Unspoken

I have a favorite bathroom stall at work. It is the first one as soon as you go in. The reason being that the next one over is in the middle, meaning you have people on both sides, and the one at the end is handicap, so feels too big. No one talks about having a preferred stall, but I think others have also picked the first one as a favorite, but maybe not for the same reasons. This stall is always the first and only one to run out of toilet paper, which means it is used more than the others. They all start off the day with the same amount and shortly after lunch that one is out. Maybe it is some unspoken thing, and that I'm not supposed to talk about my preferences, but I have them, and I think others do too.

Painting 101

Lessons I learned from painting the new apartment for four days over two weekends:
-have lots of friends who can help with chores like this
-painting every room in a small basement apartment a different colour is an assault optically
-I-beams look better painted the colour of the ceiling
-bribes of food only work with certain people and only for so long
-even ceiling paint that goes on pink and dries white is hard to track what has been done
-primer over drywall and dark or bright colours
-colour tastes change over time and mine still haven’t matured
-paint can be chipped/washed off tile and linoleum
-always stir your paint well to get a consistent colour, we learned this the hard way
-show tunes and Disney songs are not appreciated by everyone
-painting is a work out
-it is way easier to just buy new roller refills than to clean them between colours
-with more than 5 people helping someone has to manage and that person can’t do much else
-you will always have to return to the store to get more supplies
-touch-ups are viciously cyclical and could be done forever, eventually you have to just stop
-drop sheets are a God send
-picking dried paint out of your hair hurts, best to wash it out

The Government

I am a civil servant and work in the public service. I know first hand about the bureaucratic issues in the Canadian government. With all the rules and approvals needed certain tasks seem to take forever. This morning I overheard the perfect explanation of why it takes so long for anything to get done around here. "We have the breaks of a Rolls Royce in the engine of a lawn mower." My co-worker later told me the quote was from John Cleese, in reference to the British public service.

First Bike

I biked to work today for the first time this year. My bike had been sitting in the sunporch over the winter and this past weekend Jerrica pulled it out to get to Subway. I decided she was probably right and I should start biking to work myself. I didn't get around to it until today as I needed to figure out the combination for my bike lock as well as find my helmet. The bike this morning was just as fast as I remembered, and it was easier then expected. I might not be as out of shape as I thought. The trip was slightly uncomfortable, I don't think I had my gel seat on and I think I need my seat raised. Unfortunately everyone keeps telling me that it is going to rain today so that will suck for the bike home.

The Cave

I had originally decided to name the new apartment The Cave. Then I thought about the fact I named the current house, Le Manoir, which is French for The Mansion. This is because the current house is a beautiful, huge, three story, three bathroom, Victorian home on the canal. The new place is a three bedroom basement apartment with small windows, exposed I-beams, and low ceilings. I didn't want to switch from using French back to a simple English name for my new home. Since the outside of the new place looks like a bunker for the second world war, I decided to translate The Cave into German. I asked the current boy roommate, who did an exchange to Germany in high school, what it would be and he told me Die Höhle. Since he told me over MSN, I didn't get to hear it pronounced and figured it was said 'Die Hole' but I have since found out it is more like 'D Hool.' Either way I think it is an awesome name. I think Em, Jerrica, and I will be very happy in Die Höhle.

The Mysterious A.

Someone commented on the previous post and signed it only with an initial. I had pretty much figured it out to be Anna, as she gave me the scarf she was commenting on but I still felt the need to double check with Anne to see if it was her. Anne confirmed that she wasn't the one but confessed to have used only an initial on an earlier post a couple of weeks back. Similar to the Kristin/Kristen issue, I am now friends with an Anna and an Anne. They are both really awesome easy going people. Anne is the new co-op student at my work from University of Calgary. (Anne-See Left.) She has only been in Ottawa for a few months, but plans to stay until the end of August. I have known Anna for about 3 years, as she lived above Steph, Em, and I at Glen. We weren't friends at that point but soon after she moved into Le Manoir for a while and we became quite close. (Anna-See Right.) I visited her when she spent 6 months in Paris last year. Anne also spent a chunk of time living in Paris, the year before she went to university. She was also born in France. They are both bilingual but are from separate sides of the country. Anna grew up in Nova Scotia and is my maritime girl while Anne is totally west coast and from Alberta. The moral of the story is that I have a diverse group of friends and whether they have the same or similar name as another or not, everyone should sign blog comments so I know who they are. I can get so easily confused!!

