No Work For Me
Well, I'm not making it in to work tomorrow. I still have a very scratchy voice, I'm still coughing, and I'm still not sleeping through the night. For those wondering why I don't go see a doctor, it's because I'd have to pay my co-pay, and I already have a pre-natal appointment for Tuesday. So I'm trying to hold out for that.

Now for some more bad news. Geoff thinks he may be getting sick again. This is not good. It took him forever to get over whatever he got in Vegas, and a house with 2 sickies can never be a good thing. It's a frightful thought to think of Honey taking care of us. Also, Geoff just can't afford to take any more time off work.

I really really hope to be well enough to work on Saturday. I hate feeling like I'm letting the store down (even though Caroline said it's been really quiet). I know Jen understands, but I still feel bad. If only I could do work there out of the public eye. Then it would be alright.

Since I've been feeling like death warmed over, I'll close with a quote from Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Ferris: You're not dying, you just can't think of anything good to do.

Home
We're home. I'm trying to get on the mend. Jen was awesome enough to not schedule me in until Friday, so I have 2 days to recoup. But she did tell Geoff if I wasn't well enough Friday to call her. Geoff is at work today, I'm taking it easy at home. Was able to dig out my approved medications list and was thrilled to see Robitussin on the list. So Geoff went out this morning before work to get me some as well as a few boxes of Kleenex. I have the best husband ever!

I'll try to post about more about Victoria tomorrow, I need to kick back today.

I'm going to close with a quote from one of my Christmas movies, Swing Kids. I hope to watch it today or tomorrow.

Arvid: You think that just because you're not doing it yourself, you're not a part of it? Well, I'm sick and tired of doing my part.

Homeward Bound
We are leaving Victoria today to head back to Denver. I am still sick, but I think I may be getting better, though it certainly doesn't feel that way. I will likely call my boss tonight and ask to take tomorrow off as a sick day. I'm still coughing far too much to be able to be in public. I'm sure I will be very miserable for the flights.

I can't believe we were able to fit everything into our suitcases! It's a very tight squeeze, and I tried to pack light on the way here. Most Christmas visits require us to mail home a package, so I guess we're ahead of the game.

It feels weird to think that next week will be the new year. I know 2005 is going to hold so much, and hopefully less travel than this year did. If I'm lucky enough, I'd like there to be only 2 trips in 2005, one to Edmonton, and one to California. But time & money will tell.

Well, I have to go hack up a lung. I'll write again tomorrow. Pray for safe travel, and better health for me.

2nd Christmas and Yes I'm Still Sick
We celebrated Christmas (again) and a good time was had by all. What a haul we all got. I got a tons of books and DVD's. Easy to pack up and bring home.

WARNING! The next paragraph may be too graphic for some readers.

I am still sick. Food is mostly staying down, I'm mostly coughing up phlegm. I was able to get a bit more sleep last night, but I coughed enough to make food come up at 3am. I sound awful, but when I'm in between coughing fits, I feel more like myself.

I do hope to be even 20% better for tomorrow since I will be seeing my Auntie Laurie, and the family has plans to visit Butchart Gardens and enjoy a fancy dinner there. Auntie Laurie is not really my aunt, she's a friend the family has known forever. She went to high school with my dad. I haven't seen her in close to 15 years. That would also be the last time I saw Butchart Gardens. We've gone a few times as a family, but this will be Geoff's first time. It will be great to share this with him.

I'd love to post some pics from the trip thus far, but I am unable to. You'll have to wait until Wednesday.

I'm going to close with a quote from one of the movies I got for Christmas, While You Were Sleeping.

Priest: Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to...
Lucy: I object.
Saul: Oh, geez.
Priest: I didn't get to that part yet.
Jack: I would have to object too.
Priest: What about you?
Peter: I'm thinking!

Merry Christmas!

"Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

Being Sick Sucks
I'm sick. I don't know what's wrong with me, but my throat closed over last night, I had a headache, and a pain in my ear. When I woke this morning, I just felt hot and achy all over. I had a Five Alive, and that came up about an hour later. I don't want to eat anything, so I'm sticking to fluids for now. I hope I feel better by this evening, since we have dinner plans.

Gotta go get some more rest, but I did want to post there is talk that Uma Thurman will replace Nicole Kidman in The Producers. This idea sucks. They should just get one of the actresses who played the role of Ulla on Broadway or in he L.A. production. Why does it have to be a big name actress?

