TB - August 2007

Throwback Thursday - Scroll to the bottom of the month and read up. Or click on the earliest post in the month (to view the post and the comments) then keep clicking Newer Post until you finish the month.

AUGUST 2007

This month saw some considerable shifts, I made the decision not to go back to Carleton full-time and instead took a contract extension with The Department of Natural Resources. I do detail my plan to take two night courses, which I think is where I meet/met Jenn and Erin. (I also feature an adorable photo of the other ERin at the start of the month.) The other change is that Anna and Wes moved out, which I remember being sad about.

Also, I mention Brian and Tina going to Japan, but I can't remember who these people are. Did I meet them at school, or work, if so which work? Were they friends through another friend? The link that I reference in the post is long gone.

When doing these Throwback posts I like to edit them and provide updates, mainly adding in more tags or fixing spelling. Grammar and editing wise I had to do a lot with paragraphs and spacing, what was I thinking? Did I believe that I was writing stream-of-consciousness, and if so that it didn't need to be put into paragraphs?

Noted Post: I don't think the writing is very interesting, but I love the photo of my smile in the Humour post.

Bracketing Thirty

Happy Birthday to two of the greatest friends I could ever ask for!

I am back from a quick trip to Ottawa. Jason and I drove up for the weekend. We got to celebrate two birthdays and see a lot of people. I miss my friends from there so much and it never feels like enough time: brunch with Heather, a quick hug from Justin, Erin AH stops by for a party. It was also great to stay with Jenn and Jon, in their new home they purchased this past summer.

It was a prime weekend to catch people on their birthdays! We didn't choose specifically to go up for that reason; we hadn't been in a while and it was a weekend that worked. Anna turned 29 on Friday and I left work early to ensure we could make it in time for a bit of the party she was having (got a quick catch up with Wes too which was nice.) Steph is turns 31 today, though we mainly celebrated last night with games, nachos, pizza, and pie. A quick visit with her and Dave this afternoon to toast some cupcakes before the drive back to Toronto meant that I did get to see her on her actual birthday too.

The Most Epic Of Mustaches

It is the very end of Movember and I want to finish with a photo of someone who really knows how to grow facial hair, Wes. He doesn't have a MoSpace page but still grows a 'stach and then donates to others - a great Mo Bro.

Wes Shows Us How It Is Done!

And So It Is Named

I like to name my houses. It tends to happen naturally, when you listen to people talk about places they live they tend to have a name for the house, though it is often related to the address. I find that a tad boring and in Ottawa, stepped it up a notch. Especially moving into my second house, which was an epic mansion (may it rest in peace) that was falling apart but totally worthy of a great name. So far in my life, these have been my houses...

1984 - 1985 - Cambridge - I was born in Cambridge, Ontario. I lived with my parents in a small house until I was one and a half. I obviously don't remember it, though they have shown it to me a few times since.
1985 - 2003 - Paris - So, the first two are named for the towns. I only lived in one house in Paris so instead of calling it by the street, I always just say Paris. The house was sold this past summer.
2003 - 2004 - Rez - While I was living in residence, Glengarry House, at Carleton Steph, Em, and I called it Glen, to distinguish it from the other residences on campus. However, after moving out it just gets referred to as Rez.
2004 - 2006 - Glen - This house is named after the street and even though it could get confused with my residence house, especially as I was living with the same people, it never was.
2006 - 2008 - Le Manoir - It was this mansion that inspired the need for awesome house names. I wanted to make it sound ostentatious, so picked to name it in French. It means The Mansion, however we have always pronounced it so horribly that it would make anyone who speaks French cringe in pain. It seemed like an ever revolving door of roommates there (including Ami, Em, Anna, Wes, Jake, Jer, and a few others) but they all called it Le Manoir.
2008 - 2010 - Die Höhle - Following in the foreign languages vein, Jer, Em, and I decided to name the next apartment in German. This was because the outside of it was very ugly, a big grey 1960's box of a house in a beautiful Victorian neighbourhood. It look like a German war bunker. Translated it means The Cave and again we mispronounced it terribly, much to the dismay of the one friend I have who speaks German. During the second year Linds lived with us and later on JennB, they both called it Die Höhle.
2010 - 2010 - The Cottage - We got the cottage when I was 16, so sometime around 2000. About 4 or 5 years back my parents tore down the original building and set about building a house on the beach that they could eventually live in full time. Well, the time has come. They sold the other house and live at The Cottage, though the name remains. I have never really lived there, but I would consider it an important residence in my life.

