Fingers crossed

jmk has just left to catch the bus to Edmonton. He's off to audition for The Stratford Festival. It's a big deal...a really big deal. Especially considering he's only been out of school for 2 years. Keep you finger's crossed ofr him won't you?

Also, for anyone in Calgary...(or Conmore, or Oliver B.C.) he'll me performing with The Shakespeare company again this summer in Much Ado About Nothing.

A window with a view!

I have the best view in my entire office!!! You're jealous, I know you are!

This is NOT my HNT...look below for that!

Flat tire blues - HNT#26

This is Miss Priscilla!

Last night I pulled Miss P out of the bike locker, into the elvator, and out onto my balcony for summer maintenance. I pumped up the tires and went back into the apartment to fetch a pail of water to giver her a bath...when I got back to the balony all of the air was out of the front tire again...boo! So my planned bikeride will have t obe postponed until I can get her fixed.

This will be the third summer I've had her, and her second flat tire...not a good track record. But I still love her...how could I not? She's so darn good lookin'!!!

I got me, them ol' flat tire blues!

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Attention all music fans!!!

I was just out perusing the Musical Monday post as I usually do about this time every Monday...wehn I came across Kien Lim's. I read his post quite often...but today he's got something extra special for us! He has decided to join the ranks as a Musical Monday soldier...with his own beautiful wonderful soulful accoustic melodies.

Please please please go a take a listen and show him your love won't you?

Ta!

*Also, If you love what you've heard, you can buy his CD...I've just ordered mine!

new patterns...life goes on.

I haven't had a roommate other than Mr. J for the last 4+ years, and even he hasn't been around for the last 16 months. With jmk living with me now I have to develop all new patterns for daily life. Simple things really. I haven't slept with the bedroom door closed for more than one night in a row in 4 years. Not walking between the bedroom and bathroom in the morning in just my bra and panties. Eating meals on a semi-regular schedule (dinner is at 6:00? really???). Making sure that there is food in the fridge...popcorn is NOT a meal it turns out...oops! Coming home from work and haing someone other than myself to talk to...simple things.

Mr. J is here this weekend, and jmk is out with his boys spending the weekend doing the activities that would have been his bachelor party, so things don't seem that out of the ordinary right now. But every once in a while everything comes rushing back...

...oh yeah...

Little boy blue...

Eighteen days before “I do”…
She says “I won’t”
What’s left when the dust clears?
the empty shell of what used to be my brother.



I now have a roommate. My little brother (jmk) has moved into what used to be my tornado office. He's broken, and I don't know how to fix him.

Fetal possition - HNT #25

Ok, I looked through my archive of unused HNT pictures. This one seems appropriate for the feelings I am having right now.

We are experiencing a family melt down, things are not good, I want to curl up in a ball and hide away from everyone. But I must be strong, there's someone depending on me.

Sorry for the early post, but things are going to be very hectic tonight. I will try to get around to visit everyone by the weekend at least.

I'm also the featured guest over at The HNT Patch - go and take a peek at how beautiful Lurch has made me look won't you!

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Absent HNT

I doubt there will be an HNT submission from me this week. I am on crisis control for a family emergency...more later...maybe...

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Concert review ... by request!

Yes, it's true...I promised a review of the Death Cab for Cutie / Franz Ferdinand show...and until I was reminded about it Monday night (this one's for you NR), I neglected to follow through on that promise. FOR SHAME! So, take a trip back in time with me if you will...

April 26...Death Cab For Cutie / Franz Ferdinand concert
I had been anxiously anticipating this show since I got tickets back in mid February, and I was not disappointed!

The crowd was young, very young, which Mr. J commented on a number of times through out the evening. Something about turning 20/10 has made him more aware of the age demographic of any given environment...

It seemed that many of the young ones were there for the opening act - The Cribs - whom I had thought I knew nothing of, but turns out I was familiar with a few of their songs (thanks in part to Telus for their latest t.v. advert). For the most part, the short opening set was completely indecipherable - a combination of low end sound equipment in a rather large venue, combined with what I am assuming is inexperience (I could be wrong on this one - as I said, I know virtually nothing about this band). Despite the abysmal musical performance, the crowd lapped up every second with pure teenage enthusiasm. Which was quite catching to be honest, so as far as warm acts go, The Cribs performed magnificently!

Second to take the stage was my newly named 'favorite' band (pardon me while I have a little 'high school' moment won't you?), Death Cab For Cutie. This was the moment I had been anticipating for weeks. And I was not let down! The stage lights gradually came on to reveal two oblique white houses - one on either side of the stage with a "forest" spanning the distance between as the backdrop. The effects achieved through coloured light were truly captivating, and helped to elevate the experience further.

The years these four men have spent playing together have brought the live show to a level most bands can only aspire to. The music was flawless and inspired, the set list a veritable cornucopia of hits spanning heir entire catalogue, and the appreciation commanded by the audience was almost spiritual. From the moment the house lights dimmed before they took the stage, to the painful moment they came back on signifying the end of their set, I sat perched on the edge of my molded plastic stadium chair with a silly grim plastered to my face.

