What not to say to a guy digging a trench in 30 degree wather

I kid you not. One of our friends said all these to J today as he struggled to dig a trench in the side of our yard to bury a pipe to drain water away from our window that always floods when it rains (Not offering to help is fine, whatever, but this...?). We decided to take it a few feet a day for the next week or so...it's gravelly soil full of tree roots and impossible to do more than a few feet without wanting to throw your shovel. Not that we did or anything. Nope. But we did stop. (And I'd like to clarify that I helped move gravel...)

And so I present a list of things NOT to say to your friends as he digs a trench in 30 degree weather:

-wow, your new career is a ditch digger now huh?
-Sure looks like hard work
-Wow that must really suck
-I dug a trench once and it was crappy work
-I'm glad it's you and not me
-Wow if you only had (insert random tool here) you could do this way easier and faster
-So how long do you think it will be, I have to go meet my parents for supper
-various snickers
...well, you get the idea. This is just a brief sampling.

Right now, I'm thinking our friend is a bit of an ass.
But give me a shower and a hot meal and I'll be a little more level.
Just had to vent there.
Ah...much better.

What do you call 2 men with no arms and no legs hanging over a window?

Curt and Rod

bwaHA!
...oh come on people, I'm having a dull day here. Humour me.
Its a muggy hot day out here on the prairies. A coworker on mat leave brought her little girl, some briquettes and some hot dogs at lunch and we all brought a few nibblets to share (me? a McCain cake...yum) and all relaxed in the sunshine in the campus greens by the old schoolhouse for lunch. I still smell of charcoal...mmm...good stuff. I think food tastes better when it's cooked over charcoal...but it takes forever.
And now I sit...and sit...and sit whilst full of cake.
Oh sure I'm working, don't get me wrong:
I'd just rather be out in the sun eating more McCain cake...

The car of the future...20 years ago.

There is an absolutely rediculous 80's ad for corvettes to have a look at. It is fantastically trendy and oh so 1984...lasers, an astronaut driving, bad singers, and even glowy lines and computery sounds as the car drives into a Tron like tunnel...I guess the corvette was the most modern car out there at the time. It's good for a giggle or two.
And to think in the late 80s I was driving a 78 Pinto wagon at the time - brown with fake wood and no cool side roundy windows on my model. It was ugly as hell, but a good car ...I guess I just wasn't ready for all the future had in store for me!

Slow day...but tomorrow is my day off. Now that the wedding is over I'm gonna get my hair cut off all elven again. Yipee!

Quote of the day

"I tried some flavoured water. Not that I’ve never had flavoured water before, but I just usually tend to go for the original flavour of 2 hydrogen atoms attached to an oxygen atom. The impression I got from drinking flavored water was like it was drinking an aroma..."

~Robyn (girl who ate everything)

Frank, Narayana and Camping, Oh My!

Well, what to say?

Prodigy we hardly knew ye. I was listening to Fat of the Land this morning on my way to work and it is such a good album. So good infact that it made their much anticipated album release a while back seem incredibly mediocre and bland. Granted it's hard to follow up an album full of great music, but their new album is...well, forgettable. No real originality, it is undermixed and quite repetitive, with a real lack of originality and energy that was in their other album. I guess I just expected too much. Sometimes, like the Propellor Heads, it is better a group make one kickass album and then wander off into obscurity. Wandering back into the music scene with a halfhearted sequel is a sad thing.

I've been a bit of a vegetable of late, but I love it. After the wedding insanity of the past month it is very nice to just do the bare minimum for a few days and relax a bit. I finally got to see Donny Darko and I have to say I liked it. The bunny Frank really did creep me out, but I really liked the fact that everything wasn't explained. It was interesting a creative and I liked the whole idea behind the film. I've always had a mild fascination with schizophrenia and I love thigns that can't quite be explained. I like to think that there are things and laws that we just don't understand and I like it that way. It was interesting to see the politics in the movie though...made in 2001 with politics of the late 90's in it...it's funny how things change. The only thing that bugged me about the film was the character played by Drew Barrymore...she seemed a bit overdone and like Drew beefed up the role to be in it (I noticed she was a producer). She wasn't bad or anything...it just seemed to me that a lot of things she did didn't really move the plot along...but hey, good movie overall. I'm glad there are still original films being made.

Now that wedding stuff is over, I have a new focus. We're slowly getting ready for a big camping trip next week, in a valley by a river, with a few thousand other people. Yup, for the third year in a row I'm excited to say we are going to Motion Notion - 3 stages of some of the best electronic music spun by some of the best DJs from all over the world spun LIVE for 3 days...I can't wait - techno, funk, psytrance, breaks, ambient, you name it...it'll be spun there. There's something to be said for dancing you butt off in the middle of a green valley. The people are always super friendly and it's a great time to visit and reconnect with a few of our old friends we haven't seen for ages. Plus it's camping in a valley by a river and a nice beach. So after shoppiing last night for the next week I'll be making a tonne of muffins, granola bars and tofu corndogs and we have tonnes of fruit and pudding too. I realised yesterday it is a week today until we leave and we have to get our stuff together and ready. I'm trying to be more organized in planning when it comes to camping...being stuck in the middle of nowhere and needing something is a PITA. At least there is a burger vendor and a coffee vendor by the mainstage should I just get desperate for some actual cooked food or forget something. Last year I forgot (of all thigns) my jacket and it was cold at night. So this year I'm breaking down and making a list (can one be spontaneous and organized at the same time?). Plus, as long as J doesn't have to be back right away for a possible job interview we might even stay at West Ed for a night afterwards in a theme room. We can't really afford it, but the more and more we talk about it a good soak in a big giant hot tub after 3 days of camping and dancing seems like a great thing. I guess we'll see how things are next week.

