Welcome to the Center of the Universe!

Well, my plan to shift the Center of the Universe to Fredericton is finally starting to work.

I'm super pumped that Michelle is coming over here for school. I predict lots of Pepsi and Gilmore Girls in the upcoming academic year.

And, Catherine is coming over for a few days. I predict lots of strawbales and X-Files for the upcoming weekend.

And now, off to do my happy dance!

Accentuate the positive

Well wonder of wonders. Not only was today a very good hair day, but my wardrobe choices also made me feel very very spiffy. The hair was sans frizz and excessive poofiness, and my new v-neck sweater drew many compliments.

And, there was new tv on tonight. Not just reality summer filler, but actual tv. I'm such a sucker for tv in September, because of all the season and series premieres. I'm trying really hard not to watch too much tv, because I decided that it's more fun to live my life than watch imaginary people live theirs. So, I'm trying to limit myself to one hour of planned/can't miss watching per night. Except Thursdays (ER and Grey's). However, I consider September to be an audition season of sorts, where I can try out as many shows as I want in order to find the perfect match.

Tonight I watched Bones and Justice. I caught the season finale of Bones last year, and I was intrigued by the lead character's backstory, which took center stage during the episode. Plus, EW says that David Boreanaz has "morphed into a glorious cross between Dean Martin and George Clooney". What's not to like about that? Plus, there's something oh-so-familiar about a show with a wisecracking crime-solving male lead and a deadpan forensics-loving female lead who have an underlying attraction to one another. Throw in some alien abduction and government conspiracy, and I'm so there.

Justice comes from executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. It's a slick and flashy lawyer show. Now I have proof that Jack Bristow wasn't really dead. He's just posing as a hot-shot lawyer in Los Angeles. You know who else works at his law firm? Jack from Dawson's Creek. It's Jack and Jack, SuperLawyers! It's a little jarring to see SpyDaddy in a courtroom, but I sorta got sucked into the show. We'll see how it goes.

As well as can be expected

*Sigh.*

My life is a perfect graveyard of broken hopes.

That's a sentence I heard in a play once or twice (or maybe hundreds of times), and I say it to myself whenever I'm disappointed in anything.

So the couch arrived on Friday, bearing a small yellow stain on the back. Not to mention the fact that it (the couch) is hideously ugly. The fabric on it is bent every which way, making it look like it's two-toned instead of one solid colour. Why I didn't notice this flaw in the showroom or during one of the numerous times I have slept on my mom's couch, I don't know. And the couch is non-returnable. I called Leon's about the stain and the fabric, and they're supposed to have their "stain-expert" call me this week.

I spent Saturday helping my littlest brother (future megastar) get ready to move away to school. Then on Sunday I went over to Antigonish to help him settle in. And while I'm so happy and proud that he's following his dreams, I'm also going to miss him like crazy, so my time with him was bittersweet.

The weekend wasn't all doom and gloom, however. I made a brief appearance at the lovely Box Office party on Saturday evening. On Sunday evening, I made it back to the Island on time to brush off my very rusty FOH skills and work on Aisle 2 (with Rosey!) for the Maud concert. I wore my sparkly skirt. Unfortunately, I was afflicted with severe melancholy for most of the evening, so I was not the best of company.

I had the day off today, so my sister and I watched some Gilmore Girls and did a little retail therapy. I bought a new bag for work, and it's pretty snazzy.

On the bright side, I plan to spend the upcoming weekend welcoming Michelle to the super-exciting city of Fredericton, and playing host to Catherine as she learns about strawbaling. There is also a visit to Halifax in the works, so don't worry, hopefully I shan't be too sad for too long.

Ow 2.

I had another knife incident tonight. While attempting to wash my new Paderno chef's knife, I felt the all too familiar sensation of sharpness slicing into my fingertip.

Thankfully, this cut isn't as deep as the one I had in January. No trip to the ER required. Just a bandaid. But my finger does sting a bit.

My new couch arrives tomorrow!

Wimbledon, here I come...

Tonight I spent an hour and a half playing tennis with a coworker, and it was super fun. I've always enjoyed watching tennis on tv (surprise! Lynda likes to watch tv), so when the opportunity arose to play for real, I agreed enthusiastically. Both of us are beginners, so tonight was just for fun to get our feet wet. We did play a set (I was trounced 6 to 1), but mostly we tried to see how long we could lob the ball back and forth. Methinks I'll have to invest in a racket.