Please keep me in your prayers as I hope to recover from whatever this is quickly.

Victoria

I just wanted to post that we made it here alright, no problems with planes. The connection was tight in Vancouver, but at least there was a Tim Horton's right beside our gate. Canada has redeemed itself. :)

Today we'll get out and see stuff, yesterday we mostly drove by stuff, had dinner and then kicked back. Driving by some of the buildings reminded us of Glasgow. The picture above is of their Legislative building, and that's pretty much how it looked when we drove by it last night. Very nice.

I'll close with a quote from That 70's Show.

Fez: I just wish that there was someplace in the world where prejudice didn't exist.
Michael Kelso: Well, that's Canada... Yup, good ol' Canada. They don't make generalizations about people because they're too busy playin' hockey or gettin' drunk or puttin' maple syrup on their ham.

Oh Christmas Tree

This is our Christmas tree, as it looked Christmas morning (which was today). Since this is my only day off until Victoria, we woke up and celebrated by opening presents and stockings. As you can see, we had a few gifts that were here early enough to make it fun. Next Saturday, we'll do it all again, but with the family in Victoria.

I am well pleased with the gifts I got, Geoff completely had me snowed on what I was getting. I thought for certain it was one thing, but it was something else all together. I got a foot spa (which I really love) and I bought him a nice cutting board and a silpat (it's used for baking). Santa brought us the entire Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events books. I've read them all and Geoff is on the 11th book, but I am looking forward to rereading them. :) Honey got a bag of new treats, and even Elijah got a gift from Colin, Dawn, and Dylan.

After opening gifts, we took a walk up to the mall which wasn't so frightful inside as the parking lots were. We were thankful we walked. Geoff wanted to pick up some mineral oil for his cutting board, and some new toys from the Apple store and Radio Shack. We picked up some fixins for dinner tonight, we'll be having stew. Then we did some laundry.

Caroline from work is going to come take care of Honey for us while we're gone. It doesn't feel to me like I'll be traveling in a few days. But I have already started to think about what I want to pack. One of the things I like about traveling to a home rather than a hotel is laundry facilities. I know I can pack very little, because I'll have access to wash my clothes. Which will be good since I'm sure we'll be bringing home a lot of stuff. One thing I like about staying at a hotel is having access to a pool. But Diane says there is a pool near their place, so I still may bring my suit with me just in case.

I meant to post a while ago a link to our Christmas letter which is on my website. I actually thought I had posted it. If you somehow didn't get one, you can view it here.

I'll close with my favorite quote from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Charlie Brown: (shouting in desperation) Isn't there anyone out there who can tell me what Christmas is all about?
Linus Van Pelt: Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you. Lights, please. (A spotlight shines on Linus.) "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the lord shone round about them, and they were so afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men'". That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

I'm Not The Only One
Apparently, I am not alone in my disappointment in the Legend Of Earthsea miniseries put out by the Sci Fi Channel. Ursula K. Le Guin (the author) isn't a big fan either.
I couldn't get into it, it just wasn't true enough to the characters or books for me.

Work was much better today, for those who wanted to know. :)

Sigh
It's only Wednesday, and I wonder how I will see it through to the weekend. I was in a great mood once I got work. Even after getting there and finding out we would be having someone help out our staff from another store, someone who was there yesterday and apparently didn't think much of the staff at our store, I was still in a good mood. I was determined to be the one to keep the morale up. Even angry customers calling on the phone and hanging up vehemently on me could not break my spirit. You see where this going? One lucky old lady got to be the one to break me. To put me in such a negative place, I couldn't climb out of it. First off, it's fine she wanted to take 30 minutes to figure out what she wanted to buy. I can sorta deal with that. I could deal with her getting mad at me for not being able to read her mind and figure out what she wanted. What I could not deal with was her hitting me. That's right, she smacked me. It was quite a shock. Like a small child reaching for the oven knobs, she smacked my hand hard. What did I do to deserve this? I touched her coupon. Even our regional manager (who stopped in today) was in shock. He came out to size her up, as I passed him and mentioned what had happened. I was just so relieved once she was done deciding what she wanted, paid and left. I just couldn't bring myself to smile the rest of the day. I just felt numb to it all. I did not feel like myself. As I left for the day, my boss was very upset because she had heard her mom just got admitted to a hospital and has to have heart surgery tomorrow. So the air at work was just awful.