Eating Sushi

I went to Kinki's Friday night with Anne and her friends. There are a surprising number of sushi restaurants in town, despite our great distance from any ocean. Ami introduced me to the Japanese food a couple years back and it took me a while to like it. Now I really enjoy it and wish I could eat it more often. I had never been to Kinki's which is probably the most posh of all sushi places in Ottawa. We were there for Happy Hour which is basically 2 for 1 sushi. It is right in the market, is pretty fancy, has great decor, and really good cocktails. The sushi was awesome. Maybe it was because I hadn't had it in a while but it tasted amazing. I was also surprised that there was so many pieces and that they were so big. I got a Rainbow with raw tuna, salmon, red snapper, yellowtail, mackerel, and avocado rolled over a California roll. Normally I pick something a little more tame than that, but I was feeling daring. I can't wait to go again. (Picture: Yummy Sushi, by Will.)

Great Distraction

I love puzzles. I find them calming and there is such a sense of accomplishment all the way through. Problem is that they take up alot of space, and I don't own any, and buying them is dumb. Luckily there is a website that lets you do them online. It isn't exactly the same feeling as doing one in real life, but close enough for me.

Alluring

Moving! Before I move I need to pack up everything at Le Manoir. I also have to paint the new place, which we will be calling The Cave. Em, Jerrica, and I were able to nail down our colour choices the other night after I brought home a big index of paint chips. Some where chosen because we liked them, others so as to match to certain furniture or accent piece. Each paint colour has a number, a name, and amusingly a single descriptive word. Our main room is going to be this pale beige colour called 'Snuggle In' which is described as 'Relaxing'. Our bathroom is also 'Relaxing' in a grey blue colour called 'Quayside.' Both Em and Jerrica picked colours that are 'Energizing', Em's back bedroom will be a lavender called 'Sophisticated' and Jerrica's bedroom colour is a spring green named 'Transformed'. We picked all the colours just by their shade and only their number was referenced. After writing down all the numbers I flipped the cards over to find that there was name and description information on the back. We couldn't help but laugh at the fact that the 'Heavenly Sky' dusty blue colour I picked with Kristin's help for the guest room is considered 'Inviting'. Hopefully that means lots of people will come and stay over. Even more fitting is the name of the paint for my pale purple brown bedroom, 'Le Vie En Rose.' I could not be happier with my 'Alluring' colour.

I Wish

I want to...
-be painted by Michelangelo
-play improve games with the cast and guests of Whose Line Is It Anyway?
-speak another language
-go to a Caribbean resort with all my friends, drink and swim in the ocean
-win an Olympic medal for Canada
-have my Grandma back, alive and healthy
-be young again and playing 'Kick The Can' with the neighborhood kids
-see Twelfth Night in the Elizabethan Court
-like and know wine
-go to a Harry Chapin concert with my parents
-see the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
-wake up everyday with someone I love, and who loves me back
-climb Mount Kilimanjaro
-swim in a bath house in ancient Rome
-live in the same city as my little brother

Amusing Saying

"Dogs have masters. Cats have staff."

A Few More Months

I'm looking for love in all the wrong places. I'm picking the wrong people to fall for and the worst approaches. It isn't even just one mistake, I'm being an idiot all over the board. It's unrequited or inappropriate. I'm either too meek or too aggressive. Also important to mention is that they are always wrong for me, and always exactly like someone else from my past. I think I need to take Anne's advice and just chill, forget it, be by myself for a while. It is true, I'm not ready anyway. It's been over a year, but I guess I still need more time. A beautiful example of my moronic romantic ideas; standing in a gay bar a while back, attracted to half the guys there, I wondered why I wasn't being hit on, and why my attempts were falling flat.

