Kaity-bug's 2nd Birthday (AKA: I Can't Believe I Survived an Afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese!)

Happy Birthday, Kaity-bug!

The whole Family :)

Angelic little monkey (before the mass amounts of SUGAR!)

Isn't she so cute???

When your friend's baby turns 2, even the shifty, psychotic gaze of one Mr. Chuck E. Cheese can't keep you away. It can haunt your nightmares, yes, but Kaity only turns 2 once!

I couldn't resist the dimpled elbows!!! How cute are those?!?!

~g~

Day of Adventures: Thriller, Party Planning and more!

As you can tell from the yellow/weird punctuation/weird font in my last post, Blogger beat me in a battle of wits. I won the round where my post wasn’t showing up at all (black on black) by changing it to yellow, but then Blogger came back with a fierce fight and parried my many attempts to make the text white and normal and sans little yellow squares. You won this time, Blogger. But watch yourself.

Yesterday was one of those evil days where, given the option, I would prefer to be chased down by the zombies in Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video than deal with work zombies. Those guys may look freaky, but at least I know the moves to their dance. I’m not going to go into details, but it’s sufficient to say that I am now cowering in my cubicle, waiting for my boss to come talk to me about being a team player. It’s not hard to be a team player with the “Thriller” zombies, because they don’t throw in new moves to psych you out and prove their superiority. They dance as one, to create a mass, terrifying dynamic. The only Zombie Overlord appears to be The Zombie MJ, and I think if I bought him a cup of coffee (human brains?), he’d probably be okay to deal with. They’re all just there to freak people out, ya know? I guess Zombie Communism is a good idea “in theory”, but not in real life, right? The Conclusion to my Zombies vs. Human rant? Office Politics! GAH!

Time Lapse:
It is now afternoon. The talk with the boss wasn’t bad at all, it lasted less than a minute and I explained *calmly* that had I known that I was expected to work a different shift when I was told (not asked) that I was covering the EA’s vacations, I would have mentioned it sooner, but as it stands, I can’t work past 4:30. Sorry. No dice. Family stuff, blah blah blah. He responded calmly that Wicked Witch #1 threw in that monkey wrench, and he completely understood. WOO! Then an accounting lady came up to me and “encouraged” me to apply for a posting that they have coming open! WOOHOO! Other adventures this morning included me asking the Social Committee who they had booked to cater the staff Christmas party in just over a month. They didn’t know. In fact, they’d totally forgotten about a caterer. So I dictated and was stern and after much persuasion/bribery/threats we were able to book one *phew* and then? They made me chair of the Social Committee. What… the hell? They claim it’s due to my slick (anal-retentive) organizational skills and my “pretty emails”… oh yes. This brings my Strange Talent Count to Three: Pretty emails, fun mixed CD covers and my miraculous ability to make babies on the bus stop crying. *shrug* It’s what I do. Anyway, I’m okay with it because it’ll look smokin’ on a resume to get into an Event Coordination career, and also? I love this kind of thing. Love, love, love planning, to a disturbing degree… I can see you all nodding out there as you read this… “uh huh, I know.” And planning parties? Fabulous. I love the little details and the adrenaline, and standing there coolly, looking fabulous in a little dress, watching as the party flourishes around me. Gillian: Extreme Party Planner. Yeah, that’s me ;)

That’s all for now ;)
~g~

Five Things Feminism Has Done For Me

Once upon a time, back in my university days, I was working in digitization at the University of Calgary Press. Those were some good times. We played in photoshop all day and listened to Stevie Wonder, Shonen Knife and Paul Simon. We ran wild in the provincial archives and learned a ton about local history, provincial law history and the terrors of medical history. It was awesome. This job was super-flexible, so I was able to take off for a class for a few hours in the middle of the day and then come back, thus earning money and finishing my degree a bit faster. One summer I decided to take two classes: Women'’s Studies and Music History of The Beatles. My dear friend K used to hate the days that I had Women'’s Studies, because I would come back to work, horrified and depressed about what I was learning. 'We have it so good,' I'd tell her. '“You need to take that class.'

