This past weekend was Ad Astra. It was a good time, but completely exhausting. Neither Nicole nor I recall a convention so thoroughly tiring as this one. When Sunday rolled around, we were barely able to communicate. That said, I did do some bouncing when I discovered that my Viking Women ink painting had sold. I was even more excited to learn that Nicole had bought it. She said, when we were driving home after closing up the booth, "I can safely say that I bought the only thing that I really wanted." Thanks, Nicole !

To stroke my ego a little, I think I was the most hit on at this convention than I've ever been at any other. It starts with the clothing, but once they discover I'm approachable, wow. I was into invite only rooms, and enjoying the perks that came with, such as the rowdy blender party in the not-the-con-suite and the green room where I got to enjoy a very smooth, delicious cuban cigar. Anyway, enough stroking. It was a great convention at which to meet people since it wasn't huge and overpowering like so many are. I got to mingle with everyone. It helps to be friends with Nicole, too, since she knows just about every person to have ever attended any Toronto-based convention.

My friend, Kelly, came up from Kitchener-Waterloo to visit on Saturday, and she spent the night at my place. It was her first convention and I think she enjoyed herself quite a bit. She bought a boudoir corset and lacy velvet coaty-thing from Nicole and since I was given my pinstripe corset that day, we wore our lovelies all about the con. The three of us (Nicole, included) were interviewed for some television something or other, I can't remember what it was, but we got to talk about fandom and how it has influenced us, etc. When asked "What is the master of all fandom?" I first answered, "Fanfiction," but then changed my answer: "No, the Internet !" Afterall, it is the Internet that has allowed the fen to find each other.

Kelly and I went out to Mississauga for a Realms get-together, but no one showed up, so we had a drink and some dinner and went back to my home. While at first disappointed that no one showed up, we quickly decided to enjoy some one-on-one girl time and that was nice. We did a lot of laughing, sharing our dumb-people stories, mine from the ROM and hers from working at a travel insurance company.

What else is new... I dunno. The Academy Awards were on last night. I watched about two thirds of it. The dresses were generally low-key, mostly black, and very elegant. A number of awards went the way I thought they should, and the competition was quite stiff. U2 played their nominated song and Bono sucked. He's destroyed his voice. There were many sentiments expressed for peace and the safe return of the troops, and Michael Moore, who won for Bowling for Columbine, brought up all the documentary film-makers who'd been nominated and made a very strong anti-war statement. He was answered with cheers and jeers from the audience. That was a good moment.

People have very skewed ideas of what is scary and what is not. Listening to the radio, which is covering, almost non-stop, the humiliation of Iraq, we got to hear the sound of explosions and fire power. Michael Enright, the broadcaster, said that it sounded 'fearsome', which it did (hello, the sounds of bombs dropping don't inspire images of flower-filled fields), and was immediately told by one of the military interviewees, "I would say the complete opposite..." He went on to explain how this was the sound of a limited strike, etc., etc., but give us a break ! If you're in a city that is being blasted, you'd be terrified. The end.

Shit head.

It's a very awkward place to be, my head. We discussed it at the folding party last night, too. How can we honestly want allied soldiers to die? Yet, part of my hopes that it comes down to street-to-street fighting so that they can feel the devestation that they have wrought upon Iraq? I don't like to think about it because I'm not supposed to wish anyone dead... The USA and Britain pushed for this, despite Iraqi co-operation, despite international out-cry. This is a theatre-war and more than anything, that is what makes me mad.

Here is my dilemma, outlined perfectly by Wil Wheaton in this entry on his site. I suggest that you read it in its entirety, as it says a lot. I don't want to keep on about this, or I'm going to end up in a rant. I have to get back to preparing for Ad-Astra, anyway.

The Gaggle of Grannies is at the ROM today, working in membership, and I kid you not, they're talking about Churchill and the Second World War again. There is a new face and she has an accent of some sort, possibly Germanic, so they'd better be careful about what they say. Well, at least they don't feel that Bush is remotely similar to Churchill. Whew, like that was even a possibility.

I'm having some kind of allergic reaction on my hands. I get this sometimes, always localised to the skin between my fingers and the heel of my thumb and soft fleshy part below my pinky near the wrist. It's related to something I'm either washing with or touching, but unfortunately, that could be just about anything. It's wickedly itchy, the reaction bringing up tiny little blisters that drive me insane. It's completely irritating and I'm sure that scratching the rash only makes it worse, but if I don't scratch, it keeps on itching. Ahh ! It is probably a soap that is doing this. Gar.

Last night, I went to A&C's for fun and profit. Wait, no, that's wrong. Fun. Just fun. I got to see the enormous pile of photos developed from the disposable cameras that had been placed on the tables. There were a lot of very bad pictures. There were some that weren't so bad and there were even a few that were pretty good. Carrie and I were completely annoyed that the final ten minutes of Law and Order was pre-empted by Lloyd Robertson and the CTV news team to talk about absolutely nothing. "In a little less than twenty-five minutes, we will be going live to President Bush..." So? Did you -have- to cut away? So, Carrie and I flipped from one channel to the next, only to see the same camera shot of Bagdad at dawn on each one, with stuffy people talking about relatively nothing. We decided to watch Bush's talk, and honestly, the man is such an uninspired speaker that we had tuned out in under a minute in order to look at old drawings that Carrie had done. The one thing I learned in the whole time we watched the reports, live from Bagdad, was that people were still getting into their cars and heading to work, the city did not grind to a halt because some missiles were dropped. I felt very bad for the people of Bagdad, actually, trying to go about their lives while two crazy dictators flexed their muscles for dominance.

So, the war has begun. It was ushered in by no videogame pictures of anti-aircraft fire, the city lit by green night vision lenses. I am incredibly sad that it has come to this. That the USA is staging this pointless war in order to stake out a claim as the mightiest power in the world... I can only hope that the New Rome doesn't take three hundred years to fall. What will be left of the world then?

I don't want to talk about it anymore.

It has been confirmed ! Of course, I do not have commenting on this weblog, as I waste enough time in my day-to-day existence and certainly don't need to respond to people's comments... (I signed up for a comment service, and theoretically, I just have to insert the code, only I can't quite take the step for the above reason.) Anyway, I was greeted by a random, or at least semi-random email in my inbox. I shall reproduce it here. The weird interconnectedness thing is busy at work here, I guess, and that's what makes it neat:

Hi Maya,

I think we've met maybe once, my boyfriend Ryan went to high school with
you and Nick? At any rate, I read you entry about their wedding, and it's
pretty cool that they were married by father Massel... he and my dad went
to grade school together for a couple of years, and he's my youngest
brother's godfather.

Um, yeah, just a bit of randomness to brighten your day, I guess. :)

Jessica

Anyway, in other news, I took Rick for sushi last night, as it was a bit of an anniversary treat for us. I still haven't given him his gift, but hopefully, I'll get it to him by the end of the month. We'll see. I'm so insanely busy and poor.

I worked out some details for this weekend. I am showing art in the art auction at Ad-Astra this weekend. I'll be helping Nicole with her booth, too, so that will be fun. Hopefully, I'll actually manage to make some sales. That would be awesome. I know my work is good, so it's frustrating that people won't buy it. You know? Anyway, I keep trying and maybe this weekend will show a break-through.

One final thing, it seems that Nick is here for April, as well, since he hasn't actually found a place for real. He's looking, but there's nothing for sure at this point. This gives me more time to find a new roommate, or make plans for where I can go, though as we know, I don't want to move again. No sirree. There is a possibility that I could move into Megan's place, but only if the the woman who plans to take Rachel's room (Megan's sister) decides that she can't handle living with a smoker. I know I can live with Megan, and her place is so gorgeous that I can more than cope with living with a smoker again. We'll see. Otherwise, the offer stands with A&C which would mean my stuff would go into storage again. Time will tell.

First of all, I think you all should read this. It puts a lot of things in perspective. Thanks to Mom for sending me the link.

I'm not sure where to start, so much has been going on this past week. Of course, the BIG event was the much anticipated wedding of Al and Carrie, which happened on Saturday, the Ides of March. That date also marks my mother's birthday, so it was a very exciting day. I guess that's as good a place to start as any. I'll say this, though, I had no idea just how exhausting being in a wedding party can be. Even when the couple is as completely unstressed as A&C were, it's just plain tiring. It took two days for me to recover. Whew, I cannot stress the importance of naps.

Friday saw the beginnings of the preparations, or perhaps the end of the preparations, the final bits being done and my stomach beginning to flutter. Rick came out Friday afternoon, and after buying make-up and lingerie with Carrie (that was an adventure), we picked him up from the Greyhound station. His bus came in late so we were all late to arrive at the hall where we were to help with the decorations. From there we went to the church for the rehersal. Father Paul later told me that we'd been one of his most enjoyable wedding rehersals because we were so hilarious. It's true, I freely admit it. We're damn funny. Following that was dinner at Al's parents' place, and then the boys went to the strippers. They tried in vain to pursuade us to come along as bringing chicks earns free pitchers of beer. Uh huh. The girls didn't really do anything, we went to Jenn's to pick up the flowers for our hair and whatnot, and then came back to my house to deliver dresses. We kind of hung out for an hour or so, chatting with Mom. There were some mix-ups with the dresses, Tanya having been given Sherrie's overdress and other silliness, but we sorted it out.