The Douchebag Phenomenon

I'm definitely behind the ball posting about this. I don't know where or when it all started but I have heard that a while back there was this picture of a bunch of guys all wearing the same style of shirt and all with the same haircut. (In high school I would refer to it as 'Two Air Streams Collide' as the hair is worn short but pushed up from the forehead and forward from the back.) There is now a website called 'Hot Chicks with Douchebags' which posts pictures and colourful commentary. This website explains: A douchebag is not defined as simply a series of hand gestures, facial expressions, overly gelled hair or a giant Jesus bling around the neck. A douchebag is a state of mind. It is a place where men go to become scrote. Where machismo mixes with testosterone to form a foul cocktail of rank sewage that smells vaguely of cheap cologne. A comedy sketch group created a skit called 'My New Stripped Shirt' poking fun at this type of guy. Soon people took notice and the more popular 'My New Haircut' skit was created, I don't know who made it though. The short video about an annoying macho guy, is the most famous and inspired many spin-off skits, including my favorite 'My New Scene Haircut.' The joys of pop culture, as promoted by YouTube.

Pretty Picture

This Arthur Lemon painting, The Wooing of Daphnis, was show in one of my English lectures a while back. (It took a long time for the prof to get back to me as to the artist and title.) I think it is beautiful. First exhibited 1881, it shows the nymph Chloë and her Sicilian herdsman in the Italian countryside, blissfully in love. In Greek mythology, Daphnis was the inventor of pastoral poetry. The story revolves around two children who are found by shepherds, grow up together, and fall in love. The original story is from 2nd Century Greece, but it has many adaptations and inspired art in all mediums. These pastoral pieces of art all depict the life of shepherds in a highly idealised manner. The painting makes me want to be a shepherdess, wear a sexy flowing toga, and be in Italy in the spring time.

So Very Stressed

I hate change, it makes me freeze up and cry. I become unable to focus on anything. I am ridiculously unproductive because there is this underlying feeling of being unsettled. A creature of routine, it is a constant struggle to keep on a normal schedule. I function better when everything is structured but I find it hard to keep to the structure, even when it is me who makes the plans. I am pulling away from friends, it may not be noticeable but I feel it emotionally. I want to connect but I feel detached. I'm just scared and uncomfortable with everything right now.

Go See This Play

I went to see Kristin's boyfriend, Mike, in this play this afternoon. He is stellar and the production as a whole is absolutely amazing. It is Law and Order without the mystery, more like a The Departed style drama without the mafia. There is death, sex, swearing and all the other things that make great TV. But it is performed live in front of you in a dark dirty bar that is the perfect setting for such a show. There are still a number of performances so if you have time this month go and see one, you won't be disappointed.

Late Night Worries

Sometimes I think I may drink too often. Occasionally, I worry that I smoke too much pot. Right now, I'm more concerned with the fact I'm ridiculously out of shape, and not studying hard enough for my exam. Like everyone says, you have to pick your battles.

It's Time

This is Heather. I used to worry about sharing personal information, and still do use a number of nicknames to protect my friends. I like to check with people before using their name here, but with Facebook and blogs of their own, everyone is already plastered all over the internet anyway. I have my Thursday night tradition, I go over to Taylor and Kristen's house to hang out, eat, chat, and watch TV. I didn't actually start this tradition, I crashed it. For a while on Thursday's Taylor and Kristen had been having a friend, Heather, over consistently. I just wedged myself into the whole deal. Well now I have hung out a number of times with Heather; on Thursdays, out dancing, and at a few house parties. She is actually going to be moving in with Taylor and Kristen next year so I will get to know her even more. She writes her own blog which I have added to My Links (see Right).

Faith As A Crisis

Faith and personal values are built and changed over time. They exist and are created in times of crisis. The crisis of temptation, action, standing in front of choices. Whenever you are presented with different options it is a critical moment of choice. You are picking different futures depending on your actions. You choose your future at each moment, and each of these moments are the same. Adventure and life in your faith is a chain of crisis, each are critical. It may be a new setting or a new challenge but the moment is the same. You build who you are and what you stand for from this.

Catnip

Jerrica and I got Binx high tonight on some catnip. I haven't seen her act like that in ages. It really affects cats, they go crazy. She was twitching and rolling around on the Le Manoir's main staircase. Then she would bat around anything she could find. She often attacks things and bats stuff around, but what was different when she was on catnip is how fast she moves and how randomly. It isn't like little kitty pot, it is like kitty speed.