That'’s why hearing that our government has cut $5 million of funding to Status of Women Canada when they have $13 billion surplus this year made me crazy. Skylark tagged me to write my '5 things feminism has done for me' so Canadian bloggers can show our support for the SWC.

So here are my five things:

1. Feminism has made me a Person.

It's kind of shocking to think that in terms of the Senate and the British North America Act, Canadian Women have only been considered as "people"” for 77 years. Thanks to the Famous Five, in 1929 women were at last allowed to become members of the Senate. Interestingly, most of the provinces gave women the right to vote between 1916 and 1925, although Quebec did not until 1940! Something to keep in mind at election time, ladies, when you think how hard women fought for your right to vote!

2. Feminism has given me the right to read and learn.

Books aren't "inappropriate" for young women anymore! yay! I can be educated! yay!!! And most men consider that desirable. And the men who want Jessica Simpson (bless her little heart) are not the men I want! Hallelujah!!!

3. Feminism has given me options.

I can choose any career, I can choose any hair style, I can choose to say yes or no, I can believe anything, I can want anything and I can work hard to achieve my goals. I can laugh or cry or get mad. I can climb trees and hop fences. I can be a tom-boy and a girly-girl. Which brings me to:

4. Feminism has given me the ability to live with less fear.

I say less fear because, like every woman I know, we are aware that we have to be cautious in certain situations. There are some streets that I won'’t walk down alone in the dark, and some situations I wouldn't put myself in at all! However, that being said, I can show my ankles or my hair and not be afraid for my life. I do not need to live in fear of a father, brother or husband. I have the power to say no to a man or scenario, and I have the law behind me. I do not need to be subservient for fear of my life. I do not need to face rape, HIV or genital mutilation on every corner. I know that abuse and rape are still risks in Canada, don't get me wrong, but we have rights that women in other countries simply don'’t have.

5. Feminism has given me the ability to keep fighting.

As far as we have come, I am reminded every day of why we can't stop fighting. I'’ve had jobs with bosses who pinch, bosses who introduce me to other men as "“my intern *wink, inappropriate laugh*"”, profs who look me up and down and then ask me to go for a drink to discuss "“grad studies"”, male co-workers who tried to call me "“sunshine"” or do George Bush'’s patented "“shoulder massage"”. I'’ve learned that it'’s hard to be a young woman trying to stand up against inappropriate behavior from an authority figure. I've learned that when you say "“no" to a prof you can start getting "“C"”s instead of "“A"”s. It can be a big pain in the ass, where each new job is a new battle to let them know you won'’t take it, and that in the Old Boy'’s Club you'’re either invisible or the little pet who brings in the coffee. We can't stop fighting. But hopefully as time goes by, we'll have to fight less.

I don't know too many Canadian bloggers, so I'll "tag" the lovely Strawberry Blue Viking, the equally lovely Queen of Swords, Joshua (I doubt you read my blog, but what the hell? And no, Feminism isn't just for women) and the delightful Mocha... I know you're not Canadian, but I don't see why this should be strictly Canuck territory. I'm tagging loosely here, people... NO pressure :)

La-La-Love,

~g~

Waterton Lakes National Park

I got out to Waterton today, which was heavenly. So good to get into the mountains! Man, this is some flat-ass prairie we've got here. Big, bold skies though. In Waterton Lakes National Park now, you can see the Prince of Wales hotel on the hill, which is gorgeous. It's closed up for the season, but you can peer into the windows and see the furniture all draped in sheets. Spoooooky. This is Lake Cameron. Love the low clouds, such drama ;) Pretty, snowy branches. Pretty mountain view! Had to stop the car anyway, as there were deer on the road ahead, licking salt off the road... Hey, I wouldn't move either. mmmm salt. Saw tons of wildlife today! A coyote, a ringneck pheasant, bluebirds, and too many big-horned sheep and deer to count. Lovely! ~g~

My Ode to Coffee

Today is what Winnie-The-Pooh would refer to as “a rather blustery day.” There is a howly wind and rain, and a sleepy girl at a desk with a scalded hand from an unfortunate coffee incident. Yet, I am still eternally grateful for coffee. I am eternally grateful for Fridays, and for meetings that keep executives busy on Fridays. I’m grateful that I wore tights and knee socks and boots and wool pants to work, because it’s freakin’ cold. I am grateful for Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers and St. Ive’s lotion in a dry climate. I’m grateful for Apple Rosemary Flax Sourdough from Urban Baker. Did I mention coffee? So grateful for coffee.