Saturday began early with an appointment at the hairdresser's. The wait was long, so I ran home to get nail polish. My hair was pretty easy. It got rolled up into a bun-thing that looked like a small, round braided challah bread. It was trimmed with ivy and orchid blossoms. It was very feminine. Carrie's hair was a big fall of curls that looked lovely, and Tanya's was half up and half down and full of orchids. Sherrie's hair took MUCH longer than anyone else's to do because it had little braids and things. It looked beautiful, though, so I can't really complain. We flew back to Mom's where we ordered pizza and did our make-up. Mom did it for the Brumwell girls (Carrie, Sherrie, and their mother, Ruth) and I did mine and Tanya's. The photographer came and did some headshots in the living room and Rick went off for lunch with Sherrie's boyfriend and her father. It came down to the wire, but we got it together, piling into the limo in our gorgeous gowns. It must have appeared quite impressive for the neighbours, though. And my mother enjoyed doing the make-up and the commotion, which made for a very unique and exciting birthday.

We all arrived at the church (on time, I'll have you know), followed closely by Ruth, the photographer, and finally my mother (in the nick of time). Richie and Bill were still ushering the final arrivals, and then they had to go join Al and Ryan who were waiting in an anteroom. Apparently, Ryan was very nervous, moreso than Al, but Al said he was suddenly hit with nerves about 15 minutes before the wedding began. Carrie looked radiant and we were all very excited. I had to walk down the aisle first, and the whole time I was thinking, "Walk slower, Maya, slower... step, pause, step, pause..." I did manage a smile at Mom, though, but for the rest, I didn't even see the rest of the congregation. The ceremony was amazing. Tanya set me to crying, and when I saw Al start to cry, I started all over again. The priest, Father Paul, gave a most amazing and inspiring homalie (sp?) and the service went smoothly and was full of joy and happiness. Carrie was rendered incapable of speach at one point, either by nerves, or excitment, or just being blonde, but otherwise it was perfect. The priest, by the way, portrayed Andre, one of the theatre owners, in Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages in Toronto for a number of years. In fact, I saw him twice in it.

I'll skip the boring details of the milling around at the church and immaturity of the limo ride, and gloss over the drawn out process of photographs at the hall. By this time, my bouquet was getting pretty darn heavy. The reception was great - the food was good, though the roast beef was dry - and the dancing went on and on. The crazy DJ played a song mix made up almost entirely from requests and all of mine were played. I enjoyed the snowball dances, something I'd never before experienced. As one partner said as I mentioned this, "Oh, you must not have grown up in Peterborough." If you don't know, a snowball dance begins with the wedding party, or whomever, and they go and get a partner when 'snowball' is called, then people keep getting new partners until almost everyone is up dancing - a snowball effect. Tanya and I went quite crazy for that obnoxious tune, Cotton-Eyed Joe, including me teaching her the only linedance I know. By the end of it all, Rick was quite drunk, I was very sweaty, and everyone was covered in glitter.

All in all, Al and Carrie's was one of the best weddings that I've ever attended, and I'm not just saying that because I was a bridesmaid. No, it was a really good time. I wish them happiness and health until death do them part. Special thanks go to Rick for getting out of the way when the women overran the house, and for the help he gave Mom and I, and of course, uber-thanks to Mom, who made Saturday run as smoothly as a greased weasel in a tube. Mom, you're awesome !

One final thing to add: Today is me and Rick's three-year anniversary ! I'm wearing the garnet, marcosite and silver earrings he gave me. *smooches*

This past weekend was quite a busy one. I'll be brief in describing certain events. Friday night was the major G________ fundraising dinner, where I had an official role of mingling and shmoozing. The event was a lot more fun than I ever thought it could be and I had a blast. I was sitting with Brendan 's father, who was a blast and is one of the people responsible for the very cool windmill power generator down by the water. Across from me was an editorial writer from the National Post, named Neil Hrab. He was great fun. Most everyone I met were very nice or interesting and all of a sudden, three hours had passed and I had to get to Guelph.

Tracy is my reason for going to Guelph. I try to visit her every few months. It's always fun. The first night, though, when I arrived, I just crawled into bed. I was wiped out. On Saturday, we talked and hung out, went and bought food for dinner. When we got home and were preparing to make dinner, the power browned out so much that all the major appliances stopped running. So, we made fruit salad and set candles out on the table and spent a couple hours talking with Mel, Tracy's housemate. Eventually, the power came back on and Tracy and I made our very delicious and garlicky dinner. We then watched Gladiator, crying copiously, and following it up with Legend. Sunday, we just chilled out for a few hours after sleeping very late, and around 3:30, I left Guelph to return to Toronto.

I usually make the trip in forty-five minutes, which is about fifteen minutes less than the drive should take, but because of an investigation on the 401, due, I found out later from Rick, to someone having been thrown out of a minivan at high speed and turned into road pizza, I spent about two hours on the road. Gah. I met Nicole down at her store and we chatted and went to Tortilla Flats for dinner, before I headed to Sandra and John's for John's birthday party. Yes, yesterday was quite a long day for me.

I was greeted at home by some very unpleasant email. Actually, only one unpleasant email. Sadly, from my sister's boyfriend who is as Rick says, "young, dumb, and full of cum." It was in response to the same "Appology to Americans" that I refered to in my last entry. I got flamed. Royally. So, I had to respond. Initially I wrote a very nasty response, but then realising that it was my sister's boyfriend, I toned it down, then ran it past Nick before sending it on. I was going to post it here along with my response, but I decided that I'd let it go. Chances are, tonight or tomorrow, I'll end up with another flame in my email, because he's too young to know how to engage in a proper debate, and I'll just let it drop. I'm sorry that this was my introduction to him, but as long as he treats my sister well, I'll let him keep his kneecaps.

Anyway, I've been assigned Zhanna's office for the fanflick that I'm working on. It's going to be a HUGE challenge, since the scene was shot against a green screen and I've rarely done any sort of room setting, but I think I'll figure it out. Plus I've got to do thank you cards for A&C and also for Adam. Finally, I'm preparing for Ad-Astra, which I'll be helping Nicole at. I'll have several exciting new pieces hanging at the show, and hopefully I will actually sell them. Oh, please, please, please. Which leads me to one last thing. I have updated my Elfwood sites. All of them have new stuff up, so I expect some nice new comments. Click the links at the top right of the screen to visit my sci-fi, story, and fan art galleries.

I got a letter in my email today, from an old friend of mine who lives down in New Orleans. It was a response to an email I'd forwarded out, "An Appology to Americans" written by Rick Mercer, a very funny, satirical Canadian comic. It was followed with slogans written on protest signs at a big peace rally held in Washington DC. One of my friends got very angry about the email, despite despising Bush and the stupidity of the US position on Iraq, but he was offended by Canadian's mocking the US. When I first opened Adam's email, I thought that the length of it suggested he was about to tear my head off, too. Afterall, when we first started talking, his idea of US politics was to wrap himself in the Confederate flag and dance like a monkey. Time caused him to open his eyes, though, and his world view broadened greatly. Now, I present his letter to me. Thank you, Adam, it blew me away.

well, as a native Louisianian, i can tell you that i usually care less about
national politics and more about when crawfish are in season (which they are
right now, and i would send you some if they werent such a perishable item).
i dont think we should bomb iraq. his father had his chance to dethrone
saddam and passed it right up. everybody thinks it's about disarming iraq
but it's always been about oil. the gas is one problem, and i can tell you
that i'm sick of paying a dollar and a half for the watered down stuff. we
have the technology for hybrid electric or hydrogen powered cars and you
know why we dont have them yet - because too many people would lose money.
the other problem is how to stop people from driving airplanes into tall
buildings, and i dont really have a straight answer for that one. and a lot
of people in this country who dont live in new york or california or any
other high profile state think that this shit can't and won't happen to
them, which is pretty dangerous thinking - timothy mcveigh did it in
Oklahoma, of all places.

and let's not even mention health care. i used to install computer
networks, and a lot of our clients were dentists. there was a piece of
paper posted by the front desk of one office that had a picture of the CEO
of a major HMO, and his salary (well over 17 million dollars/year) was
printed below his picture. it basically told customers that if they were
unhappy about the price of dental insurance, that they should remember that
guy and how much he makes, and that's the problem right there. health
insurance for the department store where i work is extremely expensive, and
that's just for you. dont even bring your family into it. i figure it
would be almost 40-50% of my check *every week*. but then if you dont have
it, a visit to the doctor will run you from $90-120. it almost makes you
sick ;) but you have average working people who can barely afford health
and dental insurance, and the guy who works for the HMO making a ridiculous
amount of money off of it.

i think we have a lot of things to fix in this country before we go meddling
in other countries' affairs. i myself could give a shit if n. korea wants
to play with nuclear power. it doesnt matter if you think they're crazy or
not, i find it hard to believe that they dont know it's impossible to "win"
an all out nuclear war. we should stop being the world police.

you know as well as i do how much things are screwed up in this country, and
although i bet canada has its share of greedy politicians, i think that i
want to move there some day, but only if i can get a steady supply of spicy
food and beer and seafood and live music. that is all that we know down
here and that's all that i care about.

