time....

Know when all you want is for time to hurry up.. and then the next moment you just need it to stop?

I'm having a weekend like that.

Thursday nearly killed me, it took THAT long for the day to pass. Then Thursday night? oh, took about 12 seconds. I had dinner with a group of some of the most lovely people I know, then we took in a concert of the ever dreamy Justin Rutledge. so good. But the night passed so quickly, even though we stretched it out till 2:30.  

AM

The rest of the weekend.. was... fantastic. 

and though I may never catch up on the sleep, it was time well spent.

(How's that for a cop-out on capturing a weekend in words?)

-Yule Sing (two shows- awesome)

-Living room song circles

-three days of soup and cheese

-parades

-elf man

-thrift shops

-felt

-flowers

-art

-smiles

-felted sweater heads

-photos

-rehearsal

-"you're a dick"

-boxing santas

-clementines

-le sigh (I'll never remember it all)

laughing and crying

Ruth wrote yet another great entry this week about GTI.
I was crying by the end....

and as much fun as I'm having with the play... I'm really annoyed that I'm missing dinners now. That wasn't in the plan.... at all. In fact, I'm pretty sure the thing I said was "there's no rehersals on Wednesdays right?".

ho ho ho

Did I mention the Santa Clause parade?
Well, there's another one this weekend, Port of Hope has theirs on Saturday... watch for me there... crap. I just realized I forgot my costume at the firehall.


also. the last parade was lovely.
quite
lovely

plans for next year's new year's resolution is already in the works.
scale back on my main love language.

Monday Bunday

Since I got the door knob fixed, poor Pontouff has had to hang out with me... he can't just push the door open and hide in the bedroom (read:: sleep in the suitcase under my bed).

You're doomed.

Don't lay on the floor.

fix it

Another thought for the collage party, I need a new tool box.

Yes, those two thoughts are related.

My current tool box is lovely, lovely but broken. I podged it about 10 years ago with pictures of tools and sparkly things... because, you know... I wouldn't want it to look too manly or anything. Anyway, it wasn't till I typed the previous sentence that I realized how old the tool box was. And I was feeling bad that the tray was broken in it and that my tools were sort of breaking it from being too heavy and whatever.... but just realized 10 years is a long time to NOT break something like that... and I don't feel bad at all.

So, for the collage party, I may be collage-ing on a new tool box! Maybe a strong metal one. I was pricing them tonight when I was at Canadian Tire (that would be the hardware store for you non-Canadians).

Driving home, I decided to pull out the tool box. My door knob has been broken for some time now- to the point that I couldn't close my door, as I couldn't open it from the outside.. and could barely open it from the inside... I got locked out a few times, but I was able to break in from the sun porch.

I don't know how door knobs work. So I took it apart. That didn't help, but I was able to put it back together... and for some reason... it now works.

I'm very happy to have a door that closes.

And one that opens.

So I don't die in a fire.

paper

I'm going to a collage party (not college party).. and I'm very excited. 

I'm sure I've ranted on and on about my fascination with paper... but being as I can't get the blogger search bar to work, I'm not going to give you links to old boring stories... stories about my "pretty paper" hoarding problem.. or how the perfect paper makes for perfect journaling... 

So, a joint idea came about the other night while talking about ideas for a collage.. I think I'm going to try to put together some of my favourite facebook status lines into something... I do like the status lines...

all grown up

I splurged.

I've been intending to make this purchase for the past few years, and each year I put it off till it's too late, and they are all sold out..

I am a grown up, with matching Christmas decorations, accented by family favourites and childhood silliness. 

Just when I was thinking I'd like to get rid of all my "stuff"... I find some stuff makes me happy.

how do you do? Part 2

I know I've posted this link before, but really, it fascinates me... I reload it as often as I can...

How do the interwebs feel today?

light

it's amazing how a little light can change everything.

I'm not talking in metaphors here... though, feel free to use it if you must.

(idea thieves)

Old roomie has moved out... she'll now be called... um... Doula... cause that makes sense... and current roomie shall inherit the name "roomie". Clear? good.

Roomie bought two lamps awhile back at the Blue Box (Beyond the Blue Box is the best store ever- a second hand shop that rivals all others).  She had a vision... spray paint them, give them new shades... give them new life.... 

I have no vision. 

I see two old lamps, and write it off as crazy talk.

Our house has a very harsh front sitting room. It's tiny, the ceiling high, the furniture is ugly (I really need to find slip covers or something!), and the window is just feet from the street. 

Roomie has transformed the room!

with just one little light standing in the corner, the room is a place where you WANT to sit now... a welcome addition to the cozy basement corner. 

Our home is growing up!

stuffs

We have SNOW.

Because it was the first snowfall of the season, most surfaces aren't already coated in a frosting of salt. Instead, there's quite a bit of ice around. 

And it's COLD.

I'd warmed up my car in the morning a little by driving from job 1 to home, then off to job 2. But I'd trudged thru the snow, and my shoes were wet. They've got pretty deep grooves in them, so they hold a lot of moisture. 

I got out of my car, and was standing beside a vehicle waiting for the person to get out, when I noticed... my shoes were frozen to the ground!!!!

Not frozen like "I'm stuck here till spring" but more like "my shoes are in bubble gum".

I hate cold.

Bunday Monday

Please... I'm just trying to enjoy the last bit of sunlight... 

ROYALness

Have I mentioned how much I love the royal?

Well, I do.

