouse. Nobody could belt out "Nobody" better than she and I (though when Lana joined us, that just multiplied the awesomeness by a third).

Lori is a strong-willed, incredible person. She has infinite familial ties, and is a fantastic mother, and step-mother. She had a goal in life, set out to achieve it, and has lived up to her dream of being a published author. With now a half dozen titles to her name, she's a success in all levels of her life. If anyone was going to succeed, it'd be her.

Lori, I love you bunches - thank you for being a forever friend. I raise a glass to you on your special day...xo

Spring is in the air?

Friday marked the "First Day of Spring". This picture was taken 5 minutes ago...and that would be a fresh snowfall for the "Spring" season, with an expected heavy snowfall forecast for this evening, and into tomorrow.

Mother Nature - you win.

I give up.

While I'm never very anxious to strip off to my skivvies any day of the year, it would be nice to go out to the car and not have to scrape the frost or brush the snow off.

Friday Funny

If you don't mind a little poop talk, the following skit by Billy Connolly prepping for a colonoscopy is freakin' hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMsPNI6EZE

It's amazing how poo brings on the giggles, no?

Enjoy, and Happy Friday!

What Not to Wear?

Attention all you fashionistas....Help! Ya'll know I'm in no way, shape or form overly 'trendy'. I do try my best to look professional and presentable, so I do care about my appearance in general, though. After a few subtle hints on how fugly my Wal-Mart shoes were, I've finally replaced them. I continue to wear the boots daily - even wore them to the Confed Centre on our date on Monday. They're still not slipper comfy, but I am getting by. My feet cramp a bit, and I'm sure that's because they are so, so not used to girlie shoes. Most importantly, I've not had blisters form, and I have to admit I do kinda enjoy the clippity clop sound. These little boots are 'half-booties' (mostly on account of the likely impossibility of a traditional longer boot fitting over my ginormous monster calf).

My question - can a person get away with wearing a half-boot with a skirt? The skirt I have in mind is long--pretty much ankle length. So is it a fashion-ok or a faux pas to wear my current boots with a skirt?

Hebejeebies

Remember my post from Monday? Is there anything worse....I think I've found something:

Walking into a bathroom stall at work - into someone else's "funk". Worse? Having the person who you suspect created said funk washing their hands at the sink just as you walk into their funk*. Worse? Having a new someone walk into the bathroom whilst you are washing your own hands, when the first person's funk is still lingering.

*Needless to say I held my breath and made a hasty retreat into a new stall once said person left the bathroom from washing her hands.

Worse still? Having the above example be the 'highlight' of one's day.

Happy Hump Day.

The Top 11

I'm starting this just after ingesting an extra strength muscle relaxant to try to cure a very sore neck and shoulder. I'm unsure if I slept wrong on it or what... Usually those pills knock me out fairly quickly, but on account of it being 9 mos expired, I'm doubtful it will have much affect on anything.

So we're now down to 11...and celebrating the Grand 'Ol Opry and country music. My least favorite genre...here goes anyway...

Michael Sarver - indulgent, and he was running out of breath, wasn't he? Meh.
Allison Iraheta - She did well. That girl can sing no matter what genre.
Kris Allen - soft and sweet, void of any country "twang". I enjoyed it a lot.
Lil Rounds - boooooorrrring...and she doesn't much like criticism, does she?
Adam Lambert - Johnny Cash with a Middle Eastern flair...interesting. I hated it. He can sing, but I hate, hate hated what he did to a classic Cash tune.
Scott MacIntyre - Forgettable.
Alexis Grace - I thought she did well, but I do look forward to future weeks when she can turn her edgy, bluesy feel back on.
Danny Gokey - Is it just me, or did he over-sing that just a tad? I still think he did well, in any event, and I do agree with Simon that the outfit was horrendous.
Anoop Desai - I actually really enjoyed that! Way to go Anoop for redeeming yourself in my eyes!
Megan Joy Corkrey - the only word I can use to describe that performance - from sound to look is weird.
Matt Girard - Terrific job - one of the best of the night, imo.

Bottom 3: Michael, Scott & Lil
Going home: Scott

My neck, shoulder, hell, the entire arm down to my wrist is paining like a sonofabitch.....off to bed - nites.

When Irish eyes are smiling....

Top 'o the mornin' to ya! Happy St Patrick's Day! I wore a green sweater to mark the occasion. It's very green. The green that is the traffic light. Primary color green I guess you could say. Upon sending me off with a kiss this morning at the door, Chris took one look at me and said, "That's ugly". He's so not into the festive spirit. He did, however, come out of the room wearing a green t-shirt, which he called a 'happy accident'.