"So what about the new Toronto apartment?" you ask. After about a week, Kristen and I set about coming up with a name. Our landlord is Jewish and we live in a fairly Jewish neighbourhood. (Though there is a Catholic Church right down the street from us that plays its bells all the time and I have seen actual nuns there. However, I don't know where our closest Synagogue is.) We are basing this assumption about our neighbourhood on the number of people we see in yarmulkes walking on the streets, that the local grocery store has a huge kosher section, and the ice cream parlor sells kosher brownies. It seemed fitting that the language we pick for naming this one be Hebrew. This was easier said than done!

Hebrew uses different letters, not just some fancy two dots above the 'o' like in Die Höhle but a totally different thing all together. Hebrew does not have an Alphabet it is instead considered an Abjad. (This means it is a segmental script containing symbols for consonants only, and the vowels are optionally written with diacritics or 'pointing'). We decided that we wanted to called it Grown-Up Apartment. We are working hard on this place to make it nice and to avoid that student feel. But, even with all the online translating sites out there, we couldn't find out how to say that in Hebrew. We had to settle for Adult House (which has some funny connotations on its own). I'm sure, like the other houses I have named in languages other than English, I am screwing this up horribly, but we have called our place...Which seems to be spelt in the Latin (or Roman) Alphabet, which English uses, as something close to Rrunuv Bayit. Obviously pronouncing it is also challenging. The 'Rr' is rolled but then the rest of Rrunuv sounds like it is spelt and Bayit is more like 'buy-it'. Though I'm sure this is wrong. When in a rush, we will sometimes refer to it as just Bayit, and that is currently our wifi name. Now, I need to go and finish painting, unpacking, cleaning, and in general settling in, so that Rrunuv Bayit can live up to its name and truly be a Grown-up Apartment.

Weekends

I am filling up my weekends fast!!
March 6&7 -- Montreal, Get China tickets with Yen, Visit with Anna & Wes
March 13&14 -- Yen's visit, Erin's party, Maybe snowboarding
March 20&21 -- Maybe visit from Teri.
March 27&28 -- Hair cut, Kristen & Taylor visiting
April 3&4 -- Easter, Maybe going home
April 10&11 -- Newfoundland!!!!

Boardgame Night

Last night I went with Anna and Wes to one of Anna's friends house to play a new boardgame. Anna had got Apples To Apples for Christmas, a game I had never heard off. Language based (nouns and adjectives) but before you dismiss it, trust me it's awesome. We also played another one called Last Word which I really enjoyed as well. I love boardgames!!

Marching In A Line

Gradually all of my friends are graduating. Anna just graduated for Carleton with Highest Honours and got her bachelors degree with a Major in Political Science and a Minor in Film Studies. Besides her amazing varsity fencing record, Anna has done alot of awesome things over the past four years at Carleton. Some of them are (not in any order): Getting a job working with statistical information at the Data Centre in the library. Meeting Wes, they started dating, and now they live together down the street with a puppy and kitty. She went to France to study at Sciences Po - Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris. She has travelled across Canada in both directions, across Europe and into the States. She was on the executive for the Exchange Students Society. She went and worked on Hilary Clinton's campaign and met her. She was Maid of Honour for her sisters wedding. Last, but not least, she lived with me for a while at Le Manior.

