"Your bird mama is soooo horrible, she rejects you if you've been touched by a human."
Our sense of humour is a little bit twisted at the beach. Kristen, Noah, Jason, and I are hanging out at The Cottage.
Monday, 30 June 2014
Sunday, 29 June 2014
Getting Your Fruit Cut
Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.
My mom used to make fun of my dad for the fact that his mother peeled his oranges. Whenever Dad was going on about how easy Mike and I had it or how much harder his parents had been on him, my mom would just say, "Yeah right, your mother used to peel your oranges!" I gather this happened well into high school and seeing that my mom knows about it, probably also during university.
The reason was that my Aunty Laura bit her nails and struggled to peel the oranges that were packed in her lunch. So, my grandma would peel them for her. Then 13 years later when she started packing lunch for my dad (there was a big age difference between my dad and his sister) she thought she should be fair and peel his oranges too.
I think that this may have been the root of the fact that he was always willing to peel and slice my bananas for me. I don't like touching the inside of a banana peel so always ask other people to help me open them. I then prefer that it is cut into 'coins' for me to eat with a fork. When I lived with Steph she would do it for me sometimes and whenever I came home to visit my dad would always be willing to do it to.
My mom used to make fun of my dad for the fact that his mother peeled his oranges. Whenever Dad was going on about how easy Mike and I had it or how much harder his parents had been on him, my mom would just say, "Yeah right, your mother used to peel your oranges!" I gather this happened well into high school and seeing that my mom knows about it, probably also during university.
The reason was that my Aunty Laura bit her nails and struggled to peel the oranges that were packed in her lunch. So, my grandma would peel them for her. Then 13 years later when she started packing lunch for my dad (there was a big age difference between my dad and his sister) she thought she should be fair and peel his oranges too.
I think that this may have been the root of the fact that he was always willing to peel and slice my bananas for me. I don't like touching the inside of a banana peel so always ask other people to help me open them. I then prefer that it is cut into 'coins' for me to eat with a fork. When I lived with Steph she would do it for me sometimes and whenever I came home to visit my dad would always be willing to do it to.
Saturday, 28 June 2014
In The Shadow Of A Great One
Why must she look so cute when being bad? These books are on the top of a bookcase. Two is not allowed to climb the many bookcases we have at Rrunuv Bayit. She also isn't allowed on tables, desks, or counters. Whenever I catch her somewhere she shouldn't be, she always looks so cute!
The Eye Of A Tiny Tiger
Photo by ME with my phone
Friday, 27 June 2014
I Agree Aziz
The opening part of Aziz Ansari's stand-up routine, Buried Alive, (which I believe you can watch on Netflix) pretty accurately explains my current feelings towards having children:
I turned 30 years old this year. It has been a good year. I have found this year to be the year where a lot of my friends are getting serious about their lives. You know, they call me up, they say serious things, they're like, "Aziz! You're not going to believe it! I just had a baby!" And I always have the same reaction, I always go, "Hahahaha! That sucks! I am so sorry that happened. Why were you guys not using condoms or birth control? You are going to have to take care of that thing forever! Alright, well, I'll talk to you later. I'm going to go do, literally, anything I want. Cause, I don't have a baby, so all my options - are still options."
The first section of his routine continues along the same topic and tends to reflect my own thoughts fairly consistently. Which leaves me thinking: I guess I'm still not really that grown-up.
I turned 30 years old this year. It has been a good year. I have found this year to be the year where a lot of my friends are getting serious about their lives. You know, they call me up, they say serious things, they're like, "Aziz! You're not going to believe it! I just had a baby!" And I always have the same reaction, I always go, "Hahahaha! That sucks! I am so sorry that happened. Why were you guys not using condoms or birth control? You are going to have to take care of that thing forever! Alright, well, I'll talk to you later. I'm going to go do, literally, anything I want. Cause, I don't have a baby, so all my options - are still options."
The first section of his routine continues along the same topic and tends to reflect my own thoughts fairly consistently. Which leaves me thinking: I guess I'm still not really that grown-up.
Thursday, 26 June 2014
Waiting To Make It
By Christine Sweeton
- Part 1:
Patia rushed down the back staircase of Carving and past the plastic bags filled with clean linens. She found Krista, in the tiny staff bathroom, leaning over the sink, slowly filling in a perfect red pout. "Out! Out. Out." shooing away the tall, champagne-glass blond and closing the door behind her. When Patia emerged in her tight, black, tank-dress, Krista was waiting. Standing with her hand on what passed as a hip LA. Practically tapping her toe with impatience, her moss-green eyes glared down at Patia with exasperation.
"Y'all gone done in-dare?" she asked in a soft southern drawl that, 8 months in, Patia was still skeptical about. Narrowing her eyes to meet Krista's stare, Patia pulled a make-up bag out of her small duffel. "Well, ya'gonna hafta share da mirror dare," the cotton-candy voice did not match the daggers in her eyes.
Tay's loud clear voice rang out from the doorway of the break room in the back of the basement space, "They just installed a big one in here." Patia grunted in question. "A mirror. They just put a big mirror and counter back here." Patia raised an eyebrow at Krista, grabbed her bags, and went to see.