Waiting to take the bus home, my mind started to wander, and I started thinking about my dad. I wanted to start crying, but not in public. So I just kept it in. The other day at work, I had the same thing happen, sort of. I saw a lady who was coughing, and it reminded me of the days before my dad died. At that moment I was praying for any customer to come and take my mind off of it, because if I started to cry at work, my face would be all red and blotchy for hours. Christmas is just hard. I miss him so much.

On the walk home from the bus stop, my iPod played a song that made me smile, and made me fell like this bad mood could be lifted. The Real Sin Savior by The ApologetiX. Now that I'm home, I'm in my jammies, listening to the ApologetiX, and I can curl up with my kitty cat and put today behind. Who knows what tomorrow is going to bring, but I'm determined to go into work tomorrow with a good attitude. Grumpy customers beware! :)

We saw a preview for House Of Flying Daggers when we went to see Ocean's 12. Geoff is so stoked, and I'm lukewarm to the idea. True I liked Crouching Tiger, but not to the same degree Geoff did. He always wants to watch it. I think I'm going to have to see House Of Flying Daggers, since he was nice enough to take me to Ocean's 12.

Brag Moment: Kelly had an article published in the Washington Times. Check it out!

I'm going to close with a quote from Office Space.

Joanna: So, where do you work, Peter?
Peter Gibbons: Initech.
Joanna: In... yeah, what do you do there?
Peter Gibbons: I sit in a cubicle and I update bank software for the 2000 switch.
Joanna: What's that?
Peter Gibbons: Well see, they wrote all this bank software, and, uh, to save space, they used two digits instead of four. So, like, 98 instead of 1998? Uh, so I go through these thousands of lines of code and, uh... it doesn't really matter. I uh, I don't like my job, and, uh, I don't think I'm gonna go anymore.
Joanna: You're just not gonna go?
Peter Gibbons: Yeah.
Joanna: Won't you get fired?
Peter Gibbons: I don't know, but I really don't like it, and, uh, I'm not gonna go.
Joanna: So you're gonna quit?
Peter Gibbons: Nuh-uh. Not really. Uh... I'm just gonna stop going.
Joanna: When did you decide all that?
Peter Gibbons: About an hour ago.
Joanna: An hour ago... so you're gonna get another job?
Peter Gibbons: I don't think I'd like another job.
Joanna: Well, what are you going to do about money and bills and...
Peter Gibbons: You know, I've never really liked paying bills. I don't think I'm gonna do that, either.

'Tis The Season
Last night we watched Merry Christmas Mr. Bean, which is still one of the funniest things you can watch at Christmas time.

I'm working all week, thankfully just during the day, so I do have my evenings free. I am looking forward to the museum Christmas party on Friday night. I spoke with Mary last night, and she said I am very sorely missed on Mondays. That things are not the same without me, and that Rich is sore that I haven't been emailing him. Ha ha. I laughed I thought that was so funny. Well, I'll make sure to say hello to him on Friday. Geoff is going to come with me, as Mary said spouses were welcome. She's bringing her husband, whom I haven't met yet.

So due to my schedule, and because Geoff has to go to Boulder on Monday, looks like Saturday may be the day we celebrate Christmas. I will try to take a picture of the tree to post. That means we have to find time this week to make cinnamon buns, as it's an Armstrong tradition to eat cinnamon buns Christmas morning.

The Golden Globe nominations came out this morning, and while I wasn't totally surprised to see them overlook Passion Of The Christ, I was shocked to see them nominate Zach Braff for best actor in a comedy!

I think this is their first ever nomination for a Golden Globe. Maybe this will get the Emmys to acknowledge that the whole cast is outstanding. No new episodes until January (late January). But the DVD is supposed to come out next year. Can't wait!

Oh yeah, Nicole Kidman quit the movie remake of The Producers. Haven't heard yet who will replace her, but I'd love to see the actress who played Ulla in the L.A. production we saw take over. She had a fabulous voice.

Gotta go to work. Legend of Earthsea is on SciFi tonight. I'm going to try to tune in, though it doesn't look like they are sticking that close to the books.

I'll close with a quote from the Simpsons.

Homer's ghost: Marge you gotta help me, I have to do one good deed to get into heaven.
Marge: Well I got a whole list of chores: clean the garage, paint the house...
Homer's ghost: Whoa whoa whoa. I'm just trying to get in, I'm not running for Jesus.