Mouse Crisis, Part Six

They're back! I don't know if they they just had a bunch of babies or were sleeping over the winter and have just woken up, but we had a mouse in our house the other night. We always hear them in the walls but haven't seen them running around in a while. I was sleeping and Jerrica was on my computer when she saw one out in the hall. It came into my room and at this point Jerrica ran across the room, jumped up on my bed and started screaming. I'm not used to my roommates freaking out about mice, usually I'm the only one. Wes, Em, and Ami have all had to save me from them in the past. Well, Jerrica and I stood on the bed in hysterics until we woke up Em who came and tried to catch it. It got away from her but I hope it learned it lesson and stays away.

Anna and The Boy Roommate

Anna and The Boy Roommate are pretty much completely moved out. There are still some of their stuff around but they are sleeping and living at their new apartment now. The big move was yesterday. I'm not ready to have them gone yet. Beyond the fact that I have to give up having a guy around who could fix anything; Anna's amazing comforter that I have been sleeping with; and the only phone in the house that ever really worked; I really will have to let go of the fact that I won't be living with two of my really good friends anymore.

I don't know who is going to provide the comic relief with The Boy Roommate gone and Anna is such a great friend I will miss her company so much. I know they are just around the corner, and we will get together lots. It just feels like the house is a little empty and lonely right now and I miss them so much. Time spent with Anna always feels too short. The time she was here before going to France wasn't long enough, the time I spent with her in Paris wasn't long enough, and definitely the time spent living together after she returned wasn't long enough either. I miss her, already.