Last up...Franz Ferdinand. It seems their slot as last to play fit in quite well with their philosophy of louder is better. If they had taken the stage before Death Cab nobody would have hear a thing. Apparently the beatles-esque sound of their second album was not a mere coincidence or influence gone awry..no it was simple case of imitation is the purest form of flattery...I think. From the pencil legged trousers, to the white catwalk stage configuration, to the crowd of screaming teenagers (did she just scream 'I love you Ringo'?) I felt like we had time warped back to an earlier British Invasion to the days of Sgt. Pepper (not that I really know what that was lie except for pop culture references and re-runs of Ed Sullivan). I'm not a big Beatles fan, so needless to say, I didn't much enjoy Franz' second album (it has grown on me, but from the first listen I was let down). Tha said, the show was good. Apart from when singer Alex Kapranos gave up trying to sing at the volume of the music and started screaming the lyrics into the mic (about 2 1/2 songs in if I recall correctly), there was enough going on in the set to whip any crowd into an uncontrollable frenzy. Despite the light show ("This fire [will burn your retinas]"), and the screaming decibel level, there was certainly enough to keep everyone entertained (well almost everyone - Mr. J was sleeping by the end of the show). Perhaps the most entertaining juvenile act was the 5 man drum solo (3 on kit - the same kit) and 2 off to the side.

By the end of the night I had sore cheeks (thanks DCFC for the perma-grin) and a slightly unhealthy dose of toneitis. But how was the show NR asked - un-f**king believable!!!

lust vs love

"Love comforteth like sunshine after rain, But lust's effect is tempest after sun; Love's gentle spring doth always fresh remain, Lust's winter comes ere summer half be done; Love surfeit's not, Lust like a glutton dies, Love is all truth, Lust full” - Shakespeare

“Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.” - Plato

"The more connections you and your lover make, not just between your bodies, but between your minds, your hearts, and your souls, the more you will strengthen the fabric of your relationship, and the more real moments you will experience together.” - Barbara De Angelis

"No lover, if he be of good faith, and sincere, will deny he would prefer to see his mistress dead than unfaithful.” - Marquis De Sade

“A bit of lusting after someone does wonders for you and is good for your skin.” - Elizabeth Hurley

“In our minds, love and lust are really separated. It's hard to find someone that can be kind and you can trust enough to leave your kids with, and isn't afraid to throw her man up against the wall and lick him from head to toe.” - Tori Amos

"Lust is what keeps you wanting to do it even when you have no desire to be with each other. Love is what makes you want to be with each other even when you have no desire to do it.” - Judith Viorst

"It is easier to keep half a dozen lovers guessing than to keep one lover after he has stopped guessing.” - Helen Rowland

Thoughts on breasts and men

Now that I've got your attention, there's something I need to get off my chest (yes - pun intended)

This has come up quite a bit in the last week or so... Mans inability to contain their appreciation of the female endowment. Maybe it is directly connected to the return of warm weather and the shedding of excess clothes. There are men who are selfprofessed breastmen, and those who claim not to be. I think the term breastman is completely redundant - like saying man man. Let me explain. I have large breasts - as if you didn't notice - and have spent the better part of my life dealing with men looking at them. ALL men. regardless of relationship to me, social status - and yes even sexual orientation (yes I have had gay men look down my shirt on more than one occation). I have come to expect it and to some degree accept it as well. There are certain men that seem to have perfected the occational subtle breast glance...and those that have not.

Sexual anthropologists suggest that this is ingrained in their nature. Development of the female mammary glands (breasts) signifies sexual maturity and that the female is ready to mate. Seems simple enough I suppose. I have also heard that the attraction to breasts - cleavage to be more specific - is an instinctual reaction that goes back to prehistoric hmans. It has been suggested that the rounded appearance of cleavage over the top of a shirt are representative of the human buttocks - a throw back from when humans typically mated from behind like most other mammals. So the push-up bra replicates a nice firm round bum!

Whatever the history behind it, I am a firm believer in the simple fact that men are indeed attracted to breasts due to instinct. The problem I have with this is not the fact that they are looking, but the fact that they can't seem - in some cases - to do it with tact. Woman like to feel sexually desirable - or at least I do - but having a man oogle them is not the best feeling in the world. It is belittleing and uncomfortable, especially when th oogaler is part of the work environment. So, all I ask is for the men who read this to keep it in check. Take a glance, that's fine, but try to do it with a little bit of subtlty. Keep it to an occational look and try not to be caught by the woman you're oogaling orby others who may be observing the interaction - it truely make those who observe lose a great deal of respect for you.

Since they are associated with sex, in many cultures bare breasts are considered
indecent, and they are not commonly displayed in public, in contrast to male
chests.

oh...and this scraes me just a little!!!