We took in the John Pinette show last night at the Confed Centre. We had great seats - 4 rows from the front, dead center. The seats were no more comfortable than the front row when we saw Stuart McLean. There was no more leg room than the front row. However, the 'scent' surrounding us wasn't that of a gym locker, but instead like a fragrance aisle at a high end department store...*gag*! We're pretty sure the culprit(s) were a father/daughter duo seated just ahead of us. The scent(s) themselves would have been half-decent on their own, with a small amount applied, however, that wasn't the case. And, I didn't habituate, either. I'm just thankful I'm not scent-sensitive. The show itself was fan-freaking-tastic. If you ever have a chance to see John Pinette in your lifetime, DO. You won't regret it. And if you do have a chance, be sure to pee before the show starts so you don't pee yourself from laughing, or be sure to 'dress' appropriately if you have known bladder issues. Thanks for a great time, John, my sides still hurt from laughing :)!

Raising a glass 'o green ale to all my dedicated readers :)

Ewww

Is there anything worse than a glucky, disgusting post-nasal drip?

Perhaps trying to hide it and appear like a delicate female when all you wanna do is hoark like a sailor? TMI? Sorry. Welcome to my Monday.

I need a massage...

No Open Houses for me today. Not much of anything for me today...what I thought was 'overtiredness' has turned into illness...(likely because I was overtired and my system was run down though). I'm achy and tired and a head cold is starting. Wonderful. Sooo...it turned into a jammie Sunday. I did leave for about a half hour to pick up a few groceries and a coffee. 'Twas the first time I ventured anywhere with bedhead, & no makeup in a looooong time. Sexy times, sexy times. Chris went over to Truro today with his mom....his grandmother (Rose's mother) is not doing well, so they went to visit her in the hospital. Had I been feeling better, I would have joined them, but I figured the last place I was needed feeling like this was a place like that.

I so wish I could wiggle my nose and have the laundry pile laundered, folded and put away. *sigh*.

Wierdest thing I saw today - "Kraft Dinner" crackers. I didn't buy them - but I almost did.

A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams

I am alive; terribly sorry for neglecting you all, dear pets. What's kept me so involved, you ask? Fervently scouring the local real estate websites... Christopher and myself are feeling the itch and urge to upgrade our humble abode. The mini-home, while lovely and cheap, is so terribly small, with zero storage capacity. Chris practically works out of a closet space when you consider his "office" is also the storage room for the Christmas decorations, empty bottles, and his tools...not to mention the rabbit and his photography gear. The trailerhood itself is cramped tighter than a virgin - we have no driveway - the neighborhood kids do not respect our space - we can hear George pee if our window and his are open - you get the idea. It's TIME.

Right now, we're in the lowest, most minute preliminary stages, mind you...yet, I'm still super excited by the prospect of it all. I put in a call to our bank lady - the one who arranged the mortgage on our mini-home, to see kinda what stages we have to go through...what we can afford, etc..... She's yet to call me back (grrr!). I will have to start hounding her next week. Tomorrow, we hope to get out to a few Open Houses, and drive around to get an eye out on some prospective areas. The procedure could take months...and I will undoubtedly drive my friends, family and co-workers clean crazy....bear with me, all!!

We're trying to finalize some points of interest for what we're looking for. To get to that, we must also come to terms with our differences. I would like new. Chris would rather old. I could care less about landscaping and trees. Chris covets a lot with ample mature trees and privacy from the road/neighboring homes. I don't want to live through a bazillion stages of a fixer-me-upper. Chris would love to tackle a fixer-me-upper. I would really prefer an up to date kitchen and bath. Chris could care less as long as we have running water and good plumbing. Honestly, it will come down to what we can afford to shell out.

Our 'needs' and 'must haves' include: 3BR (we still need an office for him and a craft room for me), and either a basement or a garage for storage and future potential studio space for Chris. I would almost give my left hand for a walk-in closet...but it's not a necessity, although ample closet space is (to me at least. Yeah, I'm a clothes hog, deal with it :P). I do not ever want mirrored sliding closet doors again. I would like an actual linen closet in the bathroom next time. High speed internet access is essential. A closet to store cleaning supplies and recycling is essential. I want the light switch for the bathroom to be inside the bathroom. I want a separate switch for the bathroom fan - not to have the freaking fan turn on the minute the light is flicked on. (As you may have inferred, I have a rather tumultuous relationship with my current bathroom).