Intense Weekend

I don't know how to write about this weekend. I have not even fully recovered from the experience. Little Brother Mike was in town. He is on tour with his band and two others, along with a driver and their promoter. They had a gig downtown on Friday night, and then a couple of days off before they headed further out east. The guys (17 of them between the ages of 16-23) stayed at my place for the weekend. Since I have no idea how to describe the events of the past three days I'm going to let the quotes speak for themselves. Note "Band Member" is used when I wish to preserve anonymity, have forgotten the guys name, or have forgotten which one said it.
--"We are going to be late, we just got Bear Maced. Everyone is just a little enraged right now." -Mike to Me on the phone
--"Your sister's cute Mike" -Carl
---"Rob? Ben? Jason? There are 17 of you, I'm just not going to learn them all. Nick? Steve? Fred?" -Me to Josh when trying to remember his name
------"Fred is good. I can be Fred." -Josh
--(Silence) -Charlie while staring at sleeping Band Members
--"Last time we were here we saw only one roommate. That Librarian one. Now they are like everywhere." -Wally
--"Is there any factories in town?" -Nick
------"Not really. It is kinda a government town." -Me
------"Oh, like The Beer Store." -Nick
------"No, not governmental retail. Like Health Canada, Natural Resources, like the government government." -Me
------"Oh well, no factories, I can't live here." -Nick
--"Oh, Wally." -Emily
--"Bear Mace, where do you even get that?" -Me
------"Hunting shops." -A Band Member
--"I just got my first hate mail." -Carl
--"Is black lipstick Metal or more Goth?" -Ami
--"I am so so so sorry." -Ami, Tiffany, and Me to the bartender
--"Chris, Chris, stop. Your going to get me drunk." -Jerrica
--"Woah. You don't do that." -Nick to Me after I hit Glenn
--"No. Don't tell anyone where the pop is hidden. It will be our little secret." -A Band Member to Me
--"I think that is going to bruise" -Me to Glenn after he punched Me
------"Woah. You don't do that." -Nick to Glenn
--"YOU. GET IN THE FUCKING HOUSE!!" -Me to Many Band Members while trying to control what looked like an impending fight
--"I'm just trying to help get everyone inside." -Many Band Members to Me
------"OK THEN. GET IN THE FUCKING HOUSE!!" -Me
--"Guys, chill. He is my dealer." -Me
--"I hate being dragged and then put places" -Tiffany
--"I want to kick that guys ass" -Nick to Me
------"No! Huh? Wait? What? No! Lie to me, tell me your your trying to help and get everyone inside. Lie to me." -Me
--"Chris stay here, I'm sober." -Mike to Me about who would talk to The Cop
--"HOLY SHIT!" -Me to The Cop after seeing two more cop cars pull into the street
--"Alright then, we are going to hug this out. Get up here. Other arm. That's it." -Mark to Me
--"Next time wake me up earlier." -Mike to Me
--"The Librarian is hot." -Wally and Carl about Emily
--"Ok, my vote is in. Mark is definitely the nicest one." -Anna
--"Wow. I have not done that in a long time. My neck is killing me." -Ami about her head banging injury
--"YOU. RIDE A BICYCLE! YOU. GO PEEL OFF THE WALLPAPER! YOU. WALK IN CIRCLES IN A NORTH EAST DIRECTION! If I keep yelling in an authoritative tone, things will some how fix themselves, even if what I'm saying makes no sense." -Mike doing an impression of Me
--"Oh, I so knew that is what it was all about." -Ami to Me
--"Any one who cooks with chickpeas is amazing." -Josh about Emily
--"It is when you shit along the top of the toilet so when the next person flushes it, it just flushes shit, not clear water. You know, I have always wanted to do a Top Shelf at Top Shelf." -A Band Member to Me
--"So do you really really like Like like like him?" -Emily to Me about A Band Member
--"You didn't really enjoy your time in high school if you weren't having lots of anal sex" -Wally to Me
--"Your brown? Well I guess you look a little Mexican." -Me to Andreas after finding out he is Pakistani
--"UHH, I'm just going to pee off the roof" -Nick after waiting for the bathroom
------"No you cannot pee off the roof" -Me
------"Look she is saying you cannot, as in you don't have the ability. Now you have to do it to prove her wrong." -Mike
--"This town is so healthy, look at everyone biking. With helmets!" -A Band Member
--"Which one was it? Did they have long hair? Where they wearing black? Did they have facial hair? Did they have any tattoos?" -Me to Anna trying to figure out which guy she was talking about
--"I'm going for the triple threat. Three showers in three days." - John to Mike
--"Oh, so like the only one wearing a white shirt?" -Anna about Josh
--"Wayne's World is the best movie in the world." -Andreas
--"Did you guys sleep here? Was it loud? Did you get a shower in the morning" -Me to Wes
------"Yea it was fine. I don't shower on the weekends." -Wes
------"What? I don't even know how to respond to that." -Me
--"Are you kidding? I love Faulkner. I love stream-of-consciousness." -Josh
--"It's totally hit and miss with those guys." -Anna
--"I don't get it. I'm perfectly nice to chicks and get nowhere. Wally walks up to them and says 'Get on your knees bitch' and they all love him." -Carl
--"Mike. You know we could have had this talk anytime this weekend. Now is probably not a great time." -Me to Mike after everyone is packed and ready to go in the vans and he decides to have a nice heart to heart with his big sister
--"Alright Chris, goal for next weekend: No emergency vehicles at 900 Colonel By." -Emily to Me

A Transitional Movie

I went to see the new Harry Potter movie (Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix) last night with Anna and The Boy Roommate. It was my favorite book so far, and also my favorite movie so far. This is probably because there is finally a kiss and much more flirting between Ron and Hermione. Sounds so bad that I like it because the action, fantasy movie was a teeny tiny bit more chick-flicky. Actually that isn't true at all, it was really dark and quite scary. I was jumping out of my seat for the first half hour, they definitely aren't kids books and movies anymore. Most of my friends didn't like this book because nothing really happens. It is extremely transitional, and just moves the general plot on instead of having its own real story or mystery. I think this book held alot more character development and drama then the others. The story behind this book is Harry being worried that his mentor, Dumbledore, is now ignoring him. It also has great inner conflict issues and the usual focus on friendship. Great book, Great movie.