What Tay described as a counter turned out to be a 6'x2' sheet of plywood affixed to the wall with mismatched IKEA brackets. Above it was a sizable mirror reflecting back the rest of the depressing furniture in the break room: an old red futon mattress roughly folded into a couch shape was slumped against the back wall, the bulletin board filled with various notices hung at an angle above that, the stained table sat in the center of the room, the 5 plush dining-chairs brought down from the restaurant upstairs seem out of place until you notice the many tears in their upholstery, and lastly across from the mirror was a cube-style bookcase, slightly slanted and held together with duct-tape. Patia paused to inspect the bookcase using the mirrors reflection. Slowly pulling out her make-up, she counted the number of cubicles in use. Based on how many had been filled with bags, backpacks, drinks, and cell phones, Patia knew she was probably the last person to show up for the dinner shift - again.
- Part 1:
Patia rushed down the back staircase of Carving and past the plastic bags filled with clean linens. She found Krista, in the tiny staff bathroom, leaning over the sink, slowly filling in a perfect red pout. "Out! Out. Out." shooing away the tall, champagne-glass blond and closing the door behind her. When Patia emerged in her tight, black, tank-dress, Krista was waiting. Standing with her hand on what passed as a hip LA. Practically tapping her toe with impatience, her moss-green eyes glared down at Patia with exasperation.
"Y'all gone done in-dare?" she asked in a soft southern drawl that, 8 months in, Patia was still skeptical about. Narrowing her eyes to meet Krista's stare, Patia pulled a make-up bag out of her small duffel. "Well, ya'gonna hafta share da mirror dare," the cotton-candy voice did not match the daggers in her eyes.
Tay's loud clear voice rang out from the doorway of the break room in the back of the basement space, "They just installed a big one in here." Patia grunted in question. "A mirror. They just put a big mirror and counter back here." Patia raised an eyebrow at Krista, grabbed her bags, and went to see.
What Tay described as a counter turned out to be a 6'x2' sheet of plywood affixed to the wall with mismatched IKEA brackets. Above it was a sizable mirror reflecting back the rest of the depressing furniture in the break room: an old red futon mattress roughly folded into a couch shape was slumped against the back wall, the bulletin board filled with various notices hung at an angle above that, the stained table sat in the center of the room, the 5 plush dining-chairs brought down from the restaurant upstairs seem out of place until you notice the many tears in their upholstery, and lastly across from the mirror was a cube-style bookcase, slightly slanted and held together with duct-tape. Patia paused to inspect the bookcase using the mirrors reflection. Slowly pulling out her make-up, she counted the number of cubicles in use. Based on how many had been filled with bags, backpacks, drinks, and cell phones, Patia knew she was probably the last person to show up for the dinner shift - again.
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Steph's Back From The UK
In 2008, Steph and I went to London (with a side trip for a couple of days to Salisbury to see Stonehenge.) It was mid-January, which is not the ideal time to tour that area of Europe except that the prices are good. We went for 10 days and were celebrating Steph finishing university.
You can read the trip highlights or look at a few pictures I took during the trip - Photo Post 1 - Photo Post 2. Compared to other trips I have taken, I didn't post that much on Always Standing about it. However, I remember it being an amazing trip. Steph and I travel well together (and stay under budget!)
A couple of years later, I ended up back in London for a few hours early one morning in February of 2010. I missed a flight out of Heathrow on my way home from Spain. Even though the airport is fairly far away from downtown, I used the opportunity to head into London for a super quick bus ride around the main parts of the city.
Most recently, Steph went with Dave to Ireland and the UK and has just returned. Keep checking her blog (LINK is also always on the left column of Always Standing) to see photos and read stories from her trip.
You can read the trip highlights or look at a few pictures I took during the trip - Photo Post 1 - Photo Post 2. Compared to other trips I have taken, I didn't post that much on Always Standing about it. However, I remember it being an amazing trip. Steph and I travel well together (and stay under budget!)
A couple of years later, I ended up back in London for a few hours early one morning in February of 2010. I missed a flight out of Heathrow on my way home from Spain. Even though the airport is fairly far away from downtown, I used the opportunity to head into London for a super quick bus ride around the main parts of the city.
Most recently, Steph went with Dave to Ireland and the UK and has just returned. Keep checking her blog (LINK is also always on the left column of Always Standing) to see photos and read stories from her trip.
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Dad Was Shazam
Sunday Mornin' Coming Down - A post about my Dad each Sunday, named after a song that he loved.
There is a smart-phone application called Shazam. "Shazam is a mobile app that recognizes music and TV around you." You just click a button on your phone and then it uses the microphone to gather a brief sample of the music being played. It creates an 'acoustic fingerprint' based on the sample, and compares it against a huge database for a match. Then it sends information such as the artist, song title, and album back to you. This is super helpful! Firstly, no one ever knows who sings a song or what the song is called and this tells you. Secondly, I have seen people use the app when they hear a song they like (and know its name and artist) but click Shazam so that it records it - then they use it as a list of songs they want to download when they are next at their computer.