Allllllll we want and more.....no problem, right? ;)

Soooooo if'n any of my local reading public is aware of any beautiful, cheap, ideal, cheap, beautiful homes for sale in your vicinity...let a girl know, eh? We're not picky ;)

Oh, and if you all could possibly cross every finger, toe and available appendage that this process works, and works well, for us, that'd be cool, too.

Mid-day update

3/4 of the way through on Day 1 of new boots:

Still *knocks wood* no known blisters to speak of. Feet feel sweaty. Hope to not have to purchase Dr. Scholls odor treatment for extended wear of said footwear. Tinkling of the zipper pulls akin to the tinkling of cat bell on cat collar. A slight squeak may be forming on one boot - unsure if left or right. Practice now started on trying to walk in a more delicate manner to ease pressure on balls of feet. Said practice should prove trying when considering the pressure formed when a fluffy-framed person walks. Need to purchase longer socks so as to avoid the uncomfortable boot top rub against bare calf skin. Will welcome the removal of said boots, but all in all, it wasn't horrible.

Monday on a Wednesday

Back to work today - I'm understandably sleepy, and my headache is back (go figure). A quick update for y'all...

Firstly, a qualifier - "Sure I've showered, but I've only gone so far as putting on fresh jammies in the past two days"... when writing said phrase during my loafing weekend post it wasn't the first time I changed into fresh jammies all weekend long...I did change into different pairs each day. A co-worker questioned...and I felt a little dirty havin' people thinking I holed up on the couch eating and sleeping in the same jammies my whole 5 day weekend. Jebus people, what do you take me for? I only do that with my underwear :P.

Day 1 with the new boots. I wanted my slippers by 9:05 am (shift started at 9:00). They do make my feet look so petite and wee (must be the wedge). I've almost tripped walking up the stairs once. I miss the 'breathability' that sockfeet offers. 1/2 a day in *knocks wood*, I think so far I'm blister free. I daresay I've subconsciously limited my water intake to avoid multiple trips down and up the stairs to eliminate said water intake. I do anticipate an evening of charlie horses in my feet, however. I shall keep you posted.

Down to bidness - MJ style

Paula.....you look like sh!t! Late night last night?

{pardon me while I take a walk down memory lane...to the days when MJ really was the entertainer of the year...to the days when a picture of the normal-looking MJ covered my bedroom walls...to the days when the neighborhood kids put on "Thriller" concerts on the street...*sigh*}

Speaking of sh!t - I feel like sh!t right now, so I will try to get through this and do it some justice...

Lil Rounds - did she dig out someone's 80's pants?? Despite looking ridiculous, she sung it like nobody's bidness.
Scott MacIntyre - I don't recall ever hearing this song every before. It was a strong performance; he'll likely stay a few weeks, but he won't win. He seems rather loung-y to me.

{Is it just me, or is there anyone else out there who gets rather disturbed when Paula starts talking about their 'instrument'?}

Danny Gokey - I love this guy. It wasn't my favorite performance of his, but he's not going anywhere, for a long, long time :).
Michael Sarver - meh; I'm still unsure how he made it to where he is anyway.
Jasmine Murray - she's a beauty, isn't she? She did well. She's safe for this week.
Kris Allen - I enjoyed it.

{Ok seriously...what is UP with Paula? She's spitting & stuttering again...she looks to be in tears with every commentary...Look at her eyes? She looks like a crack whore! I hope they're prepping the audience for her eventual demise with the addition of Kara}

Allison Iraheta - (That was an MJ song??) She's awesome...here's my early prediction - final 2, with Danny.
Anoop Desai - One of the few times I'll agree with Paula. Noop Dog was meh.
Jorge Nunez - Visions of Muppets dance in my head when I watch him sing - so I try to look away and just listen to give him a fair commentary. My commentary is "meh".

{Omigod I want to go to bed}

Megan Corkrey - Um...when did Michael Jackson ever sing "Rockin' Robin"?? I do enjoy her...but with this song choice, I dare say she may be in trouble...and the final "caw caw" at the end...that sealed her fate.
Adam Lambert - Ok, one word...cocky. He can sing; he knows he can sing, and that distracts from his 'goodness', imo. He has no fears for a while yet, mind you, but I hope he adds a bit of vulnerability or something, sometime soon.