And so, life goes on. For the most part, other than the odd kick in the teeth, it is pretty good.
That being said, I must go off and live it now. Bye.

Lovely way to start the day

Do you realise that you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realise we're floating in space?
Do you realise that happiness makes you cry?
Do you realise that everyone you know someday will die?

So instead of saying all of your goodbyes,
let them know you realise that life goes fast.
It's hard to make the good things last.
You realise the sun doesn't go down,
it's just an illusion caused by the world spinning 'round.

Do you realise that you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realise?


Lovely morning - I walked to work after a long sleep in a cold house with a snuggly husband and a purring cat or two. Listened to the Flaming Lips on the way to work and just as I was crossing the bridge over the river the sun came out from behind a cloud and made the river shimmer like a zillion little points of light...and then the song above started to play...and I stopped for a bit and watched the pelicans and grinned like an idiot before walking on.
Lovely way to start your day, that.

Well it's over.
Yay. All went well and it was nice to see some family and friends we haven't seen since, well probbly the last wedding. I got to spend the day being all girly and pretty, but now? Now, I'm tired and since there was OJ in the punch I had yesterday I'm feeling rather crappy. BUT it was a good day, AND my Dad did put my window in. Yay. I just thought I'd drop in with a few pictures of J and I from yesterday in all our finery before I went off to hide in the dark andnurse my headache.

Later...

lights and shiny things galore

I just got back from decorating a church for my sister in laws wedding. Lots of lights and blue touule and bows and beads...a bit much for my taste but she loves it, so hey, it's all good. My folks should be arriving any minute now for the wedding tomorrow (Dad's going to put in my window...I'm so excited!!) and tonight is a barbecue and rehearsal. Tomorrow is the wedding and sunday I hope is lots of sleep and doing nothing. My friend bougt Donny Darko and wantes to watch it, so hopefully we can watch it then...I haven't seen it yet. J's suit is ironed and my long blue bridesmaid dress is pressed and ready to go...I think this may all go off without a hitch!!

I don't have much interesting to say, I just wanted to pop in and say hi. Why? well, Today has been a good day so far, and this weekend should be busy and full, so I'm looking forward to it. I'm happy. It's cool and I want to spread it around...I didn't even have to run around like a madman cleaning the house for my parent's coming as I've been keeping up with the whole cleaning thing...THAT was cool. I can see why people keep up with it. It used to be if people didn't come to visit the place never got a thorough cleaning. J even managed to get us in to see Buck 65 last night...he is great live. It was a great show. Like I imagine a mellow twangy Beck might have been a few years ago, freestyling back in his Satan Gave Me a Taco days.

But I digress...
Happy weekend all. I'll post a few pictures of J and I in our finery sometime soon when I crawl back into life after Operation Get Jen Hitched. Buhbye.

Music (Sunday Scribblings)

Sitting down to write all the thoughts that rushed into my head at one simple word is daunting. Music is a huge part of my life.
I’ve found in life that music can mean different things to different people.
It can be a background to activity, a pick me up when you’re down, a motivator for chores or exercise…sometimes it just makes you want to laugh or cry. It can bring back memories and feeling…it even helps you learn better when you listen to it while studying or working. To me, it enhances life.
To me I think that with music, there are little cracks in your soul that music can seep through, if you let it. For me it is an escape, to revel in and let wash over me. It is the gooey honey syrup coating that washes over and saturates my gulab jamun-like squishy inner parts. I can sit for hours listening to music and if I could have a soundtrack to my daily life I would jump at the chance. There is the odd style of music I’m not into (country and hip hop) but a lot of music I like is not for you too, so it all evens out I suppose.

Over the past few years I’ve really come to find a peace and energy in music. Music has become a huge part of my life and although I can’t play any instrument (I’ve tried many and for the sympathy of those around me I’ve stopped!) I can sing rather well (I am the showertime diva). I love many kinds of music, but each for it’s own reason.