One more day of work, and then it's a four-day weekend for me! Woot for weekends.

Why I am not going to see "Snakes on a Plane"

I decided last night that I am not going to see "Snakes on a Plane".

I blame it all on Danger Bay.

When I was little, I used to watch a lot of Danger Bay. What was not to like about Danger Bay? Grant Roberts (SuperVet!) and his kids, Jonah and Nicole, had various marine biology/environmental crime adventures in and around the Vancouver Aquarium. They lived on an island. Jonah and Nicole took a school boat to school. Totally Must See TV, especially if you only got two TV channels.

One night, there was an episode where someone was bitten by a poisonous snake, and Grant had to race against the clock to find an antidote. The episode was full of menacing close-up shots of The Snake. Characters' lives were hanging in the balance.

Very scary stuff for a little girl who is used to watching Mr. Dressup and Fraggle Rock.

For years after I saw that episode, I was utterly convinced that The Snake from Danger Bay was going to come into my house at night and kill me. I was so scared that I would always sleep with my back to the bedroom door, thinking that if The Snake came into my room to bite me, at least I wouldn't see it coming. It was only within the last few years that I was able to break myself of this habit.

I thought I had totally conquered my fear of The Snake, until last night, when I finally saw some footage from Snakes on a Plane. Then the memories came flooding back to me, and I was once again gripped by terror at the thought of You Know What attacking me in my sleep.

So, even though it seems like the movie is going to be a minor cult hit, I will not be going to see it. I just don't think I want to be reduced to a quivering wreck in the middle of a movie theatre. No thanks.

Bonjour, allo, salut!!!!!!

Squee!!!! Who needs sleep when you can brush up on your French?

I see the rain again

It was a cold and rainy day today, the kind that makes you want to curl up under your bedcovers and have a nap. Which is exactly what I did when I got home from work today. Which is also the reason why it's 11:12 p.m. and I'm wide awake.

It was also very good weather for a run, so after supper I got geared up and off I went. (That's right, Rosey, I went for a run!) I didn't count on being attacked by multiple swarms of flying bugs. You know what I mean. They travel in beach ball size packs, and you can't see them until you're smack in the middle of them. Before you know it, you're swatting like mad and trying not to swallow one of them. I still managed to get a decent run in, even if I am a little out of practice. I'm sure my muscles will thank me tomorrow.

Travel on your own schedule, or at least the schedule of the guy in front of you.

When I drove over the Confederation Bridge this afternoon, I was stuck behind this motorcycle the entire time. Don't worry, I didn't risk my life by taking this picture while driving, because the guy was only going about 65 km/h the whole time. The speed limit on the bridge is 80 km/h, and although it is a traffic violation to drive in excess of the posted speed limit, it's not unusual to see cars doing 90 km/h over the bridge. Not this guy, though. Even the long lineup of cars behind him didn't compell him to go any faster. Yeesh.

Easing the withdrawal...

So I'm back in PEI this weekend. After an insanely busy work day Up the River, I drove for over four hours, arriving in Ch'town at around 8:00. I was so happy to see my Centre peeps. It's always comforting that they don't forget me when I'm gone.

After the show, I rushed home to spend some QT with my sister. She has been in the T-dot for two weeks (the big smoke ain't no joke, you know). I'm hoping she brought me back a grey hoodie. Anyway, I really missed her, and I really wanted to see her. But, she appears to be in her room at the moment, and I don't want to wake her if she's sleeping. I tried to make some noise outside her door to alert her to my presence, but she's not taking the bait. I suppose our reunion will have to wait until tomorrow.

Lynda vs. Canadian Tire (Rounds 2 and 3)

Some of you may remember Round 1 of the Lynda/Canadian Tire throw down, which involved me desperately wanting to get winter tires for my car. Well, fast forward to July, when I decided it was time to take the winter tires off my car.

I wanted to be sure it wouldn't snow.

Okay, I was also very lazy.

Anyway, where did I go for my automotive service needs? Good old CT. I figured I was one up on the game, since I already had the tires I wanted to go on my car in my possession. They had been in my trunk since the CT guy put them there.

Anyway, so I dropped the car off for its appointment. I come back an hour later, and I can see my car still suspended in mid-air, sans tires.