{Now why don't you just bawl Paula?}

Matt Giraud - he sounded in pain at that 'yeah yeah' part.
Alexis Grace - she's fantastic. Update to my prediction - final 3, with Danny & Allison. How can they comment on her 'over' singing, yet sing Adam's praises?

Leaving us this week: Hmmm....what choices. Definitely the bottom 4 in my opinion are Anoop, Jorge, Megan, and Matt. I think Anoop & Jorge should think of packing a bag.

{Finally, I shall go to bed}

Hey I put some new shoes on...

Sadly, this is my final day of my extended weekend. I think everyone should have a 5 day weekend every other month - it's so rejuvenating. Today, I forced myself up a little earlier than I wanted. I haven't yet finished the final load of laundry, nor have I scrubbed the kitchen/living room floors. However, I did go to Sobeys for much-needed groceries, followed by a stop at Rockport for some much-needed new shoes! (Perhaps repeated intervals of Clinton and Stacy finally rubbed off?) Lana, you'll be so proud of me - not only did I get new dress shoes, but I also picked up a pair of boots! Finally I can throw those suck-ass Walmart jobbies in the black bin! So I'm over a week and a half from payday, but I have some food and my feet will finally look a little more presentable. Here's pics of the new footwear:



It's a beautiful day out there - I hope you all have a chance to enjoy it!

A continuation...

The loafing weekend continues, though I did get out of the house yesterday to have supper at the Wilkinson homestead. Thereafter, Chris & I went to the movies. We saw Taken. It wasn't Oscar-worthy, but it had thrills and chills just the same, and we both enjoyed it. I slept in waaaay too late today, so am just now getting around to the gargantuan laundry pile and I have anticipated thoughts of de-griming the bathroom and perhaps straightening up the rest of the house...however, I never did start that book that is calling my name and I do have a few more hours of taped tv that do need attention.

*sigh*

There's just not enough hours in the day. HA! Happy Monday!

Update: 11 hours later I'm back on the couch - in a clean house. I guess I started at about 3 and just finished. I feel it's a rather large accomplishment, based on my track record this weekend so I'll bore you with the details. I did about a bazillion loads of laundry - one more to do tomorrow. I folded and put away the mountain of clothes by my side of the bed. I cleaned the bathroom from ceiling to floor. I cleaned the kitchen and the fridge. Kitchen and living room floors to be scrubbed tomorrow. *Yawn* - I think I may sleep well tonight!

Weekend Loafer

So this is day 3 of my extended 5-day weekend. We lost an hour last night, but as I'm been doing little more than loaf these past few days I don't even notice it (I've finally discovered a cure for losing my hour!). As I look around the untidy house I'm a little guilty now, but not enough to get off my butt to do anything just yet. Chris decided to pull an all-nighter Friday night/Saturday morning to get stuff done for TPG, so he's still sleeping. I can't possibly do housework now and wake him up. Heh.

Is it wrong that I can do absolutely nothing and be content, though? Sure I've showered, but I've only gone so far as putting on fresh jammies in the past two days. I've not left the house; I've not done my hair; I've not put makeup on. Hours and hours of TLC and the W network have been my friends...and it's glorious! I do have visions of sledgehammers and paint chips and a huge desire to redo my entire house, however. I've even been pouring over the MLS site too, and also dreaming of a new house altogether. I know that's not anything we're prepared for in the immediate future, but it's nice to dream. Speaking of dreams, I've also slept - oh have I slept...naps here, naps there.....delightful.

Happy weekend folks, my comfy couch, TLC and a book I've been dying to read, await.

Happy Birthday Julie!

Today is Julie's birthday, so I dedicate this post to her. She is one of my dearest friends in the whole world. She has an infectious laugh, and is one of the most positive people I've ever met. She's one of those 'bright lights' that shines through the clouds and dreariness. She can always bring you up no matter how down you feel; you can't possibly stay in a grumpy mood when she is near, and I love that about her. She's kind-hearted, generous, and has a great sense of humor. She's a wonderful mother and role model to her beautiful daughters, and loving wife to her husband. She & I met while both working at Southport Pharmacy. We became fast friends after a few shifts together, and we've been besties ever since. I only wish that she lived closer...the Yukon is so very far away :(. Thinking of you today Jules, and raising a glass to you on this very special day, my dear friend. I hope the year ahead brings you more happiness than you can possibly handle. Love and miss you much...xoxo.