I went home for a few days and therefore fell off the planet, again. Oops. Anyway, I had a great time chez Mom. I made her watch Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was on television, and, despite her protests at the start, I believe she thoroughly enjoyed it. What's not to enjoy? Some of the all-time classic movie moments are in that flick. On Sunday, she and I had an adventure when we went to see the Belleville Symphony. Neither of us had been to Belleville before, and we were both impressed with the quality of the orchestra and two out of the three soloists. Names escape me and I don't have a programme to relate to so you're out of luck. Suffice it to say, the soprano was truly excellent and the pianist, an 18 year old from Belleville, Elain Tam, I think her name is, was very talented.

Everyone we met in Belleville was incredibly nice. Talking to strangers in that town (it doesn't quite make a city at under fifty-thousand) seems to be a common and even welcome occurence. We decided to stop at the New Kilick's Family Restaurant off Highway 7 and were pleasantly surprised by the home-goodness and sheer tastiness of this unassuming roadside restaurant's food. Down-home goodness and the owners were very pleasant. Sunday was a mighty enjoyable day, full of surprises and beautiful scenery.

Willi ignored me almost the entire time I was in the Petes. I wonder if she even notices that I'm not there. Chester, on the other hand, lets me ruffle him up and do all sorts of undignified things to him that he won't even let my mother consider. Melody, now 15 years old, is a constant hassel when it comes to grooming. She's losing some of her winter coat and the static is reeking havoc on her long, fluffy fur. This means she gets combed nearly every day, if only to keep a handle on the mattes that develop along her hips. Poor hair creature. Anyway, I've left Willi with Mom since I'll be in Guelph this weekend and then I'll be back to the Petes on Thursday night for wedding excitement. Woo !

I have to get doing with two sets of thank you cards. One for Adam's NDP campaign and one for Al and Carrie. I had an idea for the latter, but I think that I've changed my mind. I don't know, I'll have to talk to them about it. I have yet to do the commission for Tony, which I've been putting off for two weeks, and I owe one to Rick, too. Speaking of Rick, we'll be celebrating our three-year anniversary, if you can believe that, a few days after the wedding. I still haven't gotten anything together for his gift. Not having been paid (still) for Adam's stuff has really been cutting into my finances. I'll figure something out.

Anyway, I think I'll just take a few words to pay a little honour to Mr. Fred Rogers. I have a lot to thank him for. When I was a child, way back when I was still living in New York, it was his television show that I think I loved the most. Sesame Street and The Magic Garden (a local New York show that you might not have ever heard of) were good, and I liked them, too, but Mr Rogers' Neighborhood I adored. I used to run up to the TV and kiss the trolly goodbye when it drove off the screen at the end of the show. I have a vivid memory of my mother windexing the screen to clean off my icky lip marks. Thank you, Fred Rogers, for teaching me about emotions, equality, caring, friendship, honesty, and imagination. You will be missed by millions.

I'm wearing my new pants and shirt from Tallgirl ! Sandra hemmed up my pants yesterday and all is well. They look swank and I've already had several compliments.

Tonight is a CD release party for my mom's friend, Carmen Jones, and initially my mother had planned on coming into town for it. Unfortunately, she's too sick with a migraine today to make it, which I'm afraid dulls my own excitement somewhat. Also, I'm having wicked stomach cramps and have been since last night. I don't know if it's something I ate, or what, but it hurts and I really want to lie down.

On Monday night, I took Derek to see Ladytron at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. The waiting outside in line definitely sucked as the temperature was below frigid and the wind was blowing hard making it even worse. The opening band, unanounced and hard to understand, was pretty good, but I have no idea who they were. The 'special guests' were a band called Simian and they ... well, for the first four songs they were enjoyable. The second four songs proved that they really only had four songs and a set of rotating lyrics. In other words, quite boring. Ladytron, however; was very good. They're not that exciting on stage and the music is not that deep layered synth sound I love so much, but they're highly danceable and quite cool. I did thoroughly enjoy them. I danced so hard at one point that I ripped the crotch of my jumpsuit. Oh dear.

I went to Carrie's on Tuesday and was greeted by a surprise. Tanya was there ! She'd brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts and you know what? I still think they're creepy weird. Doughnuts shouldn't melt on your tongue, it's just ... wrong. Anyway, Tanya modeled her bridesmaid gown and I got to see how it looked. Gosh, did it look good. I'm pretty excited to be getting mine all done tomorrow. Woo !

What do you do when someone you work with is being harrassed? It becomes a much trickier question when that person is working a customer service-oriented job and the person that is harrassing them is a member of the public. Yesterday, I was confronted with this very question, as I witnessed a man talking to my co-worker. None of us knew how to help, other than to distract the customer, which failed. My co-worker backed out of the situation by giving the excuse that he had to go sort the mail, but ultimately, it was not a solution.

This has been going on for sometime. The patron comes in any old time and if this particular staff member is working, he heads straight for them. My co-worker is utterly non-confrontational, and terribly polite, and it is very hard for him to say, "Please stop talking about this, it is inappropriate and I don't want to hear about it." This particular patron makes sexually inappropriate comments, singling out my co-worker to share these nasty thoughts with.

Today, I approached Richard about the situation, leaving out my co-worker's name in order to protect his involvement, especially since he did not ask me to intervene. Richard was terribly unhappy about it and phoned Human Resources to discuss what could be done in a situation like this. The answers were not terribly satisfying, but ultimately, it is the responsibility of the co-worker to come forward in order to take action. I have emailed him to suggest he follow the informal route for now, pursuing the formal action of complaint only if all else fails. It's very frustrating. I have become very protective of my co-workers and I wish that there was something more immediate that I could do.

No one deserves to be singled out. No one deserves to be harrassed or abused and no one should have to suffer harrasment. To victimise someone for no good reason is to infringe upon that person's human rights. We're better than that.

Whoops, I seem to have forgotten to publish yesterday's entry. Oh well. I've published it now. Rick was over last night. He made a delicious fish dinner for me with a lovely veggie combination that was reminiscent of chili ingredients, but without the chili beans (corn, onion, red pepper, etc.). So tasty. It was done in white wine and ... well, gosh, it was good. We watched CSI and then to my delight, we watched Army of Darkness ! I hadn't seen that since ... well, probably about eight or nine years ago, and while it's not as funny as I remembered it having been, it was still wonderful. Thanks for a nice night, Rick.

While I was processing some e-sales earlier today, I came across a new member with three children. Now, this in itself is not interesting, even with them listed on the sale (not required). However, it seems their names are: Oran, Doran, and Dorian.

Oran, Doran, and Dorian? Holy crap. If they're triplets, it's only that much worse.

My day started with a bizarre incident. I was waiting (for a long time) at the bus stop, awaiting the Dufferin bus, when this fellow got to the newspaper stand outside the corner store, where the bus stop is located, and grabbed up the copy of the Toronto Sun that I was glancing at. Now the Sun is not what one might call a high class or thought-provoking newspaper, but a headline is a headline and I'll read it while waiting for a bus. The man yanks the front page off and turns the paper over in order to see page three, which is now the cover page, and therefore revealing the 'sunshine girl'. He lets the cover page fall to the ground and sets the paper up back in its stand, sunshine girl in her yellow bikini showing off for the world to see. He nods, grunts and walks off. I watched him head down the street, expecting to see him look back for my reaction, but he didn't. I shared a look with the other woman at the bus stop, both of us with our eyebrows raised, and she and I proceded to pick the cover up and reapply it to the newspaper and set it down properly in the stand. "That was weird," she said. I agreed. There sure are some strange folks in my neighbourhood.

I have things to say, really. Not just about recapping events, which I do quite often, but of events and news items and thoughts that take my fancy. You all know that. Yesterday, I was going to post some bits of blather of the latter sort, but Blogger seemed to be a little disfunctional, in that it was down. But it's back. Now, however, I have much more important things to say than my adventures at the Y on Monday (I ran on the track... and did 8 girlie push-ups !). There was some other stuff, like I was going to talk about Brazil, but that's not so important now as this.