Sadness Comes In May

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." -Will Rogers -

Two of my closest friends suffered through a hard loss of a family pet last month. Steph's family's Yorkie, Eddy, had kidney failure a couple weeks ago, and passed away at the end of May. Steph was able to go home for the last few days of his life but the loss has been really difficult for the entire family. He was an adorably, spunky, little dog, who was a jumping, twirling support system for Steph's mother as she battled cancer last year. Her parents are now left with a completely empty house. Eddy's ashes have now been returned to the family and they are in the process of sorting through photographs of him to frame. He was awesome little dog. I look forward to seeing the pictures of Eddy around the house next time I visit.

Also, near the beginning of May, while I was in France, Anna's large, white, and beautiful Standard Poodle, Abigail, passed away from liver failure. This was extremely difficult for Anna, as it was her own pet and she was in Paris, unable to be with her family. At the end of the summer both Anna's family in Halifax, and Anna here in Ottawa will be getting sibling puppies from the same breeder. I'm sure Anna and The Boy Roommate's first pet, coming in September, will be just as sweet natured and good as Abigail was and her families other dog, Charlie is. I'm very excited to see the young couple have the puppy that they have been wanting and planning for.

"We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made." -M. Facklam -

Toilet Humour

If Women Controlled The World.

I took this from an e-mail sent by James' mom. This is so true as I now share a bathroom with two male roommates, who somehow seem to always leave the seat up and use all the toilet paper, which makes no sense cause..... well never mind.

Mouse Crisis, Part Five

I was warned a couple days ago that mice might be around. Tonight I took a nice long bath only to return to my room to find a tiny dead mouse lying just inside my doorway. Binx must have killed it during my bath, or sometime earlier and I just hadn't noticed. This left me alone in the house, wearing only a towel, and fairly upset. My roommates were all gone. Em is tree planting for the start of the summer, The Boy Roommate is still in Madrid, Ami and The New Roommate were out at the movies. I frantically called around trying to find someone to come and dispose of the bleeding carcase. I stayed downstairs watching TV until just after midnight when Ami and The New Roommate returned home. We played the "Your A Boy" card and The New Roommate kindly cleaned it up for me.

Finally The Louvre

I spent the evening at the Louvre, having postponed the trip to the museum multiple times. It was free for people under 25 for the four hours between 6pm-10pm on Friday nights. I got in, after having my bag x-rayed. The entire place was initially overwhelming, intimidating, annoying, and boring. I spent the first hour wandering aimlessly around seeing the "big sights" sneaking pictures of the Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, and The Raft of Medusa. The place is so filled with people, most of whom are talking much too loudly, have no real idea what they are looking at, and are wanting to add one more check to their list of great travel accomplishments. I remembered The Boy Roommate's advice and got an audioguide. It really focused and helped the rest of my visit. I walked around the French Sculpture and learned so much. It slowed down my pace, made me think and really love and appreciate the pieces. If I ever go through an art gallery alone again I will for sure get the audio guide. I also walked through Napoleon's rooms, which are still decorated and furnished with his original things. I probably only looked at 15% of the collection. I definitely think I should return to Paris, probably in the winter or low season, and do the Louvre for a week straight. Such a huge and amazing place.