Ocean's Twelve
Such a good movie! I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I'll hold off on saying anything I liked. But it was a great movie, definitely worth the matinee price we paid to see it. It merits being watched again. I will have to get this on DVD.

I'll close with a quote from the movie, but I'll leave out who says it.

"it's almost like this kabbalah stuff doesn't work!"

Bad Shopper
I went against my own rules and bought myself a gift before Christmas. I know, I never do that, I hate when people do that. But it's something I honestly believe no one would buy me, so there is little danger of getting it as a gift. What did I get me?

Christmas With The Rat Pack. It's a great cd, we listened to it last night.

I also went over my budget for Geoff's stocking stuffers. But only by a little bit. But it's hard. Working at Harry & David there are so many great gift ideas.

I am done shopping, save one tiny thing I need to get before I mail off Kelly's gift. Everyone else is done! Sigh. All that's left to do now is open gifts. :)

The noisy neighbors moved out. Not the ones below us, but the ones that were kitty-corner from us. The girls from NY. And they were just starting to be quiet regularly. Oh well, we can only pray the next neighbors are quiet.

We watched School Of Rock the other night, since Geoff hadn't seen it. I think it's hilarious, but it has caused me to have Immigrant Song playing in my head over and over.

I'm going to close with a quote from this week's episode of Scrubs.

Dr. Cox: Carla, Carla, have you seen newbie?
Carla: Oh you mean he got off your leash?
Dr. Cox: Ha, give me a break. The kid's like like a, have you ever seen a drunk baby? Eh, it's a long story involving my son, rum cake, and a low counter. Suffice to say, as it turns out, at first, it's endearing to watch them bounce off of the walls, but then you take your eyes off of them for one second and BAM! They've got a bucket on their head and they're plowing right through your brand new flat screen TV. God save me, it was barely out of the box. The point is...newbie is MY drunk baby.

An iPod In A Pear Tree
Geoff said he nearly bought another iPod when he was shopping on Sunday. But fear of me kicking his butt stopped him. He's very enamored with the photo iPod. Myself, having seen the U2 iPod in person, am in love with the black.

Often while I am walking and listening to my iPod, I laugh out loud at the music it chooses. It is permanently on shuffle, so I never know what I am going to get. I almost wonder if I shouldn't be ashamed of some of the stuff on it, but I have no shame. I like to listen Bryan Adams on my iPod. If that is wrong I don't want to be right. :) Alright, I'll post the last 15 songs my iPod played.

Out of Touch - Hall & Oates
I Believe - REM
Let It Whip - Dazz Band
Every Day - Phillips, Craig & Dean
Can't Stop This Thing We Started - Bryan Adams
Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
This Time Tomorrow - Captain Tractor
Are We Afraid - Toad The Wet Sprocket
The Boy Is Mine - Brandy & Monica
A Girl Like You - Edwyn Collins
Push It - Salt-N-Pepa
Call Me - Blondie
Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
Better That Way - Easily Amused
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5

Okay new topic.

Work is busy. I haven't been to the museum in a month, but I made sure I got the evening off that Jeff & Rich scheduled the Christmas potluck/party. I really hope my friends will be there. I don't know what I will bring to share, perhaps some of the infamous Harry & David Pepper & Onion Relish. It's a dip you mix with cream cheese, and it's infamous. It's much more likely I'll bring something I would eat, since who knows if anyone else will. :) Picky eaters rule!

I've been a strange mix of emotions. Weird things set me off, I can't really predict how I will respond to stuff. I guess specifically, I find myself being more sensitive than I ought to be. I feel hurt by things more easily than usual. We all know the culprit of this. But I truly hate that. I don't like being so sensitive. I am usually the first one to point out when others are being too sensitive. Well, nothing to be done about that. I thankfully have Geoff to talk sense into me.

Speaking of feelings,last week, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was feeling I used to get when I worked downtown in Edmonton. The feeling was always because I thought I was going to see someone I didn't necessarily want to see. Why I had this feeling in Denver is what is odd. Who could I possibly see in Denver that I didn't want to? Maybe it's just a mall vibe. :) My dreams are still being weird.

Saturday we spent 2 hours writing out our Christmas cards & letters, and I dropped them in the mail on Monday. It's nice to have that off my to-do list. It was a lot of work. Our apartment building is having a contest for the best decorated balcony. It's inspiring ( or tempting) us to do more to our balcony. We currently have some lights on it.