Today, my mother was finally diagnosed. I don't think it is official yet, as the doctor sent her for some X-rays as well, but he pronounced on the spot in his office, following an hour-long examination, that my mother does, in fact, have fibromyalgia. This isn't good knews, so much as it's a relief to finally have something we can tell people. I met her at Mount Sinai Hospital at 9:30am and we were there until after mid-day. We went for sushi and walked about on Bloor St a bit. I took her into the little framing shop that I like to go to and she and Mr. Dhanka (the owner) got on very well. He's such a sweet man. Sort of in celebration, as well, we went up to Yorkdale and went into Tallgirl to buy, of all things, socks. We left with clothes numbering a great deal more than knee-highs. I got a pair of pants that is so damn sexy... and I have to have them hemmed UP. *cackle* I got a matched shirt, too, which looks swank. Mom picked up two pairs of pants and shirt. A fine celebration activity right before she goes off payroll and possibly onto EI (thanks to her less than stellar manager not doing the paperwork she should have done). Anyway, it was a good day with Mom.

We went back to Julie and Jerzy's place, where she's staying while in town, and on the dining room table were a couple of articles printed from this very good alternate news site, AlterNet. I feel that one of them, in particular, is MUCH too important to let go unnoticed, and I recommend this site very strongly. In fact, this article was so compelling, that I have copied the text directly from the site in order to paste it here. It is long, but it really is very important.


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War: The Most Horrible Human Experience

By Senator Robert Byrd, AlterNet
February 17, 2003

U.S. Senator Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) made the following statement on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003.

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. On this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.

Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent – ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.

We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. Only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption – the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future – is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our – or some other nation's – hit list.

High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.

Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.

This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.

In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.

In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.

Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant – these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.

The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.

Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?

And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?

Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?

Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. One can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. On what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq – a population, I might add, of which over 50 percent is under age 15 – this chamber is silent. On what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare – this chamber is silent. On the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.

We are truly "sleepwalking through history." In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.

To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50 percent children is "in the highest moral traditions of our country." This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.

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This never made any mainstream news. It should have, but it didn't. Thank God, this senator had the courage to stand up and make this statement.

My day began well enough and now I only hope that it continues thus. For a start, I didn't lounge about in bed like I usually do, which is more a product of awaking tired than being lazy. No, today, I was aware of my stereo going off and then by my alarm twittering like a chickadee on ritalin. I didn't flop back down into bed like usual, though, no, I sat up, played with my cat, and climbed out of bed. The result? Timely arrival at work !

Anyway, let me return to this past week, since I gave mention of various things last night that deserve better attention. Firstly, Rick came out to the Petes with me on Saturday when I had finished work at the ROM. We packed up the cat and my laundry and headed out for we had tickets to the PSO. The concert was amazing. The soloist was John Rudolph who is the principle percussionist for the TSO and he gave a resounding performance. It was super. Then, leaving Mom and Ray at the reception, Rick and I headed to Al's parent's place for a jack-and-jill. That was fun, and I didn't meet half the people there, but good times were had.

Sunday was a good deal of fun as well. I attended a bridal shower for Carrie at an aunt's house (Carol) where there was delicious food and very merry company, including one very jolly baby. I got there late, naturally, mostly because my mother wouldn't stop talking despite my saying I had to get ready. Not that I've ever done that. *snicker* I came home and Ray joined us all for dinner, which was fun. Rick seemed to have a good time out there - each time he loosens up a little more. And Mom's cat, Chester, now finds him to be merely an irritation, rather than something terrifying and to be avoided at all costs.

I dropped Rick off at the Greyhound terminal early Monday morning and then came home and went back to bed. I didn't get dressed at all that day. It was great. On Tuesday, nothing much happened, but Mom and I went to see Chicago. Ray didn't like it (he came, too), but me and Mom enjoyed it thoroughly. The choreography was very much under the influence of Bob Fosse, the show's original choreographer, and there were a number of shots reminiscent of Cabaret. I found a pretty good review of the film that reflects my personal opinion quite well, though I would add that Queen Latifa is also the most sensual and sexual character in the entire show. Damn, she was awesome.

Wednesday had Mom and I running some errands, which was kind of fun in a bland sort of way. However, following that, we went to a PSO related dinner where we mingled with musicians, board members, volunteers, and whatnot. The event was held at the Peterborough Golf and Country Club and the food was excellent. I had to teach the bartender how to make a bourbon sour, though, which was sort of fun and exciting. I felt... suave.

Unfortunately, Thursday and the early part of Friday were spent not at the ROM as they ought to have been, but in bed, in the Petes, with a migraine. That was a definitely downer. Happily, I was still able to attend the charity Valentine's dinner in Stoney Creek with Rick and his family, which was kind of fun, though the venue sucked. There isn't much else to tell. I've had a relatively uneventful couple of days since then. Nick is in Philadelphia, experiencing heavy snowfall and visiting friends, which means the appartment is very quiet (except when Willi is yelling).

Oh, speaking of Willi, she caught a mouse the night before last ! Hooray for Stinky-Bee ! She almost caught it while Derek was over (he came by to make me watch Brazil, which was pretty fascinating as far as films go, though I'm not sure it lived up to the hype), but was foiled when she fell into her waterbowl and snagged her foot on my hat (why was my hat under the couch?). Undaunted, she must have pursued her quarry throughout the night and when I awoke the following morning and walked into the living room, lo, there upon the rug was most of a mouse, carefully laid out for me to see. I gave her much praise and then immediately whisked it away into the garbage.

Tomorrow, I'm going to A&C's for girlish smashy-smashy (translates to playing Dark Alliance all day with Carrie) and then I'm doing dinner there for Buffilicious fun. Mom's coming into town tomorrow, too, because on Wednesday she will be in hospital getting checked out by a rheumatologist in order to hopefully get a final diagnosis one way or the other. I'm trying to reschedule my work shifts with Aman so that I can be there with her for support.

I can't make my archives yet, and I'm sorry for my lengthy delay in telling you this. I'm still waiting for someone at Blogger to figure it out and get back to me, but, surprise, suprise, they're slow.

There is a lot to say as I spent most of last week in Peterborough, though the final two days were with migraine and really don't count. There was a Jack and Jill and a bridal shower and Rick was there for a couple of days and we did stuff... and I saw a movie with Mom... Oh man. I'm not sure where to start. Oh, maybe I'll come back later when I'm in a writing mood.

I am attempting to make my archives work... please do not adjust your television.

I take one day off from work and something goes wrong. Figures, doesn't it? Yesterday, I decided that I would not do work. I would not do ANY work. I went to Sandra's for my dress fitting, which went well, except that I've expanded through the chest somewhat (damn back-fat), and stayed for tea and a social call. I left bearing pieces of art that John had collected for me from Lynn Robinson Gallery before it closed. I've never been much of a fan of a lot of her work, but I like the fantasy head thing he gave me and the other piece was a mazuzzah (sp?). It's hard to turn down a mazuzzah - after all, as a gift, it's a very special sort of blessing. So, I guess I'd better dig around for the prayer that should be set within it and mount it on my door frame.

Following that pleasant visit, I came home long enough to check my phone messages and make a couple of quick calls before heading off to Becca's house. I've never been to her appartment. It's a bachelor, but it's a really nice one. Though not big, it's quite comfortable with a nice big window and well appointed bathroom and kitchen. She's got a great design flare and her place looks great, except for the cat hair on everything. She has two black cats that shed like crazy, Yum-Yum and Finigan. Apparently Finney doesn't bond with strangers, but within a couple of hours, he had made my lap a second home. Becca was impressed. I had a nice time with her. We don't see much of each other but we're trying to fix that. She really wants me to move into her building so that we can be neighbours and hang out together - not live together, mind you, we've already tried that.

So, while I was ignoring the world of work, the world of work was getting irritated. Today, I got an email from my liason in Montreal for the printhouse/platemaker that Adam's newsletter went to. The images weren't clear enough. No kidding. Well, they'll have to deal - they're as clear as they're gonna get. And I should have included the fonts that I used. Okay, fair enough. Chalk that up to limited experience with printers - Kinkos doesn't count. *laugh* So, the first thing I get to do tonight - rather than attend Matt Lenner's going away party (an old friend from university who is going to teach English in Japan), I'll get to go home and DO WORK. Ask me if I'm thrilled. No, don't.

This weekend, I'll be heading to the Petes tomorrow afternoon with Stinky and Rick. He and I are going to the PSO and then to a Jack and Jill in honour of Al and Carrie. On Sunday, I'm off to a shower - what am I supposed to bring? I'll bring food. I can't afford gifties. That's the problem with showers. Why can't you just give presents when they actually GET married? Anyway, Carrie knows I love her. I love you, Carrie ! Rick will stay out until Monday morning when he'll take the bus back to TO for work. I'm staying out until Wednesday night. Why? Because I can. Besides, since I'm not going to get paid until this coming week, I won't have the money to be in Toronto feeding myself. I have enough money to gas up my car tomorrow, that's it.

Is it bad to want to write stories all day at work?

After much thought and agonising over numbers and timelines and career options I come to a decision. It's an important decision and still one that does not leave me entirely satisfied.