So grateful that it might be time to channel Keats and write:

An Ode to Coffee
By Gillian

O’ obsidian sheen’d liquid,
O’ aromatic tendrils of steam;
Artful provocateur, spinning promises
Of light and heady romance.
Cool, crisp china: the prelude to your kiss.
I am lost to the world, my senses devoted
To this strange love affair.

Such gracious, dusky warmth
Enfolds me with calm tranquility,
A willful stronghold against the vile
Complexity of the external, the world.
I crave this solace, the warm comfort
Of your embrace, which clears the cobwebs
And the clouds from my mind.

Hmmm. Talk about addiction! HAHA! Nothing like an epic poem about a beverage ;) And please don't send me away to an institution, this is all just silliness. I know I should write at least one more stanza, but the construction workers are drilling drywall about a metre from desk and my head is vibrating (and shaking away the poetry.) Feel free to create a stanza/ode of your own!!!

Much love,
~g~

Working in the Power Industry does NOT give you the right to POWER TRIP!

This week I was begged to cover for an Executive Assistant to replace a temp who “was weird” (??) while the regular EA is away on vacation. Being an EA isn’t rocket science, so I said okay. But boy am I glad that the regular EA is back tomorrow.

People drive me ^&*$% nuts! Rather, men in positions of power drive me ^&*$% nuts! Some of them are quite nice and even say “please” when they need something. But THEN? There are the guys who ruin it for everyone. The ones who don’t bother to learn my name, or insist on calling me the wrong name, no matter how many times I correct them. The ones who insist that we must have so-and-so’s cell phone number in a file somewhere, even though we don’t, and yes I checked everywhere, and no, as a peon, it’s his prerogative to provide us with a personal cell number, which he obviously chose not to. And yet somehow, through the divine mystery of the universe, this is my fault. And yes, this will probably cause the earth to shatter into a million pieces. The demise of the human race is on my shoulders, because I’m not well-versed on using Jedi Mind Tricks to force people into giving me information that they don’t want to share. Oops. Sorry guys.
“HOW is this possible, Jody?!” they shout, letting loose with their Demeaning Gusto!!!
“How is it possible that you’re not having a stroke right now from this massive tantrum?” I wonder.
They should provide us with tranquilizer guns for this job. “My name isn’t Jody, and you need a time-out.” *ping*
Perhaps I’ll have a word with Health and Safety about this. It’s not healthy for my outlook on life, and it certainly isn’t good for their blood pressure to get all up-in-arms over something that, by the way, won’t change no matter how angry they get.

I’m generally a fairly calm, non-confrontational person, but I refuse to give in to Power Trips. If, heaven forbid, someone tells me that something is “unacceptable”, I will stand right up and fight it, even if I don’t believe that it’s right, just because the word “unacceptable” makes me crazy. Even a small thing, like someone coming to my house unannounced, puts me immediately on the defensive. I won’t answer on principal, even if my lights are on and I’m obviously home. Why? Because it says to me that they don’t respect my personal space and that they believe that I should be willing to drop whatever I’m doing to entertain their whim. Not cool. I only drop everything for family, and my family is considerate enough to call before they come over.