Speaking of lights, Brock Skywalker wrote on his blog about his dislike for Christmas lights. He essentially said the only place he feels that does lights right is the Legislative Grounds. Those words made me feel lachrymose (I have a thesaurus!). There are few things I miss about our first apartment in Edmonton. But the big thing was having the Leg grounds for my backyard, and walking through it in the early morning or in the evening at Christmastime, when there were no other souls about. And the lights were perfect, the air was quiet, save for the music they would play over the speakers. My favorite song they would play, that would make the grounds seem magical, and bring a smile to my face, was Waltz Of The Flowers (Tchaikovsky). I do cherish that Christmas tradition we had. Walking the Leg with Doug. :)

I'll close with a quote from a Christmas movie, Scrooged.

Earl Cross: All day long I listen to people give me excuses why they can't work. My legs hurt. My back aches. I'M ONLY FOUR.

Oh Canada!
So I read on a few blogs that the CBC put out a contest for people to pick who they thought was (trumpet sound) The Greatest Canadian! There were names on the list I didn't know, and names who are way unworthy. But it was funny to look at.

Last night, I was flipping through the channels, and I saw a familiar face. It was Rick Mercer (#50 on the list). He was on a PBS program NewsHour, along with Mark Kingwell, a professor from Toronto, and Margaret Wente, from The Globe & Mail. I had my doubts that there would be intelligent thoughts coming from The Globe & Mail, as the only other person from that paper I saw on American television was a tool. But Wente, Kingwell and Mercer all presented themselves terrificly. Even though I did not agree with some things they said, they could at least say it intelligently. The best comment I heard was something I've been saying for a long time, but it doesn't always get through to people. Margaret Wente said Canadians don't understand the U.S. as well as they think they do, and Mark Kingwell agreed. But Kingwell added that Canada is far more different from America than Americans think. My other favorite comment, again by Wente was, "I think sometimes Canadians tend to be too obsessed with the past". That's so Canada! That's me, that's people I know! :) You can read a transcript of it here.

Speaking of Canada, it's still chilly here. We haven't gotten any new snow, but the temperature has been cold enough that the ice isn't quite melting. I slipped on a patch of it today while I was doing my errands. I'm fine, my hand and butt broke my fall. I wasn't paying attention to walking, which I should be doing with my growing body.

I am nearly done my shopping! I really have only Geoff's stocking stuffers to buy, and a gift for my favorite cousin. We got gifts from Colin, Dawn & Dylan yesterday and they are sitting under the tree. I'm hoping to post a picture of the tree maybe this weekend. The Christmas letter we send out is practically done, but I haven't begun to think about what we're doing about cards. In past years I stamped my own, but wasn't up to it this year. I can't believe how large our Christmas card list is, we need to stop making friends or something. :)

I have Saturday off work, which is nice. Geoff and I will be able to observe our Peet's ritual. That's all that we really have planned for the weekend.

Kevin Smith is super excited to be doing a guest spot on Degrassi: The Next Generation. He says it's fulfilling a life long dream. Dude, that is hilarious. I now have to close with a quote from The Drew Carey Show that sums up Kevin's life long dream.

Kate O'Brien: Yeah, is pathetisad a word?

Let It Snow?
So, I'm posting early today because it was far too snowy outside for me to justify taking the bus to the museum and having no one there. It's been coming down out there since Saturday night, and I couldn't bring myself to go. I will have to venture out to go to the bank today though and deposit my paycheck.

So, big big shopping weekend in the U.S., Thanksgiving weekend. It was busy Friday, even more busy on Saturday, and the snow kept people away yesterday. Saturday we bought a few more Christmas gifts, and a tree. We decided to fake it this year, since we will be going to Victoria. We usually get a real tree, but we figured it would just be easier this way. We can a real tree next year with Elijah's first Christmas. We've already settled on staying in Denver for next Christmas. So, back to shopping, I ordered some gifts online. So really, there are only like 3 more people left to buy for. I need to wrap and package up some of the stuff we bought. I still have to buy some of Geoff's gift, and his stocking stuffers, but these are things that can wait. Due to our departure date for Victoria, we'll be celebrating Christmas on the 20th just the two of us. Kinda fun, and weird to think about doing it early.