J&K's wedding

**edit** The clocked stopped at approximately 18:18:00 when she broke my brothers heart...


Get your own countdown at BlingyBlob.com

under cover - HNT #24

We bought a new mattress over the weekend...and with a new mattress we decided to splurge and buy new 400 thread count brushed cotton sheets!!! I love good quality sheets - crisp fresh from the laundry, soft - preferably white but once you climb in the colour really doesn't matter!

If anybody needs me...I'll be in bed!



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lighting crashes

The deep rumble on the horizon
A quick flash of light - follwed by another - and another
clouds filled to bursting
the charge in the air - making the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention
waiting

waiting



I love a good rain storm

Susan needs...

This was pretty simple...and a good way to forget that my tooth hurt for a few minutes...

Type "(your name) needs" into google and write down the first ten results...

• Susan needs opportunities to practice literate speech
• Susan needs all your love and money
• Susan needs a set of t-shirts graced with silly cliches
• Susan needs help
• Susan needs to pant
• Susan needs to develop a strategy for the safe enjoyment of some of the more extreme forms of pleasure
• Susan needs to ask herself is this : Is my goal realistic?
• Susan needs to succeed in the face of and despite this madness
• Susan needs an automatic gearbox
• Susan needs to work on writing better songs

Art

My new art arrived last week. I got them at a killer deal...just wanted to brag a little. The person I bought thenm from claimed they are originals. I may never know if they are in fact the originals painted by the artist; they are however, oil on canvas as they should be. The framing will certainly make up for the cost saved in the buying price as they were shipped fom England so had to be taken off the original canvas forms...oh well...Definitely worth it!!!

Muse - David Laity

The Green Room - David Laity

Graph thingy - I want to play too!

This blog

My photo blog

Mr. J's blog

work website

What do the colors mean?
blue: for links (the A tag)
red: for tables (TABLE, TR and TD tags)
green: for the DIV tagviolet: for images (the IMG tag)
yellow: for forms (FORM, INPUT, TEXTAREA, SELECT and OPTION tags)
orange: for linebreaks and blockquotes (BR, P, and BLOCKQUOTE tags)
black: the HTML tag, the root node
gray: all other tags

All's well...I think

Ok, here's the update to my stupidity!

Spending the $40 was well worth it! It took me many many hours (about 26) to sort through over 8600 deleted files hiding the bowls of my hard drive, but I think I've managed to recover most (if not all) of the photos I lost. I won't know for sure if I've lost any of the files because I wasn't keeping a very good record of them, but there are certainly enough recovered that the last 8 months of work weren't a waste.

Guess who will never make that stupid mistake again!

Painfully smart

Last week I decided that I should archive some of my digital photos I have stored on my computer onto CD. The last thing I would want would for something to happen to my hard drive and lose over 2 years worth of pictures. Seems like a reasonable plan...

Today I realized that I inadvertently deleted the folder containing a photo project that I have been working on since early October with out making a backup CD...and it has been deleted from the recycle bin too.

I freaked out! I cried! I called Mr. J in hysterics to look for help! I threw things around my apartment! I freaked out some more, cried some more! And then I managed to calm down enough to look for some way of recovering them from the lost realm. I managed to find a program to recover them which wound up costing me $40.

I'm now in the process of trying to save the little fledgling photos from being nothing but a memory...Please oh please work!!! Wish me luck, I'll keep you posted!

Junkie - HNT #23

I am a jewelery junkie! So much so that when I opened my birthday presents last month more than half of them contained some form of jewelery (mostly necklaces). And I broke down and bought another one today at lunch. I know it's completely impractical and increadably girly...but I can't help it they're pretty! So, without further ado...my new pretty things!



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06.06.06

Superstition is a funny thing, isn't it?


Oh! and this is pretty funny too...

"Intermittent Explosive Disorder"

Can you imagine someone addressing the court with 'I was suffering from IED - it was beyond my control'...give me a beak!!!

"Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is the medical term researchers are giving those who succumb to road rage on a frequent basis. "
-CTV.ca

Unconscious Mutterings (Week 174)

You say ... and I think ... ?

Fraud :: Criminal
Cure :: Disease
Slate :: clean
Pretentious :: false
Splendid :: Serendipity
Geek :: Nerd
Blister :: Ouch
Pizza :: hungry
Revive :: Refresh
Visionary :: Sceptic

The construction...

Ok, Susie asked me how (and where) I managed to take my HNT pic this week, so I will try to explain it. I have to admit I was more than happy with the results.

As I said, it stemed from a dream. The dream involved a friend I haven't seen in a while (JB), funhouse mirrors and my camers... so I attempted to recreate the feeling of that dream.

I'm not going to give away all of my secrets, but I will tell you that the set up involved 3 mirrors, a room at dusk with the lights off, and a high intensity flash. And since she asked, no Susie I am not a lounge singer (I WISH!)...the picture was taken sitting crosslegged infront of my full length mirror in my bedroom. If you look close you can see the dresser looming behind me.

and a bonus...