A little potty talk

Okay -- this is just weird! Dine in at the "Modern Toilet" restaurant in Taiwan for a truly unusual dining experience:

Every customer sits on a stylish acrylic toilet (lid down) designed with images of roses, seashells or Renaissance paintings. Everyone dines at a glass table with a sink underneath. The servers bring your meal atop a mini toilet bowl (quite convenient, as it brings the food closer to your mouth), you sip drinks from your own plastic urinal (a souvenir), and soft-swirl ice cream arrives for dessert atop a dish shaped like a squat toilet.

The reasonably priced food includes curries, pasta, fried chicken and Mongolian hot pot, as well as elaborate shaved-ice desserts with names like "diarrhea with dried droppings" (chocolate), "bloody poop" (strawberry) and "green dysentery" (kiwi). Despite the disturbing descriptions, the desserts were great. But after seeing curry drip down a mini-toilet, I may never have that sauce again.

Modern Toilet owner Wang Zi-wei, 29, an ex-banker, got his idea from the Japanese robot cartoon character Jichiwawa, who loves to play with poop and swirl it on a stick.

Seriously - what will they think of next?

And that makes 3

I was tired and cranky watching this - so perhaps I'm a little harsh. Just call me Madame Simone.

Von Smith - he performed better than I expected. Question is - will it be good enough to keep him?
Taylor Vaifanua - it was ok - forgettable though.
Alex Wagner-Trugman - isn't he the guy that learned to sing in his closet? Although nerdy, he's quite witty, huh? He sounded like he was hoarking up a luggie when he tried to get those 'gutteral'/ animalistic (?) notes. He gave it his all on his final hurrah, didn't he?
Arianna Afsar - I don't think she did as bad as the judges felt she did; she tried to make it her own, and she can sing, imo. Perhaps a wildcard?
Ju'Not Joyner - Enjoyable!
Kristin McNamara - what was she saying about karaoke? Yeah; that's all she's got. Yuck.
Nathaniel Marshall - I didn' t have to hear him perform to know I wouldn't like it. Please America, send the Drama Queen home. I can't deal with the emotion.
Felicia Barton - She tried too hard; it didn't work. Her high notes were a mess.
Scott MacIntyre - I really tried to like him but...sorry Scott - yer time's come to say bye-bye.
Kendall Beard - I guess since Carrie won we have to have our token country blonde, eh? Methinks we won't be seeing much more of her though.
Jorge Nunez - meh. Not my taste, but he did sing well.
Lil Rounds - Nailed it; she's moving on.

Top Male: Jorge; Top Female: Lil; Wildcard: Arianna

Jason, Jason, Jason...

...bud, seriously....what were you thinking?? I'm all for looking out for number 1. I'm all for ensuring you're making yourself happy and looking at yourself and your needs...

What you did, moreso, how you did it though?...not cool...not cool at all.

Do I really agree that someone should go on a reality show to find their one true, destined-to-be, love? Well, no. Do I get sucked into the drama regardless? Hell yeah!

A shocking turn of events on the Bachelor finale last night... The final rose was given out after a tearful proposal. There was some screaming and hugging. Queue the happy son and they all jump into the pool in a giddy frenzy in the soft light of a setting sun. A perfect fairytale ending, yes? I admit, Melissa was my choice for him as well. I felt they had a good fit. To America's surprise, however, instead of meeting up for the epilogue to tell the public how the happy couple were getting along after the shining lights and fancy trips were over, the guy decides to dump his intended bride on national television. To add salt to a fresh wound, he then voices that he loves the other one more. The one he said good-bye to, and washed his hands of, before he proposed to her. Ouch!

So this begs a question...how 'real' is reality tv anyway? Surely something so shocking as what happened last night wouldn't be scripted for ratings? Or would it?

Will I watch the next season? Oh probably. Happy Tuesday, folks!

...and the winner is....

A HUGE congratulations go out to Matt Andersen who won 2 ECMA awards last night! He was awarded for Blues Recording of the Year AND Male Solo Recording of the Year!! Much deserved recognition to the best entertainer on the East Coast! For more info on the award ceremony, click here:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/03/01/ecma-awards-gala.html?ref=rss

To anyone who hasn't heard of Matt (get your head out yer.....), feel free to visit the following link where you can see clips from a concert he played at in NB for "Cops for Cancer". There is also a link to his performance from last summer's Festival of Lights in Ch'town:

http://exclusive.aliant.net/Music/Videos/Concert_Series/

Not as good as the real thing, but you will get an idea.