Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Lifestyles of the rich and fat-uous



From the tendon-obsessed Cryptkeeper (previous post) to K-Overfed (nickname courtesy of a commenter at The Superficial)... celebrities like to overdo things.

My eyes are burning.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

There's guns, and then there's...


I've seen too many pictures of Madonna's scary arms to think this has been 'Shopped. I don't know how in the world this woman thought she was doing herself any favours by overusing the weights. Unless she has a distorted mirror in her home gym. "Arms... not... ropey... enough!" She looks like she's training to be one of those human sculptures in that controversial art show that's been touring the world the past few years.

Yikes!

Monday, July 13, 2009

The next place I live


I would like the next place I live to be:

- On a quiet street, with lawns and mature trees.
- Not next to a fast-food restaurant.
- Not near a major artery.
- Nowhere near any industry that uses an outdoor paging system to call its staff.

Where I live now, we have a lovely expanse of lawn to one side - it's actually an entire lot unto itself, but somehow nobody built on it. It has stands of old trees, and the landlords planted rose bushes and flowering vines and an array of perennials along the sides of the plain, boxy buildings we live in.

But the noise from the main street out front and the municipal garage smack next door, the dumpsters and bins a stone's throw away, the "Jean-Guy line one Jean-Guy line one" from the car dealership... all of it is, shall we say, a constant encroachment on the senses.

It would be nice to live in a more secluded, peaceful spot.

There are plenty of such places in this town. I just need to wait until the time is right.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Cool




(CNN) -- New photographs released by NASA have captured images of a vast stellar formation resembling a human hand reaching across space.

Link here.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Friday, April 3, 2009

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Tag, I'm it

From my sis-in-law...

1 - Diamonds or pearls?

I am not attracted to diamonds. I like pearls and own three strands - two white and one pink.


2 - What was the last movie you saw?

Videotron rental - Quarantine. A Hollywood remake of a European movie. Not bad. A slight twist on the old zombie theme.


3 - What do you eat for breakfast?

Whatever's at hand, usually in sandwich form.


4 - What is the second first name on your birth certificate?

Ann


5 - What are the foods you would never eat?

I would never eat brains again. I tried them twice but the texture is too slimy.


6 - Coffee or tea?

Coffee. Mocha latte, to be precise.


7 - If you were a colour, which one would it be?

Pink, all shades thereof except pale.


8 - Who was the last person you spoke on the phone to?

My friend Colette. She owns the farm where I work part-time. We do an exchange of goods and services.


9 - What is your favorite day of the week?

Saturday all the way! It's the one day I don't have to get up early. But I do anyway.


10 - If you could take off on a plane today, where would you go?

Anywhere where it's not winter.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Clutter vs simplicity

I am always torn by a desire to acquire stuff and the urge to pare down and keep things spare and simple.

I have been waging this battle for years. And the "stuff" always wins. Every time I move I shed things and start again with basics.

With a few choice pieces I love and need occupying suitable space in this small apartment, I don't really have room for much more. There are, however, a couple of non-choice items that just might go into the garbage very soon. To make room for other things.

I've noticed that people are not always quite as possessive about their material things as one might think.

For instance, I fell madly in love with a friend's bookcases a few months ago. They are tall and elegant, made of dark wood with glass doors. Quite suitable for a law office or venerable accounting firm. At the time, my friend said Oh no! He'd never part with them. But as he has also been reorganizing his space and acquiring new stuff, he has since sold me two of them. I'm waiting for delivery.

At the farm where I work part-time, I espied a lovely antique headboard leaning against a wall. I asked the owner if she'd ever consider selling it. She said, Not really, but what do you think of bartering for it?

In another 14 hours (that is to say, after 14 more hours of "unpaid" work) that headboard will be mine.

I don't even have room for the bookcases. But I want them - actually, if I rationalize quickly, I need them... for books and CDs that are still packed in boxes. Which will free up closet space for, um, other stuff.

Monday, January 26, 2009

56 days


Not the longest I've gone, but the best - liberated at last, it seems, from the obsession.

I think my last rock bottom, brief as it was, was an existential wake-up call. Sounds corny, but hell...

I truly wondered if I had any purpose here. If there was any meaning in my life. If I mattered in the greater scheme of things (small dose of self-pity, there). If there was any reason I should stick around. I cried buckets, and gnashed my teeth (figuratively) and counted the trazodones in my little bottle. There were enough to put me down. Just go to sleep. I tidied up the apartment first. Wanted to leave everything looking orderly.

I was tired of being me, tired of my thoughts and memories.

But I got dressed and trudged my way angrily through the routine for a couple of more days until one morning everything was OK again.

And since then it's been better than OK, it gets a little better every day.

And for that, I am grateful.

(And it's not even Thanksgiving.)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Stepping forward

This week I followed through on some things I've been thinking about but not acting upon.

I made some calls and left messages. Two of the people are the kind who don't really have "conversations," per se, but the kind who are just waiting for their turn to talk. They interrupt with an "oh yes me too!" story and often forget to get back to where we were. I dislike that.

It takes patience to talk to these friends. So, having talked to their machines, I feel relieved of my duty - for now.

A third person I left a left a message for doesn't want to speak to anyone. She's "gone out" - in AA parlance - and I know where she's at. The entire human race can take a flying leap and please let nobody knock on my door. But when I had those times I was grateful (later - not during) that somebody had called to say "I'm thinking about you."

I was hoping someone else would call me back with a little job offer, but so far nothing has come of it. It would entail working on a farm. I would sooooooo love that!!!!

So I followed up on another idea, instead: stopped over at the nearest church yesterday to sign up as a volunteer. I need to fill weekend afternoons with productive tasks. The church lady (hahah... shades of the old SNL) said they always need volunteers. So we'll see what happens there. Who knows what they might ask of me.

Basically, I feel the need to be useful and do rewarding things. I also need to be busier and have obligations and responsibilities to keep me from lapsing into THE URGE TO NAP ALL THE TIME!

I seem to be well on my way to turning into the teetotalling spinster cat lady with a library card who does church work. OMG.