And every year I run into at least one person I know while I'm there.. which I think is pretty random. Because really... how many of my friends are into the Royal? And seriously, what's the likelihood we'll pick the same day.. or be in the same building/exhibit?

And yet.. it never fails.

I saw 5 people I knew this year. Including the bobsey twins... the couple that volunteers at SVFF and wear matching outfits every day. They are the ones that have caused me to become a garlic snob.

And I'm ok with that.

ALSO usually when I'm at the Royal, but more often when I visit "Quarterama" (it's a huge Quarter horse show that happens in the same building later in the year) I run into someone from the ranch. My first two years (aside from trips with my family) to the Royal and Quarterama were with the ranch, running a booth, answering questions about the camp/facilities... you meet a lot of people that way. I miss doing that... 

Anyway, there are two people in particular that I often run into... I kept my eyes open, and I didn't see either of them, BUT I'm pretty sure that one of them WAS there, and that he was watching one of the shows (the international jumper competition) ... but he was on the far side of the ring.. and I didn't have a camera so I could zoom in and be certain... 

oh horses.

set the alarm for next year

could someone please remind me that I want to be Bubz for Halloween next year? Please and thank you.

I didn't dress up this year.
Did you?

mister tambourine man

ok, so the thing that had the potential of being the most embarrassing element of the play for me (um... aside from that other thing) has been resolved. 

And I am SO totally ok with it now.

ok?

In other news... I'm on my way to the royal winter fair tomorrow, and I know you wish you were going.

oops

I started my mini vacation today.

I had big plans for getting things done.

instead, I ate many carbs,

watched lots of TV,

ate clementines,

and lurked all of you on facebook.

today is the opposite of Marathon Wednesday!

the great eternal mystery.

have any clue what that is?

That's me.. after I've finished my laundry. I own a number of pairs of socks and underwear. It all stems from living in an apartment that didn't have laundry facilities ... and having a lifestyle that didn't fit sitting around in a laundromat for hours on end... at least, not often!

So... I can go a few weeks without doing laundry.

This picture shows what happens when you put off doing laundry- and allow yourself to wear mismatching socks when you don't take the time to wash everything at the same time....

yeah... 14 socks with no mates.

not cool.

back in time... waaaaaay back

for years I've been looking for a certain Christmas special.

seriously for years... I started when I was around 18... checking in at the local video store, asking the owners if they remembered it. (They did, but didn't know the name of it)

This was in the days before Google.

These are the days of Google, so for the past few years, I've been googling "Christmas specials old" "Disney Christmas specials night before Christmas" and "mama dolls decorate the tree"

all for naught.

Growing up, we'd watch all the Christmas specials we could find. Grinch was right up there. The animated Rudolf, old saint nick, chipmunks, Micky, Muppet's.... the list goes on. But the one I loved most was the one where the night before Christmas played... Santa went down the chimney, and let loose the bag of toys who proceeded to decorate the tree while a dozen little kids slept. Images that stuck out in my mind the most... the dolls that say "mama" marching along (floppy falling over) in time to the tin solders playing their trumpets.... the fire engine pumping fake snow onto the branches.... Santa using a tiny umbrella in the toe of a torn stocking so it would hold the toys... and the blimp dropping the star on the Christmas tree....

It was remembering the blimp that helped me find it on Friday night... "Christmas special Disney night before Christmas blimp" went into the google bar... and I came face to face with the 1932 Merry Melodies Night Before Christmas.

It was taken off the air because of one scene where a little boy looks up into the fireplace and gets covered in soot from Santa squirming out... the result is the little boy looking like he's in black face until a puppy licks his face clean. It was considered "ethnic humour" and a little too racy for TV.

Enjoy! Seriously, this brings me back... (click the pic)

long time no see.

Dear Blog.
I'm sorry I've neglected you.
The calendar says that I should have 308 posts written by today....
(or so my other new year's resolution says...)

Saturday night I was blessed with a ticket for a concert from an old friend... we went to see someone who has influenced me (musically) more than any other single person has. I'm lucky in that I get to see him perform at least once every two years- and I realised on my way there... that I've been listening to him for more than half my life- and still LOVE his work.

His song writing is simple. His delivery is honest. He's not cocky, he's not out singing to prove a point- not even to himself. He doesn't stick to the same trends, he doesn't get gimmicky with his music or style. He's humble. And he's kind. And... theologically sound! This was the first time I've seen him with a full band, and he spent so much time building up the people playing with them, encouraging them and mentioning what they've been working on...
Plus.. his voice is awesome. Not in that "oh wow, that's totally awesome" type awesome, but in that "his voice brings me to awe".

I also realized at the concert that I'm a big thief.

I have never once come up with an original harmony line.... everything I've ever learned has been from singing along to his work.

Seriously.

I've had people say to me "hmmm, that is such a great harmony line... I never would have heard that in that piece, where did you get your training? did you grow up in the *insert obscure musical tradition here*?"
I've never had an answer to that. But singing along at the concert it hit me. The lilts, the funny crossovers from tenor to alto to tenor to soprano and back again... all his fault. (um... Melinda, Tony, thank you for putting up with me all those years- you know what I mean).

I wanted to thank him.
But I chickened out.
So I just shook his hand like I do every year.
And smiled really big.

t minus crap

Marathon Wednesday is only 28 minutes away.
Good night!

too too

I started writing about the weekend during the weekend.
And erased it.
Then started writing about it after it finished.
And erased it.
Then started writing about it on Monday.
And erased it.


You just had to be there.