First of all, on Monday, I was offered the sales job. I told my prospective boss that I would think about it, and in two days, I did a heavy amount of thinking. I sought out the opinions of those around me including that of Richard (a ROM manager) and of Anthony (a friend who works as a game artist, formerly of Legend Ent.). Both were of two minds, both talked of the pros and cons. My mother did some budget crunching, as did I, and we came up with similar findings. Ultimately, though I like the company and Donald, he who would have been my boss, and I'd have gotten to work with Al (big plus, there), I think now is the wrong time. Had I been offered a higher salary, I might have been swayed differently, but if I keep my freelance work with Adam and pick up another client, I will actually make more than the job would have paid. It was a very tough decision and I'm not entirely persuaded that I chose rightly, but I have decided. Corporate sales simply wouldn't allow me to spend time working freelance or even leaving me with much energy for any drawing.

What is it they say? "Do what you want and the rest will follow." Well, I'm not sure what 'the rest' is, but I am going to find out.

More decisions were made, too, or rather, one other important one. I have decided not to move. The fact is, the idea of boxing all my stuff up and shlepping it all to god-knows-where in a U-haul does not blow my skirt up. I'm going to look for a new roommate, maybe somebody knows of someone, preferably a woman (for Rick's sake, more than mine) or a gay man. I'll take over Nick's room and rent my old space. It's a lot easier to move down the hall than it is to move across the city. Living on my own can wait another year and when it comes, it will be all the sweeter for the wait. Or something.

So, there you have it. Be it for good or for bad, this is what I've decided to do. Do I feel better? Ya, I guess I do, or at least relieved.

Change. A change of pants. Change in your pocket. Change of address. Changing lanes. The changing seasons. Make change. A change of heart. Time change. To change one's mind. Change sides. A changing of the Guard. Sea change. A sex change. Regime change.

Change is good. Change is bad. Change is a whole lot of things and most people abhore it, avoid it; very few embrace it. When change comes on one's own terms, it is viewed in a positive light, but when it comes of its own whims, it can become devestatingly frightening. Paralysing, even. It comes and the butterflies begin their stomach dance, sometimes from excitement, oftentimes from anxiety. When faced with the challenge of change, it is very difficult to think without bias, to leave one's phobias out of it, to accept that it might not be so bad - a good thing, even.

And so, I am faced with change.

So, what have I been doing this weekend? Working. Yup, my life is ever full of fun and exciting ... work. Get used to the name, Adam G_______, for it will appear on a regular basis as it has over the last couple of weeks. This weekend, other than site sales at the ROM (today), I've pretty well done little more than work on the FYI, Adam's community association newsletter. Okay, I talked on the phone a bit tonight, to Rick, Becca, Mom, and to - no surprises here - Adam. Now, if my email would attach the files so that I could send them out, THAT would be nice.

There's a new development in my life. I'll be moving again, it seems. Nick does not want to renew the lease here, though we've come to a very amicable arrangement whereby we'll renew on a partial basis, giving me plenty of time to find a new place. I was just starting to really feel homey about this place, too. I've done a lot of moving in the past six years or so. First, in and out of residence, then in and out of Euclid, then into Manning, then into Al & Carrie's, then here... I'm frankly tired of it. The next place is going to serve as IT. I want to be able to like it, live on my own, and be darn happy there. Or at least not a victim to either roommate or landlord whims. I'm not mad at Nick, by the way, though I think maybe he thinks I am. I'm a little disappointed, sure. I thought we'd found a nice balance and I'd grown quite accustomed to having him as a fixed feature in my domestic life (the playstation 2 is a nice plus, as well). It hasn't all been milk and honey, but mostly, it's been pretty easy. C'est la vie, as they say.

Willi just walked into my room and yelled at me. This is not so unusual an activity, really, but I just thought I'd make note of this. I'm not sure when I last mentioned that I adore my cat, but I do, despite her kicking her litter (and sometimes her poops) out of her litter box. One accepts the bad with the good, you know? Anyway, she's gone again, waiting expectantly near her dish, no doubt. It's that time again.

I grew up with Space Shuttle Columbia. I'm only a few years older than her. Hers was the distinguished career of a heroic Earth-orbitor and the men and women she carried were equally distinguished and all of them a sort of hero. Today, only days after the anniversary of Challenger's tragic ascent in 1986, Columbia disintegrated on re-entry just 15 minutes before she was due to land.

To watch spaceships explode in movies is exciting and cool. When it happens in real life it is horrific and disheartening. These were real lives that were lost, not film effects created on computers. Those that mourn are not actors but family, friends, and others who may not even have known the victims. This was a science mission, one of peace and hope. Let not their deaths be in vain.

Another little while has passed and I haven't gotten around to updating my weblog. I know it's a bad sign when my mother tells me over the phone that she was disappointed that there had been no updates. Sorry !

Anyway, it's a busy time for me. It wasn't supposed to be, but it is, and there's nothing I can do about it except get on with things. I am supposed to be working on Adam's FYI newsletter, but I haven't been able to make the template files work for me, which is a serious problem. I'm supposed to have them done by Sunday, but lord only knows if I'll be able to do it. I guess that's what I'll be doing tomorrow. After a meeting at the Cafe Diplomatico, anyway. Adam's municipal campaign team choose the tastiest places to hold meetings.

On Tuesday, I went to meet with Professor Nagel about getting a reference and that went quite well. Professor Nagel (I get to call him Alex now) was my absolute favourite professor at university. Not only was he well dressed, but he was engaging and encouraged his students to become actively involved in their learning. He pressed us for creative thought, critical thinking, and enjoyment of the subject. Very few professors successfully manage to do one of the above, let alone all three. I also ran into an old school friend, Guita, and she encouraged me to go back to school for a Masters. We'll see about that.

On Wednesday, I went to a job interview. Back in December, Al had told me about a job opening at his work and had asked me for a resume. I forgot about it until Monday when he told me that I had an interview on Wednesday. Not a heck of a lot of time to get prepared, but it was a good interview, regardless. First of all, right off the bat, I asked the interviewer, Don, where he was from. His accent sounded very familiar. "Brooklyn," he answered. "Where in Brooklyn?" I asked. "Sheep's Head Bay," says he. "No kidding !" I exclaim, "I come from Sheep's Head Bay, too !" "No kidding !" he exclaims. Don is a nice guy and the interview went well, but the job is a scary one. High pressure telecommunications sales. The incentives are good, but it's hard work and... well, it's just scary. Anyway, I'll find out if they're offering the job to me either today or Monday. I've spent the better part of yesterday thinking about it.

Well, that is when I wasn't sleeping off my migraines. I woke up with one, which kept me out of work, and when it cleared around 1pm, I decided to do some cleaning of my room. Boy, was that ever some serious work. By supper time, I'd developed a new migraine and spent the majority of my night in bed. Oh well, I got the box in my room delt with, nearly a year after moving in, and my bookshelves are almost completely reorganised, including a display of most of my toys. It's nice to have my old friends out again. When I have a little money, I'm going to buy myself a filing cabinet of some sort, though. I have too many loose papers lying around.

Tonight, I'm taking Rick to the gym. We were supposed to go yesterday, but I couldn't because of my head. I'm going to take it nice and easy, just doing some of the machines, maybe rowing and cycling, or something. I don't know what Rick plans to do. All I know is that afterward, we're going to hace a nice dinner somewhere, or order something in. We'll see. Not quite a date, but it will be fun.

How I spent my weekend, or, Why bother getting dressed? by Maya Hirschman.

I spent all of Saturday in my nightgown. It was wonderful. Okay, perhaps not 'wonderful' in the truest sense, but it sure was enjoyable. Rick seemed a little surprised by my desire to avoid real clothing, but as I explained to both he and my mother, I planned to do nothing, not even get dressed. Also, I spent most of the day in front of the television watching the NDP convention on the CBC. Like I said, my leadership predictions went right out the window, along with those spoken by people much more experienced in such matters. There were a lot of delays in getting the voting closed and ballots counted, which meant a lot of 'fill' from the correspondents.

"And now to Anna-Maria Tremante who is speaking to Nigel Proose, just some guy waiting in line to vote. Anna-Maria?"

"Thanks Bob, I'm here with Nigel Proose who I found snoozing in the voting line-up. Mr. Proose, are you having a good time here at the convention?"

"Well, I was having a pretty good dream until you stuck this microphone in my face, but otherwise, it's been pleasant. Mostly, I've just been waiting here."

"Mr. Proose, do you know what the delay is?"

"I think it's something to do with computers. I don't know. They told me to wait. I'm waiting."

"May I ask you who you're voting for?"

"Oh well sure. That will be Nystrom. Heh, he puts the nice back in 'strom'. Heh, heh."

"Um, yes. Well, Bob, there you have it. Nigel Proose, you can get back to your napping."

However, once the votes were in, it livened up completely ! People were having a good time regardless of the delays, it seemed, waving their banners and calling out chants and cheers devoted to their particular leader-hopeful. Bev Meslo, who really wasn't running but for the opportunity to give her issues some air time, seemed to be having the best time compared to all the other hopefuls. She was dancing and singing and didn't let slack. Ducasse, the little guy from Quebec, was a stand-out, and everyone really likes him. I missed his speech, but apparently, it was the best of the bunch. He's the future of the party, and the NDP's best chance of gaining a seat in Quebec.