How about you folks? Is there something silly that you get irrationally upset about? Any stands that you make?
Xoxo,
~g~

UPDATE:
Guess who decided to extend her vacation? I'm an EA till Friday at least! "nooooo!!!!"
Also, weird link from boingboing.net of "Victorian Postmortem Photographs." ... Dude. If you're easily creeped-out, don't look at it. I looked at it yesterday morning and was up till MIDNIGHT last night, still too freaked out over it to sleep. I was freaked out by the concept, there's nothing graphically horrible about the pictures themselves. Just the whole "let's prop up your dead sister for one last picture of you two." .... yikes.

Serendipity, In Wool.

Having been a little down lately, I've been thinking that I need to get out of the house and do something creative. I've been looking at evening classes, but they're all so expensive. I really want to take Cello lessons, but that would also cost a fortune, considering I'd have to buy a Cello ;) I've also been trying to fight my way through knitting patterns. Do you know the part in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" when Holly says "I have this strange feeling that maybe the blueprints and my knitting instructions got switched. I mean it isn't impossible that I'm knitting a ranch house!" ...That's pretty much it. Knitting patterns give me worse tunnel vision than math.
So I thought "what the hell" and looked up "Knitting Classes Calgary" online! The first link I opened was for a knitting class that starts this weekend, to knit a baby sweater, and it's mere blocks from my condo!!! As if that wasn't serendipitous! So Skylark? Pick a colour, honey! Your little cookie monster will be the first to get either a sweater or a ranch house ;)
xoxo,
~g~

Hazy Shade of Winter

And so it begins....

New Banner

Another new banner!
Too much time on my hands?
Maybe a little :)
~g~

Out Of The Orange Coloured Sky!

Yesterday I left a comment on Mocha’s blog wishing her an orange day, and guess what? She’s having an orange day! And even my day is getting progressively sunnier and orangey too! Is the spell broken? Is anyone still having a blue day? Or is it “WHAM! BAM! ALAKAZAM! Out of the Orange Coloured Sky” fabulous?
Everyone at my work is even chipper. They’ve been walking by crying “good morning” with such enthusiasm that you’d swear we were in a musical. I expect they’ll break into song any moment now! I even used my mad telepathy skills to convince a co-worker to get me a vanilla latte from Starbucks. I requested a tall, and they bought me a grandé and then? THEN!? They invited me to go for lunch with the cool “commercial group” kids.
And THEN I saw on Skylark’s blog that the Sesame Street Oldschool Volume 1 DVD is coming out on the 24th!!!
Today totally kicks ass!
I have to say, I was a little apprehensive about today. My friend N (who I’ve know since Kindergarten) is going in for surgery today, and she has a bad track record of forgetting to breathe when she’s under. Also, my Grandma B. is heading out on her Inca Trail hike today, in spite of the fact that she was hospitalized in Peru two days ago for altitude sickness. I’m worried about both of them, but am shooting happy “orange day” thoughts to both of them right now, and I have a good feeling that they’ll both feel a million times better when they’re done.
And YOU? If you’re still sad I’ll shoot you some “orange day” thoughts too. Until then, I’ll leave you with the lyrics to “Orange Coloured Sky”, which I have deemed to be today’s Theme Song:

I was walkin' along
Mindin' my business
When out of an orange colored sky
Flash! Bam! Alakazam! Wonderful you came by.
I was hummin'a tune,
Drinkin'in sunshine
When out of that orange colored view
Wham! Bam! Alakazam!
I got a look at you.
One look and I yelled, " Timber!
Watch out for flying glass!"
‘Cause the ceiling fell in and the bottom fell out,
I went into a spin and I started to shout,
"I’ve been hit! This is it! This is it!"
I was walking along minding my business,
When love came and hit me in the eye...
Flash! Bam! Alakazam!
Out of an orange colored sky.

Love, love,
~g~

My Stand Against The Blues

Well, if it isn’t Wednesday morning!
Here I sit in my cubicle, staring at power generation statistics while Nelly Furtado’s “ManEater” revolves around my head. I look at the wind stats, which always make me think of going to Waterton and passing those beautiful wind farms by Lethbridge. I don’t know why, but I think wind farms are “just elegant”, in the words of Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch”. At any rate, I really feel like going to Waterton now! Heehee. Ooooh, maybe I could go to Great Falls, Montana and stock up on Excedrin and Galoshes! Oh my GOSH, that’d be so much fun!!! K, I totally want to go now. I’m not sure how Homeland Security feels about day trips like that. Maybe if the car was really clean and I had my passport? Does anyone know?