"Two of your tires are unsafe," they say. "You need to buy new ones."

Why didn't they call me before this??

So, I agree to buy two tires on sale in the flyer. Then Buddy comes back, not once, but twice, because they don't have the tires in stock. Then they have to put the tires on. So, instead of a one hour appointment, my car was there for two and a half hours. And I'm pretty sure they charged me for installation of the tires I bought, even though I read somewhere that if you do buy tires there, installation is free. Grr.

Anyway, today was Round 3. When I was gripped by my apartment therapy frenzy in the spring, I bought a rug for my living room area. At Canadian Tire. It was a nice rug. However, as soon as I unfurled it, I knew it didn't match anything. But, I let it sit there for a while, until I was utterly convinced that it was unsuitable. Then I rolled it up and put it in my bedroom.

Well, in anticipation of my new couch's arrival (next Friday!), I am trying to declutter a little, so I decided it was time to return the rug. Except I couldn't find the receipt. So I tried to call to see what their return policy was. I was kept on hold for 45 minutes before hanging up in a huff.

Forty-five minutes. And still no one picked up!

Then I lugged the rug out to the car and scooted off to the store, hoping to catch a real person. The girl at the desk told me I needed the date of purchase. I tried to fudge things a bit by saying it was a gift, so I didn't know the date of purchase (and really, the rug was a gift from me to myself, so technically, it's not really a lie). So I had to go back home (with the rug) and find some evidence of date of purchase, then head back over to the store to try again. Luckily, it worked this time (I spoke to a different, more friendly salesperson). However, I forgot to bring back the CT money they gave me, so I lost out on 80 cents of my refund.

What lessons have we learned so far about doing business at Canadian Tire?

1. Even though the store is called "Canadian Tire", perhaps one should not buy tires there.
2. One should always keep one's receipt, or at least know off the top of one's head the date of purchase for one's item.
3. One should not call the "customer service" department at the store. One should visit in person and wait until one can speak with a competent person.

Nose woes

Tonight I managed to drag myself away from a rerun of Street Legal (that's right) to zip out to Zellers and return some stuff. I also went to the pharmacy and finally filled my prescription for Nasonex. I'm tired of not being able to breathe through my nose. I'm also tired of making /b/ sounds when I want to make /m/ sounds. Unfortunately, I'm also very reluctant to spray something, especially a "corticosteroid" up my nose. I'm not so sure about this Nasonex stuff. Side effects are nosebleeds. Yeah. We'll see how this goes.

Gulp.

In a moment of rare decisive action, I bought a couch today. It's the same couch my mom bought about a year ago. It's very comfortable, and similar in style and fabric to my current blue loveseat. The taupe colour matches adequately. I think this will work.

Jeepers, it's been how long now that I've been looking for a couch? Yeesh.

Another day of rest

Well, after the flurry of activity from yesterday, today was pretty slow. I did have big shopping plans, but they had to be postponed after I had an unexpected two hour nap in the middle of the afternoon. Then, during my walk, I ran into a friend of mine who I haven't seen in years. I knew he was living in town, but our paths never seemed to cross until today. It was so weird, because I was thinking about him before I saw him today and everything. It totally threw me off, and I'm afraid I came across as quite bumbling and inarticulate when we were speaking.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I keep having these overwhelming urges to cook and bake. Example: on Friday I made cookies. I ate them all. Today I made lemon loaf. At 9:00 in the evening. I'm trying really hard not to eat it all. I'm not even hungry for it. It's not even that good. Gah.

12 of 12 - August 2006

Here we go with another installment of Chad Darnell's "12 of 12". Huzzah for the 12th being on a weekend!!


8:46 a.m. Even though the clock says 8:51, it's actually 8:46. I set it a little fast to get me out of bed in the morning. Sadly, even though it's Saturday, I woke up relatively early.


8:50 a.m. A beautiful morning, even if it is a little early.


8:52 a.m. Mmm... cookies for breakfast.


9:45 a.m. Well, it's a good thing I was already up, because this fella decided to have a lengthy (and loud) conversation with the two chatterboxes on the balcony (not seen). They were talking about ice. Apparently, they only gave him "two f***ing bags of ice at the store". Pity.