My dad was the original Shazam. He loved to ask "Do you know who sings this?" whenever a song came on. I never knew, I never know. Sometimes I would guess but 98% of the time I was wrong. However, Dad always knew - this may have been in part because we mainly listened to songs that were on his mixed tapes/cds. In general though, he loved music and knew a solid amount of information about it - you could count on him to know who sang something. Unfortunately the person I drive with most at the moment is Jason, and he does not tend to know. (He also hates radio commercials so often changes the channel before the radio announcer gets a chance to tell me about the song.) I don't have Shazam but am planning on downloading it whenever I get my next smart phone. I miss having a person who could serve the same function - and serve it with so much joy, Dad loved music and sharing it and knowing about it.
Post inspiration: Hearing the song with the chorus that starts, "Superman never made any money..." and being able to sing all the lyrics but have no idea the actual title or singer/band. Turns out it is from the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies from the early 1990's and it is called 'Superman's Song.' My dad would have known most of that right away - he also liked that song, it was on at least one of his mixed tapes.
There is a smart-phone application called Shazam. "Shazam is a mobile app that recognizes music and TV around you." You just click a button on your phone and then it uses the microphone to gather a brief sample of the music being played. It creates an 'acoustic fingerprint' based on the sample, and compares it against a huge database for a match. Then it sends information such as the artist, song title, and album back to you. This is super helpful! Firstly, no one ever knows who sings a song or what the song is called and this tells you. Secondly, I have seen people use the app when they hear a song they like (and know its name and artist) but click Shazam so that it records it - then they use it as a list of songs they want to download when they are next at their computer.
My dad was the original Shazam. He loved to ask "Do you know who sings this?" whenever a song came on. I never knew, I never know. Sometimes I would guess but 98% of the time I was wrong. However, Dad always knew - this may have been in part because we mainly listened to songs that were on his mixed tapes/cds. In general though, he loved music and knew a solid amount of information about it - you could count on him to know who sang something. Unfortunately the person I drive with most at the moment is Jason, and he does not tend to know. (He also hates radio commercials so often changes the channel before the radio announcer gets a chance to tell me about the song.) I don't have Shazam but am planning on downloading it whenever I get my next smart phone. I miss having a person who could serve the same function - and serve it with so much joy, Dad loved music and sharing it and knowing about it.
Post inspiration: Hearing the song with the chorus that starts, "Superman never made any money..." and being able to sing all the lyrics but have no idea the actual title or singer/band. Turns out it is from the Canadian band Crash Test Dummies from the early 1990's and it is called 'Superman's Song.' My dad would have known most of that right away - he also liked that song, it was on at least one of his mixed tapes.
"And sometimes I despair
the world will never see another man
like him."
Saturday, 21 June 2014
A Caturday Update
Aunty Laura sent me a little update about Rusty, who is looking as cute as ever:
"Thank goodness I didn't get a kitten. He is about all I can handle. On last Friday night I went into the hospital for three days and he was left alone. Fortunately Linda fed him and changed his litter and played with him a couple of times a day. Rusty wore her out. He got fixed the day after I got home and he is doing find. They cut his claws for free. He has ring worm and I have to pick up some pills for him. Thanks to Linda's care he is none the worse for the wear of me being away. He is a very good companion. Loves to watch me play spider on the computer."
"Hasn't scratched the furniture but does not use the scratching post much except to stretch out and sleep on the carpet base. Rusty likes a little milk. I had the Computer Guy show me how to E-mail photos of Rusty. They are not as cute as Rasta's are. He doesn't wake me up in the morning to feed him. He waits till I get out to the kitchen to start meowing. He likes to put my fingers in his mouth and chew on my nails. I am having trouble brushing. He only wants to play with the brush and me. I have real trouble keeping him off the computer. About all I can think of to tell you about him. Thank you so much for giving me Rusty. Love Aunt Laura"
Rusty With His Paw On Aunty Laura's Shoe
Photo by Aunty Laura
"Thank goodness I didn't get a kitten. He is about all I can handle. On last Friday night I went into the hospital for three days and he was left alone. Fortunately Linda fed him and changed his litter and played with him a couple of times a day. Rusty wore her out. He got fixed the day after I got home and he is doing find. They cut his claws for free. He has ring worm and I have to pick up some pills for him. Thanks to Linda's care he is none the worse for the wear of me being away. He is a very good companion. Loves to watch me play spider on the computer."
Rusty And Spider Solitaire
Photo by Aunty Laura
"Hasn't scratched the furniture but does not use the scratching post much except to stretch out and sleep on the carpet base. Rusty likes a little milk. I had the Computer Guy show me how to E-mail photos of Rusty. They are not as cute as Rasta's are. He doesn't wake me up in the morning to feed him. He waits till I get out to the kitchen to start meowing. He likes to put my fingers in his mouth and chew on my nails. I am having trouble brushing. He only wants to play with the brush and me. I have real trouble keeping him off the computer. About all I can think of to tell you about him. Thank you so much for giving me Rusty. Love Aunt Laura"
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