I’ve been fighting a big old case of the blues for about a month now, and I’m getting awfully tired of being a misery, so I’ve decided this week to take a stand against the blues. I’ve ordered self-help books, made changes to a few things that are getting me down, and am going to do meal planning and budgeting and make LISTS! Life lists, people. I know an awful lot of women who are having the blues right now too, so maybe we should all take a stand against the blues?

Ready for a rant? Here goes:

One of the things that drives me nuts about Eurocentrism (I’m apprehensive about saying “American Exceptionalism”, because I think that this is one of those “direct results of the industrial revolution” things) is our lack of community. I think about Native North American cultures, the sense of community for women, the concept of the village raising the child, of women convening to celebrate the things they have in common. I feel like that’s missing in our culture. I have women that I’m close to, like my mum and a few girlfriends, so I’m not saying that I’m completely without a support network. But at times I do feel alienated and alone, like I missed a huge memo about growing up, or like I did something that set me ten years behind everyone else. There’s love between us, but there’s not always understanding. I love that blogging has created new communities of women, like BlogHer and MommyBloggers, and I think that women are so grateful to start re-building these connections. Competition runs so high with women these days, and we’re always trying to BE more, DO more, and create more meaning in ourselves. It’s hard. It alienates us. I work with a lot of strong women whom I respect, but I’ve only been able to forge a friendship with one of them. Sometimes I just want to sit down with someone and say “I’m not here to challenge you” and see what happens.

Well, I’m not even sure if I know what I’m getting at, but I’m wondering if there’s a common thread between all of us blue women? How can we take a stand about this? Are we all just being too hard on ourselves? Do we just need some positive reinforcement and to be a little nicer to ourselves?

If you have any thoughts, let me know. If I come up with anything brilliant, I’ll sure share.
~g~
P.S. This isn’t meant to trivialize any of you guys out there who are feeling blue! I just haven’t witnesses a rash of unhappy men lately ;)

Treasures

Today's Treasures: Engraving, Book and Grow-Your-Own-Rubber Ducky

Those of you who know me well know that my passions in life are simple: Coffee, Kids and Books. Coffee is my comfort food, I've wanted to be a mother all my life, and Books have been my dear friends since the beginning of time ;)

Well today my friend Butler introduced me to my new version of heaven: Tom Williams Rare Books. Add a coffee machine and a baby of my own to cuddle and teach, and so help me, I could want for nothing more in life. I want to live there.

I thought I'd been to every Used Book Store on the Red Mile, but Tom Williams' is an unassuming door across MacLeod Trail from the Stampede Grounds and Saddle Dome. Much like a wizard door in Harry Potter, you'd have to be a book lover to notice it there. You open the door to a delightful waft of musty-book-smell and go down the stairs into a veritable wonderland of hardcover books, first editions, engravings, strange old records, etc. Books piled to the sky, shelves filled tightly around you, enormous, delicious, quiet, beautiful. Excitement trilled in my stomach. I wanted to read every book I saw. I wanted to hunker down on the floor and just start reading, and never leave. I was a junkie surrounded by a life-time supply.

I'm very proud to announce that I limited myself to an engraving of a ship for my mum, and ONE book for myself: "Mistress Beatrice Cope" by M.E. Le Clerc. Once again, the cover drew me in. I know nothing about it except it was in the "mystery" section, and was once owned by a Mrs. N. Arnold of Edmonton. Even the page with the publication date has been removed.

It was very nice to see Butler again after so long. I don't know about him, but I had a lot of fun :) He even bought me a "Grow Your Own Rubber Ducky". I will document Ducky's growth in a later post. For now I am soooo tired, and am off to bed.

I wish you all endless shelves of the things you love. Thanks Butler, for introducing me to this delightful place!
~g~

The One With All The Links

Okay, I have so many treasures to share with you today, kiddies!