10:00 a.m. On Saturday, everyone goes to the market. Everyone. It was way too crowded to browse comfortably. I couldn't even get inside the building in a timely manner, so I left right after I took this photo. No Belgian waffles for me today.


10:15 a.m. This is my favourite sign in Fredericton. It says no left turn towards Tim Hortons (a well-known coffee/donut shop). Cracks me up every time.

12:16 p.m. It was delightfully nippy in my apartment, so I decided to wear my duck slippers to keep my feet warm. Quack.

1:34 p.m. I was went apartment hunting with Michelle and her family. There was Pepsi and chocolate involved, so how could I say no?

sometime in the afternoon... I was so engrossed in the apartment hunt that I forgot to take pictures, so I made this one up. That's me, Michelle, her parents, and her dog. We were roaming the streets, trying to find Michelle a place to live so she doesn't have to sleep on a bench this fall.

7:00 p.m. I finished off the cookies. They were supposed to be for Michelle and her family, but I forgot to give them to them. Oops.

8:00 p.m. Went for a walk by another "waterfall".

9:30 p.m. I figured that since I didn't go home this weekend, I was entitled to a little retail therapy. I finally picked up "Goblet of Fire" on DVD, and I was very pleased to get the Wonderfalls series for only $15.oo. To think I was going to order it from Amazon for $45.00. It's another one of those critically-aclaimed series that was largely ignored by the viewing public. I'll put it beside my Sports Night and Once and Again DVD's.

And now, off to find some way to distract myself from the Neighbour Noise currently seeping through the walls of my apartment.

But we would eat Kraft Dinner...

Mark this date on your calendars, people. First of all, it's Friday night, and I'm still in Fredericton. Shocking, I know. Perhaps even more shocking is that it's not hot out. It's actually rather cool. Cool enough to turn the oven on and make cookies!!! I made a batch of Ranger cookies (my specialty) to celebrate.

I went for a long walk today - two and a half hours. I then proceeded to completely negate any benefit from said walk by consuming a whole box of Extra Creamy Kraft Dinner. It was calling my name. I keep forgeting that a whole box is too much for me to eat. I was fine after the first two bowls. After the third bowl, I was feeling a little stuffed, and after the last bowl, I was definitely ill and had to have a lie down. While I was eating, I looked up Kraft Dinner on Wikipedia, where I was somewhat surprised to learn that KD is more popular in Canada than in the States. It was also amusing to note that they can't call it "Macaroni and Cheese" in Canada because it "...does not contain pasteurized cheese as the law understands it, and therefore the name of the product cannot misinform as to its true nature." Maybe that's why I don't like real cheese that much - I keep expecting it to taste like the orange KD powdered stuff.

12 of 12 tomorrow. Anyone else in?

Umm... Happy Thursday?

So I just watched a fireworks show from my apartment window. Doesn't it seem random to have fireworks on August 10th? Is this another crazy NB holiday I haven't heard of? Perhaps a belated NB Day celebration? I'm still pumped up over the novelty of watching fireworks while inside. Perhaps I imagined it all. Weirdness.

Drop the needle!

My song of the week is "Dance Desire", by Haywire. This gem was thankfully dropped during the preview week of Canada Rocks (those who saw it will remember why). However, hearing it again made me flashback to my days of roller skating at Skate Country. It makes me think of the thrill I would get when I laced up my super cool beige rental skates. I remember the satisfying spinning sound of the rotating wheels. The ever-present Hostess Munchie. The disco ball. The birthday cake topped with the chocolate roller skate that tasted crappy. Very good times.

Tic-a-tic-a-toc tic-a-tic-a-toc

I bought a new watch today. It's very grown-up and sensible, especially compared to my cheerful and colourful Care Bears watch. It also has an analog display, so I'm going to have to retrain myself to tell time the old-fashioned way. Sigh. Change is so hard.

A reminder that "12 of 12" is fast-approaching... August 12th is a Saturday, and it's looking highly likely that I will be spending the weekend in Fredericton. And I know you're all dying to know what the city looks like on the weekend. Well, prepare to be dazzled. And I'm open to suggestions for the bonus picture, which is to be based on the word "homage". Can I have the word origin? Can you use it in a sentence, please? Are there any other alternate pronunciations?