Anyway, I'm probably boring you all with this, so, it's time for a change of subject. Sunday, I was supposed to be at a thing for Carrie, a shower, or whatever, but I ended up waking with a splitting headache and after sitting around for 45 minutes to see if the painkiller would do it's job, I decided to go back to bed. I would have called to cancel, but it was a surprise shower and I didn't want to be a wet towel. If anyone was expecting me to be there, they probably assumed I got lost en route, as usual, and ended up in Bobcageon.

I also spent an awful lot of time in the bathtub this weekend. Not because I was so dirty, but because it's a peaceful place where I can relax, be at ease, and generally not be bothered by anyone. I just close my eyes and listen to the radio (sometimes I read). There are few things that I like as much as a scaldingly hot bath with nothing pressing me for time. I'd take baths in the city, except the bathroom is sort of dark and there's this nasty sliding door that blocks what light there is. I'm considering taking it down and putting up an old fashioned curtain. Anyway, it was nice.

So, summing up my weekend: nightgown, sleeping late, bathtub, eating, and watching television.

I wish I were still there. *sigh*

Oh, and another thing: Adam was re-elected. Huzzah !

Well, it's safe to say that no one predicted Jack Layton's decisive and quite incredible first ballot victory. 53.5% on the first ballot. Amazing, surprising and completely terrific ! Go Jack.

More to follow at another point. In the mean time, since people seemed to enjoy the dancing Bush so much, how about a work-out? Or maybe some more dancing?

And one more thing... some mindless fun for home or office.

This Freaky-Tie Friday brought to you by Maya's political pics:

Bev Meslo will lose on first ballot and back Lorne Nystrom. Pierre Ducasse will lose and back Joe Comartin. Joe Comartin will be up against the front runners Bill Blaikie and Jack Layton. Nystrom will lose and back Blaikie. Comartin will back Layton. It will be a tight fight for Blaikie and Layton, but because Layton has no Federal political experience and would end up being the third consecutive party leader lacking a seat in the House, Blaikie will end up taking it.

I've never played this game - the game of politics - at least not for real. But, now, because I work for Adam G_______, I can't help hearing this talk around me. Who do I support? Who would I vote for had I managed to join the party in time? I would back Layton, though I'm sort of partial to Comartin, as well. I certainly wouldn't back Meslo - I've never seen so much crap. "For a socialist and feminist New Democratic Party." Huh? The word 'feminist' is NOT a good sell. Too many people, including many women, are bothered by the word. Besides, there's a big fat rose on her webpage and underneath it says, "Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too !" I'm pretty sure that's a quote from somewhere, but it's not attributed. What kind of a mixed message is this? Anyway, that's a rant for another day.

I'm all done with G________'s re-election work. He called me last night to tell me that the buttons look fabulous. I've enjoyed working for him on this, although spending this weekend doing relatively nothing sounds like a great plan. I was all keyed up to go to the gym tonight before we (Rick and I) leave for the Petes, but I left my shorts and shoes at my appartment, so I guess I'll just go home and take a well-deserved nap. Next week, I start with more stuff for Adam, this time for his municipal stuff. He is certainly going to keep me busy. Of course, the busier I am with his stuff, the less of a struggle I have financially, which is definitely a good thing.

Also, I got my application to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the mail. It has to be postmarked with today's date, so it should be fine, but just in case, I'm going to email my application in as well. On Tuesday, I'm meeting with my old Professor Nagel, and hopefully Mac Johnson, too, in order to talk to him about references. I'll also be going into the university registrar's office in order to pay for my transcripts. God, my marks were terrible. They were worse than I'd thought. I was one heck of an average student. For each fail there is an A, there are more Bs than Ds, and there is a stack of Cs. It doesn't bode well for the museum, but maybe they'll look past that to all the extra-curricular stuff I've done... Heh, ya, right.

So, anyway, it's Freaky-Tie Friday, which happens about every three Fridays or so, as long as it's not too hot and I've got a clean shirt. I've been wearing ties far longer than Avril Lavigne and I wear them with more style and flash. The idea behind FTF is to wear a tie (preferably a nice loud/ugly one) with either a surprisingly coloured shirt, plain shirt (for extra loud ties), and if possible, with matched socks. Today I'm wearing my red button-down that I got last month at Value Village along with a purple-lavender tiny-white-polka-dotted tie. I had hoped they would clash, but they work surprisingly well together. I'm wearing black and red argyle socks, too, so I'm a looker. Admit it, Freaky-Tie Friday is WAY more exciting than casual/denim Fridays.

Slogging. That is what I am doing. I am slogging through great sucking marshland called graphic design for Adam G_______. Now, Adam's a nice guy, and I want him to win, but there are only three things that are keeping me sane through this mess. The first: my respect for Adam. The second: the money. The third: techno. Yes, that's right. It's the body-moving, bass-thumping rhythms of some classic (and somewhat less so) electronic dance music. There will be further entries at a later date when I have either finished Adam's stuff, or finished Adam.

Wow, there's nothing quite like a beautiful winter day. The sky is that shade of blue that can't possibly be real, except that you're looking up and there it is - blue like a technicolor dream. The sun is shining and it's that warm sun because January brings the earth closest to that great ball of flame in the heavens, but it's not warm enough to shield you from the wind. It's a teasing sun. There's snow on the ground and it's bright, luminous in the sunlight and a blue that matches the sky in pockets of shadow. The snow crunches underfoot because it's so cold outside, there's no slush, no muck, just beautiful frozen expanses. Today, Toronto is beautiful.

I feel good today, and not just because it's so great a day. Yesterday, I went to the YMCA (everyone, together now, do the dance !) with Erin, my friend from the ROM. She dragged me around and showed me how to use the machines and whatnot, and I had a blast. After stretching, I we did the stairclimber for about 15 minutes and then walked it out for a while on the track. Then we did about half an hour on various weight machines before finishing up with some abdominal work and more stretching. It was amazing. I figure that we worked out for a bit over an hour, and considering how poor my condition is, that's pretty darn good. We went for a very healthy dinner at a little Japanese Bento place and then we drove home. Needless to say, I'm quite sore today, especially through my upper body. I'm going again tonight !

First of all, please, follow this link, which was given to me by Nick. Don't worry about not being able to read Japanese, it really won't factor into the story at all. Just keep clicking the pictures.

Last night, feeling (thankfully) much better than I had through most of the day and certainly all of the day before, I took Rick for a belated birthday dinner at The Lobster Trap. They're not kidding - it's awesome. We had a lovely waiter, named Cam, who looked awfully familiar. I probably went to elementary school with him, or something. Anyway, we both had steamed pound-and-a-quarter lobsters with salad and were MORE than pleased at how delicious they were. God, lobster is amazing. I hope they don't over-fish them the way they do everything else, but I'm probably wasting a wish. He had a glass of wine and I had a caesar and for dessert, he had a shrimp cocktail and a couple spoonfuls of icecream off my apple-caramel cake plate. Nummy ! The coffee was good and everything was great. Happy 24th birthday Rick, most of a month late !

I went with Rick to pick up a new computer monitor for him this afternoon. He has a dinky 14" creature at home that is barely wide enough to see my own reflection in it. The model he got was not very big, as far as monitors go, and if I can come up with some extra money that won't be funneled into something (ya, right), I'd like to get one for my mother, too, since it's not so large as would take up all her desk space. Rick was a great guy and bought me a swank new video card. He'd intended to get me one for my birthday, but he got me one today, at a pretty darn good price. Had it been more expensive, I would not have allowed him. Anyway, I owe him for the CD cases that he paid for - I forgot to give him money. Then I drove him and his monitor to his house, before swinging back across the city to get home. I had to get ready for An Evening with Adam G_______. That... wasn't so exciting that it deserves a lot of note. Suffice it to say, I met some nice people, some weird people, and some other people. I got asked several times if I'd be attending the NDP convention this coming weekend and now I can safely say, "No !" Hah ! I'll have had enough of campaign fun by then and will sorely need a break.

I spent all of yesterday, up until leaving to pick up Rick, working on Adam's stuff. It looks keen, but naturally there were problems. Tomorrow, I start the other stuff - the stuff due for Wednesday. How did I get into this? Oh ya, I said to Adam about six months ago, "Well, if you need any help..." Who actually comes back to the people that offer? People die and we offer our help to the bereaved, but do they ever take us to task? Not usually. Well, trust Adam to remember, and trust me to say, "Sure !" I will be able to say NO at some point. Currently, I need the money.

Tomorrow, I also start at the gym with Erin. Scarey !!! I need this badly, though. Holy crap, am I ever out of shape. Also, tomorrow, I'm going to draft my letter to the Met Museum for their internship programme. I have to get it out by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest in order for it to have a postmark by the 24th. I have to call the Art Dept. to see if my favourite professors are in this week in order to mooch a couple of reference letters, too. I've yet to hit them up, so they should be ammenable. I'm also going to get Ania, the director of Membership to write me one, which she has already agreed to do. Afterall, ILM isn't exactly beating down the door to get a hold of me.