Angry Alien Productions presents The 30-Second Bunnies Theatre Library! Yes, bunnies re-enacting classic movies in 30 seconds or less! LOVE IT!!!

When people ask me about my job, I want to sit them down and show them this video. *I'M* the superhero! haha! okay maybe not. But I am on the "production" side of things.

Susan helped me find one of my favourite Sesame Street videos! The Psychedelic "I know I'm Lost" boy. YIPPEE!

Susan and Josh also sent me this Insurance Commercial inspired by Katamari Damacy.

And now, for the true gem! For those of you who haven't played Katamari and have heard me rave about it, here is the "intro" of the video game! Go watch it, I'll wait.
Isn't that the strangest thing you've ever seen? Aren't you a little disturbed/intrigued/terrified? Don't you want to play it?!? I KNOW!!! That's exactly how I felt when Josh and Susan showed it to me.

K, I gotta go play now ;) Haha!
YAY FRIDAY!
Tomorrow is Used Book Store Day with Butler. I'll let you know how that goes, and what "charmingly illustrated classics" I lug home ;)

~g~

Random Couch Post

Friggin' banner. Why didn't I just keep my old one, I wonder?

I'm fighting with Microsoft Digital Image, which is no fun. It has a lot of features that I like... things that you have to pay extra for in Photoshop. But I've been using photoshop for so long that I know it really well! So there's the problem. I don't know how to get this new program to do what I want it to do!

Ahhh, it's so nice not to have to go to work tomorrow! My throat is starting to feel better, but I have virtually no voice still. I miss not talking *sniffle* It's also nice that I don't have to go to bed right now, because I've been having weird dreams. For example, last night I dreamt that I was in a tremendously tall store looking for "the right yarn" to knit Christmas presents for people. They had 4000 kinds of yarn, but apparently not "the right yarn." Then I dreamt that Skylark and I were in Vancouver, trying to deliver an RC car to someone, but the RC car kept speeding away. We finally gave up and listened to a miniature record player in the basement of an old Victorian Mansion. ... honestly. No more Cheerios before bed, I think!

Alright, I'm going to go see if I have any fun pictures that could become potential banners, and then bed!

Night!
~g~

New Banner

Okay, which one do you guys like better? I can't decide. The top one is a restored Fair Ground Organ I saw at the Stampede this year. It played some crazy circus music and the figures moved and it was both disturbing and alluring at the same time. I had to take the pic with my camera phone, since S refused to go near it (he has an aversion to "creepy dolls" lol)
The second one is a statue at Devonian Garden in downtown Calgary, taken shortly after I got my beloved digital SLR. I dunno. I can't decide. What do you think?
~g~

Now With Bacteria!

Some days a girl just needs her bear. This is me with my bear, circa 1983.
I woke up this morning and went "ack!", which was the only sound my closed up throat could make. "Strep Throat" I thought, and hopped on a bus and a train and "Strep Throat" the doctor said.
But it's okay. I'm on the couch, with my bear... I basically still look the same, but not blonde (this week). I have tea and a blanket and am watching "Elizabethtown" for the 800th time. My cat is watching the movie too, but I know she wishes I'd put on "The Corpse Bride" because she likes all of the noisy crow scenes. She seems to like "Elizabethtown" too though. She's sitting under the coffee table, watching attentively. She's so adorable.
I get a couple days off work (might work Friday if I can talk), and then a long weekend for Thanksgiving (yay!) where I can gorge on pie at last (yay!) Mocha, I'll see what I can do about sending you some!

This post is most uninteresting! Tomorrow I'll see what I can do about updating my blog a l'il bit. Maybe I'll make a new banner or something :)

OH! and Nathan, I was thinking that you need to be a Lego Pirate guy for Halloween. Party is at Mum and Dad's this year! WOO!

What should *I* be?

Love (but no bacteria kisses!)
~g~

Grumpy Bear

I'm sick.
Again.
I need bed.
And medicine.
And Pie.
Excessive amounts of pie.