Groceries for one

Monday is my grocery night. On Monday's at Sobeys, you'll find a plethora of people shopping for one. These single shoppers scoot purposefully through the store, seldom lingering in the aisles. Each person seems to be in his/her own universe, happy to ignore their surroundings. It makes for relatively quick and painless grocery shopping (unless there aren't any cucumbers. Don't get me started).

Well, Monday was New Brunswick Day (see yesterday's post), and the grocery stores were closed. So I had to go shopping tonight.

Apparently, Tuesday is Couple's Night. No one told me.

Everywhere I looked, there were couples. They were strolling leisurely down the aisles, carefully debating the merits of brand name vs. no-name granola bars. Inevitably, the guy would be dutifully carrying the full grocery basket while the girl would fetch the desired items. And let's not forget the lovey-dovey displays of public affection. Seriously. In the grocery store.

It's no fun being the Odd Girl Out at the grocery store. It makes me feel defensive about my lack of attachment. Being single is okay, I tell myself. I almost believe it.

Anyway, to distract myself, I tried to make Wacky Cake. It's basically chocolate cake made without eggs. One of my patients mentioned it last week, proclaiming it the best cake ever. I tried using a recipe I found online, but the results were less than satisfactory. In fact, it feels like there's a large lump of Wacky Cake at the bottom of my stomach right now, even though I chased it with lots of Pepsi. So if anyone has a real Wacky Cake recipe they'd like to share, please do.

Happy New Brunswick Day!

( not New Brunswick)

Today is New Brunswick Day. I'm not sure what the real purpose of the holiday is, but I am grateful for it, because it allowed me to squeeze in some extra time in PEI this weekend. When will there be a PEI Day?

On Saturday afternoon I had a lovely adventure with Rosey in Rustico and New Glascow. We discovered the most tremendously scrumptious meat pie at the bakery in North Rustico (right across from the co-op). It was divine. It was like tasting Christmas. It was so good, I went back and bought two more on Sunday.

Saturday evening found me in the theater once again. We were "treated" to an understudy-filled show that evening. After the show I had a most excellent time at Late Night with my Centre peeps.

On Sunday I spent some quality time with my mom. We went for a drive in the afternoon, and then we saw A Prairie Home Companion at City Cinema that evening, followed by a viewing of BB7. I had been eagerly anticipating PHC, as you know. It was an enjoyable movie, but I think I was anticipating a little something more. It's not quite DVD-worthy, or soundtrack-worthy. But it did make me smile, and there was lots of banjo. And we all know how I feel about the banjo.

Tomorrow it's back to working for the Man. However, it's only a 3-day work week for me, because Friday is my Flex Day. Woot for 3-day weeks.

Tremendous

Tonight I got together with my friend Vanessa and we watched Anne 2. Yes, that's right, the whole thing in one evening. We are both big Anne fans (betcha you didn't know that about me), and we both had seen Anne 2 multiple times, so it was great to be able to chat and giggle all the way through it. We hooted with laughter every time Diana's goofball husband Fred (played by Kid in the Hall Bruce McCullough) appeared onscreen. We (well, mostly I) mocked Anne's ultra-poofy hair. It was a delightful evening with delightful company.

I couldn't help but recall some of my previous viewings of Anne 2. The first time it was on tv, my mom made me go to bed before the end, so I never knew what happened until I read the books. Actually, the movie doesn't follow the book exactly in the first place, but let's not get started on that tirade. I remember it used to be on PBS all the time during their pledge drives. I can still see myself sitting in the den, studying for high school exams and watching Anne 2 simultaneously. And of course, when the Theatre Shop was still in the lobby at the Centre, they used to play the movie repeatedly all summer long. Ahh, good times.

And I don't really mind that I missed tonight's episode of BB7. That's what PVR's are for.

An amazing product that instantly dissolves calcium and lime stains you can't scrub away...

Tonight, despite the oppressive heat, I was seized by an uncontrollable urge to clean my apartment. This is a rare occurence, so I felt it was best to give in. As a result, I have been cleaning since I got home at 4:30 today. Yes, I even left work early so I could clean. Yeesh. I even cleaned my living room blinds - for the first time since I moved in. My back is sore and my fingertips are wrinkly, but my apartment is sparkly and fresh. That should do for another few months, at least.

PB and no J

My new food addiction: Kraft smooth peanut butter with Sobey's multigrain bread. It's a grown-up peanut butter sandwich. I cannot stop eating them. Please help.