I am sick. Again. I wish I weren't, but I am. There you go. Anyway, I thought of something worth mentioning. The logo belonging to Lava Life (the internet dating thing) looks an awful lot like the double L in Allan chocolate. Coincidence? Easter is coming. When you find an Allan chocolate bunny for sale, you have a look and see if this was merely the product of a mildly feverish brain.

Willi is dead bored here. She spends a lot of time sleeping - on me, on my bed, on my pillow, on the couch. We tried having a wee game with her bouncy mouse, but she just didn't have the heart for it. I tried to spice her up a little with the catnip fish that Sandra made, but Willi didn't care. My poor cat is moping. Dare I say it? I believe that she misses Chester. She was never at a loss for things to do while at Mom's, that is for sure. I fully understand. I'd rather be at Mom's house, too. Unfortunately for my cat, she probably can't rationalise the whole thing, whereas I'm persuading myself that I have to be here. I do. Right?

So, anyway, I've decided that I am going to apply for the museum admin/curatorial programme at Fleming College. I'm also, as soon as I'm done with this round of Adam G________ stuff, going to send out my applications for internship positions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as well as a couple of others. Tuesday will be the next chance I get to go to UofT in order to request my transcripts and to speak in person to my old art professors. In the mean time, I'll just keep on keeping on. This Saturday night I am attending 'An Evening with Adam G________' and will be borrowing Nick's camera for the event. I guess it means I won't be staying for the masquerade at Pandemonium, assuming I feel up to it. Whatever. Right now, I just don't care.

It's been a while, hasn't it? You might ascertain that I'm losing interest in my weblog, but you would be wrong. I've simply got too much going on, and when I do get time to myself (like this past week, for instance), which is time I usually devote to my non-paying work and fun, I ended up crashing. I went to Mom's and slept easily half the time I was there. God, it was wonderful.

Now I'm back and there will be no rest for the wicked, as they say. I've got to get down and dirty with Adam G_________'s stuff, plus I've got storyboards to get done by the end of this weekend (hopefully). I'm going to -try- to get to Pandemonium, if for no other reason than to enter a couple dioramas into their miniature contest, plus I'm starting at the gym with Erin on Sunday. I think that maybe I'm crazy.

Spending time at Mom's was great. Moreso even than usual. Willi is completely at home there now, playing and sleeping in intervals, Chester her willing partner in crime. It's beautiful at Mom's and the floor isn't tile, automatically gaining points for being warmer than freezing. Also, there's my mom, who is definitely one of, if not, THE coolest people I know. More and more, lately, I think about moving home. This might be a possibility if I end up applying to Sir Sanford Fleming for their Museum admin/curator programme. That would, of course, require more funding, if OSAP will allow it, considering I'm currently heading for default (even though it's their fault).

Now my day is done, which is good, since the last half hour has seen little more than me fighting with Betsey (my ROM computer) who believes that what I'm asking her to do, something I ask her to do on a regular basis, is something she absolutely cannot do.

I am alone. Totally alone. All I hear is the water cooler and the occasional muted yell of a child coming to me from three floors below and through two pairs of doors. The membership department is eerie, yet serene when there is no one else in it. I'm supposed to be working site sales, and indeed, I am, or was and will be again soon, but because today is so quiet in the museum, I decided to come upstairs and get a little work done to ease my burden tomorrow. There is a large stack of e-sales for me to process, so I'm getting some of the preliminary work done. Anyway, it's strangely peaceful.

Last night, Rick and I were supposed to go see Chicago at the Varsity, but we dawdled and ended up missing it by only a few places in line. It was sold out. We deliberated, but I did want to see a movie very much, and the idea of going home with a rented flick did not blow my skirt up. We found ourselves a Now Magazine and checked to see what else was playing in the area and, as it turned out, The Gangs of New York was playing at the nearby Cumberland 4. We shopped for some books at Chapters, and I ended up with a book on Maya 4 that will help me relearn what I've forgotten. It wasn't the book I wanted to buy, but it was an exercise in intelligent spending.

Now, onto the movie. Well. I knew it was going to be violent. I had no idea just how violent it was. It was brutal, and brutally honest. The images in the minds of people when they think of old New York usually stops around the turn of the century 20th Century as film became a new and powerful medium. This takes us further back to a rather disturbing time in New York's history. It was a good film, I think, and while I can't say that I enjoyed it, I did like it. It was pretty honest, though how true the specifics are, I don't know. Daniel Day Lewis, someone that seemed to have fallen off the map for a few years, gave a knockout performance as Bill the Butcher, and somewhat frighteningly, he reminded me of my father. The other surprise was Cameron Diaz, an actress not known for taking on challenging or interesting roles. My goodness, the girl can actually act. Of course, Leo DiCaprio was as he usually is, which is nothing particularly exciting, but steadfast and not actually bad. It was good. Gruesome, but good. I would recommend it, regardless of the violence, simply because of its honesty.

Tonight, I did something I hadn't expected to be doing, not only because I'd called out of work feeling sick today, but strange as a whole. I went to Derek's for some anime, but that wasn't it, though at one point I was fairly certain I wasn't going to his place. No, in fact, I've just come back from his place and I've since done that which I did not expect.

I shoveled. This is not to say that living in a Canadian city, I expect not to have to lift and chuck the white stuff. No, this is simply not what I expected to do ... as a tenant. My landlord, bless his rent-nagging heart, does do a very good job of keeping the sidewalk and paths around my place nice and clear. Unfortunately, between he and my anal neighbours (the ones that don't like cats), and ESPECIALLY the dreaded snow plow, Scarlette had been fairly snowed in. Now, she's an old fashioned four-wheel-drive and I know she can handle snow. That said, even a four-wheel-drive will have trouble when the snow is higher than the tires. On the street side, where the plow had passed, she was surrounded by a bank near 45cm deep (um, about a foot and a half). That's a lot of half frozen snow to move.

I was going to just leave it, but then I thought that if the sky decided to keep doing what it was doing, ie., snowing, there was no way I'd want to be stuck in an emergency with even more bank and drift boxing Scarlette in. So, ever since driving into a ditch a couple of winters ago, there's been a snow shovel in my trunk, but I've never had the occasion to use it. I could have used it that night in the ditch, but it was only that event which taught me the importance of trunk shovels. This is a short shovel, a short handle with a small scoop, but the perfect size for digging into the banks built up between cars. And digging I did ! Let me say this: I am WAY out of shape.

My intention was not to dig her out completely, as that would take probably over an hour, and as it stands, I worked for twenty minutes, sweating for at least ten of those. I dug out three out of four wheels (one was blessedly clear - I guess the plow driver got careless) and then proceded to dig out the front half of the car on the driver's side. I also cleared out about half of the substantial bank between mine and the car in front, tossing that onto the cat-hating neighbour's lawn and out into the street. Finally, when I thought my sides were going to burst, I just stomped in the snow and broke it up with the shovel so that Scarlette's tires could gain purchase. The final test was to try to escape. I shoveled off the car and then, entering by the passenger's side (yes, of course the driver's side key hole was frozen), I turned her on. Throwing her into "Lo" range four-wheel-drive, in other words, the more powerful range in which you have to use the low gears, I put her in reverse and hit the gas.

God bless my car. Scarlette leapt to life. It's a surprise to feel the difference between two- and four-wheel-drive, and many SUVs and such are in all-wheel mode all the time so you never feel the 'rush'. I threw her in first and we roared out of the snowbank into the street. Then, just to see if I could find a clearer parking spot, because I'm a selfish girl like that, I cruised around a little. I passed a Cadillac higher up on Greenlaw that was stuck in less snow than remained in my old spot and briefly considered offering my shovel. Passing them by, I ended up putting Scarlette back into the spot I'd pulled her from and did a strategicallly better parking job that left me more room for error at the front. I again considered helping the Cadillac as its tires spun, but feeling the effects of an asthma attack and my pants covered in snow, I opted to come in here and write about my little adventure instead.

I really do love the winter.

It's been quite a bit of time since I last logged an entry. I'll make no appologies as I simply had better things to be doing. Since my last entry, Christmas and New Years have come and gone and I enjoyed them both very much. Mostly, the time between these significant dates was spent working site-sales at the ROM, and the days immediately surrounding those dates were spent in Peterborough visiting my mother and as it happens, my cat. I haven't had a lot of time to relax. Christmas Eve saw Mom and I driving back and forth, to and from, Toronto where we'd spent several hours visiting with Julie and Jerzy. There was a lovely white Christmas through out southern Ontario for the 25th and Mom and I enjoyed visiting with friends that night. Boxing Day was hardly a time to relax and visit friends as it was once meant, rather, I spent most of the day bent over Tracy's commission. It came out wonderfully, by the way, with only a couple minor suggestions each from Mom and Ray.