Much Love,
Grumpy Bear

Number 9, Number 9...

I’ve had every intention to post about books allll weekend, but the AMAZING Elton John concert, the inspiring Deepak Chopra Lecture, and the evil hangover I had from the post-lecture glass of red wine (which I didn’t even finish) took the wind out of my sails. One glass. Isn’t that just sad? Granted, it was an expensive glass of wine and by all rights SHOULD have gotten me as loaded as it did… but still. I was a little ashamed, since I’d only just said “aren’t drunk girls in high heels funny?” Low and behold, there I was, a drunk girl tottering around in high heels. Talk about Instant Karma, Mr. Lennon.

So enter Monday morning: I’m a little gleeful cuz I’m wearing my new purple cashmere pea coat in that husky autumn chill. Only one bus driver smugly drives PAST my stop, but the second bus stops, so it’s all good. It’s empty, I get a seat. I’m happy (as happy as you can be on a Monday morning) and then WORK has to go on and wreck it all. It’s been nothing but adventures since I moved up a floor due to construction. Thursday we were fumigated at our desks by Eau du Oil Primer in the ventilation system. Friday my friend A. had a colossal (and well-earned) melt-down and stormed out of the office mid-afternoon. And this morning has brought 40 phones calls in the first 2 hours and a RUDE email from the ladies on the 8^th floor. So I sent a rude email back. And THEY sent a rude email again. In response, I verified that the Accounting group is still working on finding me a position, and then said violently (to myself, of course) “Liberté, egalité, fraternité, ou la mort!” AKA: IT’S ON, NOW!!! I’m so mad that my eye is twitching. Why can’t people just play nicely?!

It’s very much John Lennon day today. I’ve had “Jealous Guy” going through my head all morning, but now it’s been replaced by “Revolution.” Not the non-committal White Album “Revolution” or the drug-induced “Revolution 9” but the “Revolution” single… “you can count me OUT!” I’m THAT MAD!

So let’s see. Happy Thoughts! My friend Butler is in town and has promised me a day of Used Book Store perusal on 17^th Ave (“The Red Mile”, for you hockey fans. IMHO, this is Canada and it should thus be called “The Red 1.609 Kilometres”, but who am I to judge?) I haven’t seen him in about 8 years (he’s been teaching English overseas), so this should be interesting, and fun! The last time I saw him was under a street light in the rain after we saw “The Avengers” at Banker’s Hall. I’m older and jaded now, Butler… But we’ll find ourselves two copies of “East of Eden”, I promise!

I take this post to mean that my best friend is totally OKAY with me buying her baby cute clothes. Now if only I could remember where I saw those Tie-Dye Onesies? Heehee. As if you wouldn’t love that ;) I know you’re a hippie at heart, and Baby will be too. When I’m rich I’ll buy your family a brightly-painted VW van.

I went to Starbucks at lunch and the guy who made my coffee said “I like your jacket!” Yay, Purple Cashmere Pea Coat!

A. was a darling and bought me a Deepak Chopra book at the lecture called “The Book of Secrets”, so soon I will totally be able to uncover the hidden meaning in my life, and will astound all of you with my fabulous writing and astute understanding of human nature. Book publishers will trip over each other, begging me for the privilege of publishing my as-yet-unwritten manuscripts. Old friends will see each other after 8 years and go to the used bookstores on “The Red 1.609 Kilometres” (renamed in my honour) to find my books, but there will be a waiting list (like there was for “He’s Just Not That Into You”) and they’ll totally pay full price for it new, especially since they know the royalties will be going to help the people of war-torn Darfur. Additionally, my passion to help the people of Darfur will make Anderson Cooper fall in love with me, because he’s so smart and handsome and quick-witted, and at our quiet, unassuming city-hall wedding, I will tell everyone that I owe my blissful happiness to A. and Deepak Chopra. … and Anderson Cooper, for being so smart and handsome and quick-witted ;)

*giggle* I feel better already.

Much love,

~g~