Classical is timeless...For swanky events, labwork and a good glass of wine.
Heavy music is for venting ... fordriving about with your windows down like a silly high school kid and yelling along with the vocals to vent out stress.
Jazz…it’s for the soul. For philosophizing and deep discussion of the world and life and all that sort of thing. Sexy yet smart.
Funk? Iit makes your body move. It’s sexy and sultry.
Reggae teaches you to bob your head, take a deep breath and sit back and enjoy life.
Ambient music? Well it was my greatest discovery. It’s what is playing in my head all the time, and if I’m lucky enough there’s an ambient artist out there who thinks like me and I get to hear it.
Sexy music…well it gets your mojo going...
And electronic? Well, that’s my favorite at the moment. In this genre there is some music that is only for dancing -music that flows in your mind and fills your spirit with joy and frees you so you dance and release yourself into it to be truly free. It sounds corny I know, but there are those rare times when I’m dancing that I feel like I am totally alive … Don't get me wrong. I'm a shy 30-something scientist and I don’t enhance my dancing. I don't have to -it makes me feel alive. I can't explain it any better than that. I'll leave off with a poem I wrote a while back that might just explain a bit more of how music makes me feel:

Why I Dance

There are times when the music of my heart
and the notes that swirl around in my head
slip from the decks and back into my mind,
and the sounds that fill me with happiness
fill the hearts of those around me just the same.
It is then that I dance for joy

When the music is so powerful I feel I am bound to it
as though a spell has been cast,
and I will simply wither away if I do not respond
and become one with itand immerse myself in the feeling it brings...
It is then that I dance with joy

I dance for noone else but me
and those who watch me from above;
for all the times I would not let myself be free.
I dance for all the little things that make me
glad to be alive,
feel hope for tomorrow,
and dream that I and my body are
for the moment
all there is in the universe...
And when I tire and simply cannot go on,
still the music dances around my mind,
filling all the nooks and corners
that have dimmed and cluttered with the tedium of life
and polishes them clean with vivid color:
yellows, orange, red and gold,
and all the colors of the sun and the moon,
and all there is within my soul
that beams out of my eyes
when I am at peace.

That is why I dance...
why there are times when I truly feel
I cannot do anything else.

"He had a dream about a hand...I think it was the one from the Addam's Family..."

Busy day with Phil Keaggy on the brain for some reason...odd cuz I haven't listened to him in probably 3 or 4 years. Maybe it was having Circle Slide by The Choir on last night that brought it back.
Man -It's been a hectic day - up early to exercise and at work, off at a run! I've been busy non-stop all day at work- didn't even eat until 2! With any luck the repair guy who is coming back today will fix the our machine...it's wobbly and squeaky now (you can hear it upstairs. I'd like to see them try to say it's cosmetic and try and charge us to fix it...it didn't do anything before they "tuned" it up for warranty checkup). Needless to say we're not going to Sears for anything like this anymore...too many hassles and screwups with this machine.
But nobody cares about that ... on with life.
I got to go and see a great funk show last night - Pocket Dwellers...They had horns, flute and a DJ too. Good stuff...they even got the crowd going on a tuesday night in Toontown...not an easy task. They had a bit of reggae thrown in at times...really good act. I was sad to see them go and I hope to pick up their album soon. I'm developing a real soft spot for funk music. They were actually opening for a hip hop guy but I didn't really care for them. Cardinal Official...apparently very well known, but didn't seem like that big of a deal. Hop hop just isn't my thing and the guys were a little too full of themselves...they kept talking down to the audience and started the show late...admittedly we weren't probably the most energetic audience I've ever seen, but needless to say we left before they were done...why stay up late on a work night if the band is sucky. Guess I'm just not a hip hip fan. I can honestly say it was the first hip show I've been to. Jay was introducing the bands on behalf of the station and so we got to get in for free and I would have paid to see Pocket Dwellers (if I had the $$) but not the hip hop...it was nice to be out and be busy. We had a good time.
Today is another day. Hopefully the rest of it will go well too...I'm pretty optomistic so far, so we'll see how it goes. All we really have to do tonight is pick up Jay's suit and get a gift for the wedding. It will be fun to get all dressed up on saturday. It's supposed to be sunny (knowck on wood) so hopefully it'll be a nice day. I guess we'll see. I am a little scared as I'm having my hair done before it with the girls and I may end up looking like a cotton candy or a q-tip. We shall see...cuz...I mean the Qtip look is stylin...right?

They say bad luck comes in threes...I wonder what #3 will be

So we had a warranty tune up on our exercise machine today. It made a tiny clicking sound for a day or two, so we had a guy come in a tune it up, cuzwe bought an extended warranty for it and haven't had anyone in since we got it last April. The thing is, after the tune up, now it makes a horrible clacking sound so loud you can hear it on another floor of the house. The guy said "OK it's done" and then left, so J didn't know about it until he'd already left the house and J went to use it and heard the sound...so now we get to see if we're stuck with this sort of thing forever (warranty doesn't cover cosmetic repair...) or if the guy screwed it up or what. Let's just say we don't need this right now. It was so loud I could hear it over the phone when he called.
I don't get it, how does oiling and tuning a machine make it louder??
Jay is going to try and tighten up things and see if it is fixed. If not someone has to come back and (I hope) fix it under warranty...cuz we sure can't afford to pay to fix it right now and I don't think we should have to. And I wonder, did the guy try it before he left? Are we stuck with this...cuz that would suck. And honestly..it's just dumb.
Gah, if it's not one thing it's another. Why does bad luck come in piles? I could use some of the good soon...I"m beginning to feel like we're being picked on.