A French Morning

I slept too much yesterday so found myself waking up at 6:30 this morning. Leaving a note for Anna on my pillow and throwing on dirty jeans I headed outside to grab breakfast. I was actually up before “la boulangerie” even opened. I decided to go looking for “un supermarché” because I knew Anna likes orange juice in the mornings and we didn’t buy it when we last went grocery shopping. The Boy Roommate had said there were lots of food shops in the neighborhood. I found one, but the manager (I could tell since he was wearing a suit and taking in a delivery) said it didn’t open until 8:30am. I decided to walk, and I walked for blocks and blocks all through the Left Bank. I started to look for a toilet. The newspaper man outside the Musée d’Orasay said there wasn’t one near-by because the museum was closed, the man in the “brasserie” said there was one next door, obviously sending me to another bar/café, finally I found one in a “un tabac” a lower class bar that also sold cigarettes. Thinking I was running late, since I wanted to be back to the room around the time Anna’s alarm went off at 9:00, I hurried back west. Of course I got lost because the streets here don’t run even close to parallel. When I finally made it back to the supermarket, it still wasn’t open, I must have read the initial clock wrong. I had problems communicating with the people there; figuring out when time it was and what time it was going to be open, even though they spoke English. I went around the corner to sit in a “brasserie” to wait out the next half hour. All the guidebooks tell you that it is cheaper to get things at the bar, and that there are different prices for a table inside and outside. This is so very true. There was a chart on the door with the prices for the different locations. Thankfully I found a bar stool and drank my “cappuccino” and “café au lait” over the next half hour. I couldn’t believe the number of people who ordered alcohol at 8:00 in the morning. I people watched and drooled over the hot bartender. Six Euro later, the equivalent of about nine Canadian dollars, I finally returned to the grocery store and bought the orange juice, which wasn’t stocked yet and had to ask a guy to get some “sans pulpe”. Then I headed to my bakery with considerably less money. After telling the lady “Je suis pauvre ce matain” she informed me I could at get “tois croissant ordinaire” for my “deux, quarante quater.” I made it home at the perfect time, with sore feet from the flip flops and hyped up on caffeine.

Poor Guy

I think The New Roommate (he is getting Anna's old blog nickname) has finally moved in. His first real night here involved The OC, Ami and I dishing about guys, and me waxing my legs. It was more than a little bit Estrogeny. Problem is for the last few weeks Le Manoir has been a girl house, since he hadn't moved in yet, and The Boy Roommate was in France. I'm going to have to get used to guys around again and start wearing pants.

Free Cone Day

The joys of Facebook are so numerous. A few weeks ago I saw this event for the Ben and Jerry's Free Cone Day. I didn't believe it, but info on the event listing on Facebook, and more info on the Ben and Jerry's website confirmed it to be true. There is a store in Ottawa, on Riverside. I asked The Boy Roommate to drive Ami and I there, though found out it was at the closest mall. We got free cones, it was great. Their ice cream is so good, very gourmet. I will have to make the April 17th thing an annual event, but I would never buy a cone there, I'm sure they are way to expensive. The Boy Roommate had to go, but Ami and I spent a bit of time wandering around the mall and than walked home to burn off some of the ice cream calories.

New Plant

Ok, Operation Steal The Plant was a success. I snuck down into Le Manior's big sun room and took this really neat little tree thing that is Anna's and brought it up to my room. The Boy Roommate doesn't suspect a thing. He is supposed to be caring for it while Anna is gone. Though I doubt he waters it much since every time I see it (and give it water) it is dry as a bone. This continues the "Chris steals Anna's stuff" saga; after adopting her comforter, make-up and now plant. I think that this time it is a good thing because I will care for it better, and unlike The Boy Roommate water it on occasion. Because of its large pretty pot and exotic plantness it looks really good in my room with my other decor. British Colonial Africa. I also follow in that theme, and like the British take what isn't mine.

Best Boyfriend Ever!

Not mine, I don't have one, been living the single life. But Anna, she is one lucky lady. Anna is in France for the next few months doing a semester of school there. Her birthday in on Tuesday (Happy Birthday to Anna) and her boyfriend, The Boy Roommate, went to Paris to surprise her. Anna and I had each been trying to figure out what he was giving her for her birthday, and well this is way better than anything I could have imagined. After spinning an interesting web of lies to Anna, me, and his other friends, The Boy Roommate boarded a bus to Montreal, got on a plane and went to France for a surprise weekend trip. He had been planing this for quite sometime, and no one knew, had tickets and everything, very impressive!!