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.

Meep moop blandygoop

Word of the day: somniferous

Blah.
I'm tired. I didn't sleep well. I guess I didn't realise I was until I tried to go to sleep...mostly as J is stressed out. Lets just say I'm not the happiest camper at the moment - not miserable, just moogy. My challenge for the morning is to stay awake -I have to help invigilate an exam all day - it will be somniferous (he heh...what good is word of the day if you don't use it? ;) ). I brought the last Dune book to try and help me stay awake, but I don't know how well that will work, as I have to watch for cheaters. At least I can bring in some coffee...ah, we'll see how it goes. I hope I can cheer up...I don't want to be moogy all evening too. It can wear you down afer a while.
Ah life. Gotta love it...*sigh*

Calciferous

Today's word of the day is calciferous.
Say it with me now:
cal-cif-er-ous

Ahhhhhh...the sweet feeling of knowledge seeping back into the brain....

Don't touch it, it's evil

A busy weekend for me. The hordes of old menonnites have come and gone. The wedding shower went well, and I am amazed to say that although there was over 40 people in the house yesterday, there is no trace of them other than a bit of leftover food. J took off with a book, the iPod and a lawnchair and hung out with the gophers by the river while the house was invaded by women (lucky). J's sister was happy and felt very loved, and that is what counts I suppose. I feel bad saying it though, but I'll be happy when the wedding is over next weekend...it's been a busy time, not to mention expensive...ah well, you only get married once right? (well hopefully)

On friday night J and I went out with his old coworkers to a few local bars. It was a fun evening - they're all a great bunch of people to hang out with. I hope it all works out in the end, as J really enjoyed working there, and they're a fun group to hang out with even outside of work. It did everyone some good to blow off a bit of steam. There were paper hats (made out of the want ads) and plenty of beer for all. We even tried to put mentos in a bottle of Coke to make a fountain but we somehow screwed it up...a bit of a let down really, it only erupted about 4 inches. All in all, a fun time

Saturday night J, Lowell and I watched Time Bandits. I forgot just how fantastic that movie is. It was hard to track down on DVD, but I'm glad we did. The imagination and creativity in that film is just midboggling...makes you feel like a kid again. The humor is original and sarcastic. Terry Gilliam is brilliant, and more than a little insane...

It's been a very busy but good weekend. And now, it is back to work for me...lots to do. Bye!

No caption required

Heh heh...I love it that names like this get approved. The fact that Simon says "spin faster" on one of the captions made me laugh even harder.



Yup, you guessed it, I'm brain meltingly bored. It's the kind of day where you drink a lot of water just to have something to do later...I am so glad it's friday. I'm trying to be optimistic, but it's a bit of a challenge today.
Anyhoo, since I drank a bunch of water I gotta go...
Bye.

If you want to know the things we see, then step inside our skins

Words of the day: Justified and ancient


I am fascinated by the KLF. I listened to their album The White Room this morning out on the paths and although it's a bit dated (too much 90's womany singing on a few tracks), it still is a great album. I have been inspired and energised by the KLF and their music, and they continue to energise me when I hear them...even this morning there were times I started to spontaneously jog just from the music. At times they were a bit excessive and more than a little ecccentric, but they said a lot and did a lot...and they were among the people who pretty much pioneered the techno/sampling style of music...which I love. Their Chill Out album is right up there with the Orb's Journey to the Ultraworld CD for all time brilliant ambient albums and the White Room and Doctorin' the Tardis (as The Timelords)still make me want to listen to the stereo way too loudly even now, years after they've gone away. One of the selfish reasons I have for peace to be declared all over the world is to hear a new KLF album...they promised they'd record again if it ever happened. I'd like to track down a copy of their album that they had to burn due to sampling and copyright problems back in the 90s. Seeing as it came just before the White Room, I bet it would be good.
Sure, they burned a million pounds and sent a goat to a hotel lobby, but they made good music and had a lot to say.
...and ANYONE who calls themselves the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu gets a nod from me.

I luv you big brudder

It's my brother Glen's birthday today.
Happy birthday big brudder.
Luv ya!

Riding on the bus

Disclaimer: I'm not up for posting jokes, but a coworker told me this one this morning and it made me laugh out loud and then I've giggled every time I thought about it for the last few minutes. Plus, it seems to juxtapose nicely with my previous post...and juxtapose is my word of the day

A bus carrying a lot of ugly people crashes into an oncoming truck, and everyone inside dies. As they stand at the Pearly Gates waiting to enter Paradise and meet their maker, God decides to grant each person one wish because of the trauma they have experienced. They're all lined up, and God asks the first one what the wish is.
"I want to be gorgeous," and so God snaps His fingers, and it is done. The second one in line hears this and says "I want to be gorgeous too." Another snap of His fingers and the wish is granted.

This goes on for a while with each one asking to be gorgeous, but when God is halfway down the line, the last guy in the line starts laughing. When there are only ten people left, this guy is rolling on the floor, laughing his head off.
Finally, God reaches this last guy and asks him what his wish will be.

The guy eventually calms down and says: "Make 'em all ugly again."