There was a delicious dinner at Rick's parents' in Stoney Creek on the 28th, which was partially a belated Christmas dinner for me, and also a day-late birthday dinner for Rick. That was a great deal of fun, though I recall that I was incredibly tired for it. At some point, I met author Margaret Atwood when she came into the ROM and I was pleased that she was very gracious. Sure, she can't read her own work and she's a bit overdone, but the contribution she's made to international literature is enormous. I hosted a small do for New Year's Eve on... yep, the 31st, to which Al and Carrie, Kerri and Mark, Rick, and Richie all came. That was nice. It was a pot luck dinner and it was so well timed that we hardly stopped eating from around 7pm until nearly midnight ! It was nice hosting an adult soiree. I felt very grown up. Of course, that was a short-lived sensation and then spent the 1st dressed in my nightgown and housecoat for the entire day.

Here are my Top Five of gifts that I received (just for the heck of it):
5 - Chanel No5
4 - Lion and Mouse mechanical toy
3 - "The Nabes" (a book)
2 - a very gorgeous watch by Fossil
and finally, being the best present of all...
1 - Beast feet slippers ! (big tiger paws)

Even better was the fact that I put presents under Rick's tree that he didn't notice until I told him about them and then didn't get to open them until the 26th. Gina and Nicole loved the jewellery that I sent them and I am the most happy about how much Mom adores the necklace that I gave her. She deserved it, too, for all the support. Eventually I'll pay her back for all the money she's given me over the last couple of years, too.

To everyone else, I hope that 2003 is a year of health, happiness, and, God willing... Peace.

There’s something sort of lonely about sitting in your house - that is usually filled with boisterous housemate and sassy cat - working in your room, listening to Christmas music on your stereo… Ya, I miss my cat and I want to be at Mom’s now. I’ve had my fun this week at work and at play and now I want to hang the decorations on the tree and hang out with the best mother in the world. Oh well, soon enough as I will be driving home for a few days tomorrow afternoon.

In the mean time, I suppose I could recount things that have passed. For instance, I have now see The Two Towers twice. The first time I saw it was on Friday in the company of Al, Carrie, and Tanya. The second time I saw it was tonight with Rick as an early Christmas present to him. It’s good. It’s really good, but it’s also –really- violent. Consider this your spoiler space, you have been forewarned. There aren’t enough Ents in the film. The Ents make up a significant portion of the book and they are pretty well universally liked (unlike Tom Bombadil from the first book). The Ents are humourous and make a nice distraction from the horrible darkness of the story yet, they got the short straw for screen time. They would have been a perfect balance to the often vicious bloodshed. A little less warg growling in our faces would have been nice – they really weren’t the most important part of the story. There were surprising and rather large creative departures from the book, as well, which don’t bother me over much; in fact, I would say that some of them were an improvement to the story. The Elves pretty well disavow the humans in the story, letting them fight it out themselves. In the film, they are given a little more conscience, joining the men at Helm’s Deep – something that really worked. Maybe I just love the Elves too much. Nah, impossible. Anyway, it was excellent, though all told, I do think I enjoyed the first film better than this. I’m by no means suggesting that I don’t like this one, as I surely do, but I like it less. What they lack in mounted nazgul, they make up with hundreds of men on horses, which is always a good thing. Right? Of course.

Last night, Rick took me out to Handel’s Messiah performed at Roy Thompson Hall by the Toronto Symphony and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. It was amazing. They’ve certainly improved the acoustics in there since my last visit. Wow, the music just swelled, and we weren’t even sitting in the good seats. Notes rolled over and around the ceiling and washed over us in a most gorgeous way. If there was one piece of music that could influence my spiritual beliefs, the Messiah could almost persuade me that I’m a Christian, it’s that glorious. Prior to that, Rick picked me up at the ROM (yes, I’m working site sales again) and we went for dinner down at Penelope. It’s the only place I know of that offers Retsina – resin wine – and grilled kalamari. I had the roast lamb special, which was awesome. Rick was a bit let down by the shrimp special, but something prevented him from ordering the lamb, too. *laugh* Oh well, I gave him bits of mine so he still got some. Dinner and music – a perfect date ! Thank you, Rick, it was a wonderful evening !!

Oh, and I finished A&C's invites. They're happy. I'm happy. Go me !

Ahhh, the breakfast of champions does not compare to the breakfast of pre-Christmas membership goodies. My day was begun with two slices of very pleasant fruitcake baked by Debbie, followed by melt-in-your-mouth shortbreak cookies baked by Merle, one of the volunteers, and now I'm sucking on a candy cane. There's a chesecake made by Stacey in the fridge, but I won't get any of that since I'm not going to Calvin's Membership/Foundation party tonight. I have plans with Becca for a long overdue coffee followed by a visit to Sandra's to look at swatches and to have a reading with John. Oh my gosh, I'm so full of not-good-for-me food... I think I'm going to settle for soup at lunch. Hobbits would be proud of my eating habits today.

Carrie and Al have okayed the front of the invitation. Tonight I'm going to start on the inside. I realised that I simply don't have the time to work with the Letraset no matter how much I like it, so it came down to digging through the internet to see what I could find. Well, God bless the 'net, for lo ! the Angel of the Fonts came upon me and all about me shone a heavenly light for I had been guided to a vast repository of free downloadable types ! I snagged about twelve different fonts, not all for use with the invitations, loaded them into my computer and the proceded to play. And it was good fun. The best of fun.

Actually, I had more fun bowling with Membership yesterday, which I thought was going to be today, but I was wrong. I defected to Team Tres (3), the pseudo Spanish team (Richard, team captain, just came back from Chile) and thus was awarded the prize for most back-stabbing-est player. It's okay, though, for the team I defected to did not do so well because I seriously brought them down. It's been a long time since I bowled and it seems that I now suck. Everyone on our team had pseudo Spanish names and mine was Los Fingers, which amused me to no end. *laugh* Anyway, my feeling was that Membership would do well to get together as a group more often than it does because events like this do so much for the morale.

I miss my cat a lot. I find myself looking in all her usual places only to find no cat there. It's a bit unsettling, but I know she's fine and enjoying life at Mom's. I wish she enjoyed life as much at my place, but what can you do. I don't have three floors to explore and a pair of cats to play with/annoy. I walked into the living room today and expected to find her on her pillow, but she was not there. I really miss her snuggly self in bed, too. On the other hand, there's something nice about sleeping straight through until my alarm, rather than waking up at 5am to feed her. Still, the house seems sort of empty. I guess I'm just used to having the air around my ankles filled with her furriness.

I have returned to Toronto and now am of mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, Philadelphia afforded me a wonderful break from the norm, putting me down in a city which never ceases to enthrall me, and on the other hand, I did something I don't normally do - long for home. Of course, returning home didn't have the full effect as Willi is living happily at Mom's for the most part this month. The bus ride was uneventful, though I opted to take the night bus rather than sleep the night in Philly and return on the day bus.

I spent the afternoon not taking Ben to the Art Museum as I'd intended, but just chilling in the house. He and I went for a nice walk to Rittenhaus(sp?) Park and along Walnut Street. I did some enjoyable window shopping and Ben had the experience of going into an expensive designer boutique for the first time. There were two pairs of boots that made me long for wealth, but ultimately, my money was better spent on snacks for the bus. Megs picked me up from his house sometime near five o'clock that evening and we went to South Street. I'd promised myself that I'd eat another cheesesteak while I was there and she took me to a place that did not disappoint. I think Nick recommended it at one point too: Ishkabibble's. This was an old school divey little place with a couple of counters and maybe seven painted barstools, no tables or chairs at all. I had the best cheesesteak of my entire life and Megs and I split cheese fries, which is the Philly answer to poutine and delicious in its own right. We wandered around South Street, popping into stores to look at the novelties and gifts. I picked up a couple of inexpensive doo-dads and then we went for coffee at the Philadelphia Java Company, or whatever it's called. Nice coffee, clean bathroom (something a little bit in short supply), pleasant staff, and good music made for an enjoyable couple of hours.

I do enjoy the city. I would move there for work. I love Megs and Ben and Ali and it's so damn close to New York. Now that I'm home, though, I'm enjoying a quiet day with a headache, in my night gown, with no intention of unpacking until tomorrow. It's back to the grind, the regular and the every-day. I'm going home on the 23rd when Mom and I will put up the tree and village. I'm really looking forward to that, but in the mean time, I've got things to do here in Toronto. I must do the lettering on A&C's invites (if they'd get the text to me, that would help - hint, hint), and actually start a rough drawing of the commission. I've got roughs worked out and a general layout, but I haven't actually started to commit myself to the job. Hopefully tomorrow I will learn that I shall be returning to work at site sales, preferably without having to do a formal interview. ILM emailed me and sent me a release form so that they can legally look at my portfolio, which is cool, and suggests at the very least, that they might actually look. There's more wrapping to be done and some shopping yet to do, but mostly that's all done now and I'm pleased to have it out of the way. Other than that, what I'm looking forward to are enjoying lunch with Rick tomorrow, the membership bowling party later this week, finally seeing The Two Towers on Friday (Nick's going tonight at midnight), and seeing Handel's Messiah with Rick on Saturday night. It's going to be a busy week.