I'm still kinda going off a high from our Vegas trip. I can't remember the last time I got to spend so much time with Lisa. And well, I've never spent that much time with Chad, he's a lot of fun to hang out with. I like that I can look back on those moments we had to share a laugh. It really was a great trip.

What do I have going on this week? Working 3 days, I hope to make an appointment at the salon, and Saturday I think we may be going out to Mark & Shannon's for dinner. We'll have to see what the weather holds. If the snow holds out, I doubt we'd venture out to Elizabeth.

We rented Elf last week, and that was a pretty funny movie. So I'll close with a quote from that.

Buddy: I passed through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then I walked through the Lincoln Tunnel.

Busy Beaver
Sorry I've been so quiet. A whirlwind few days at H&D. I will post tomorrow when I get home from the museum. Just know we're all doing okay, we're just slowly being buried in snow. :)

Viva Las Vegas
Sunday

Geoff is up way early (5am) because he's so excited about Vegas. I get up around 7:30. We plan to leave some time after 12:30 for the airport. Our flight leaves Denver at 3:10. We get to the airport with no problems, and it appears our flight may be delayed. But we get to the gate and it looks okay. We find out the Las Vegas flight before ours hasn't left yet. It's been delayed, and is now just boarding. Geoff asks them if it will impact our flight, and they say yes, we won't be leaving until 6! So he asks if there is room on this flight, and lucky for us there is. We get two seats together in the very last row of the plane. That flight leaves and we arrive in Vegas at nearly the same time we would have if our flight had been on time. Thank goodness. I really wanted to see Lisa!

It's pouring in Vegas, and we're kinda bummed. We meet up earlier than anticipated, but not by much. There is much rejoicing, and we come to find that Chad & Lisa also encountered flight problems. They were supposed to arrive around 12 or 1, but had delays in both Edmonton and LAX. But we're all together now, and all hungry so we hit the buffet. It's buffet food, so I don't need to go into detail, but Geoff discovered they use pretty hot horse radish, and we talk about hockey, Canadian politics, and general catching up. Even though it was still raining and we couldn't go to the strip, the hotel offered plenty of options. After dinner, we go check out Lisa & Chad's room to see what the new tower looks like. They are on the 20th floor (there are 21 floors) and Lisa doles out goodies for me from her and my mom. The view from their window shows the Palms and the Rio. Hanging out in the room makes us tired, so we go downstairs to gamble. Geoff, Lisa and I hit the Blackjack table. Chad cheers us on, and after a few hours of play, I'm up $45, Lisa is up, and Geoff is up $15. We're all pretty tired, so we decide to go to our rooms.

Monday

Geoff and I go downstairs to the Courtyard Cafe for breakfast. We are able to find affordable food, and it's pretty tasty. We go back up to our room, and Lisa had called to say they were going to the strip, and we'd all meet up at M&M World to see if we could get tickets to a show for that night. We had a 10am appointment at the spa, so we arranged to meet at noon. At 9:30, Geoff and I head down to the spa. We don't need to bring anything with us, the spa provides everything. We go into our changing rooms, and I open my locker to reveal a robe, some sandals, and a towel. I take a shower in the large shower there. There are bottles of water chilling on ice when I get back to the sink area, and I grab one and go wait on the couch for Geoff. He took advantage of the Jacuzzi in the changing room, I only could have soaked my feet if I wanted to. Once he joins me, we have a few minutes before our masseuses come get us. We are led to our private room, and they leave us to get under the sheets. My table is all padded and I have a pillow to rest my head rather than the face hole Geoff has. The two ladies return and the massage begins. It's so peaceful and relaxing. I didn't know how tense my back and shoulders were, but it all feels so wonderful. The music playing reminds Geoff of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The 50 minutes didn't feel so short, which I feared it might. Once it's over, we don't want to get up. We just want lie there for a while. But we get up and go. We go back up to our room and get everything we need to head to the strip. We catch the shuttle and then book it to M&M World to meet Chad & Lisa. When we get to the half price ticket place, they have no tickets for the show we wanted to see. We shrug and then continue with our day. First stop is to find food. We're all starving. After seeking out a few different places we settle on a food court in Excalibur. Lisa and I have McDonalds, and the boys have Quiznos. We then check out the Krispy Kreme, but the hot light isn't on, and no one is up for donuts, so we make our way to the Luxor. After seeing the pyramid from the inside, we head back towards the strip so we can visit the Coca-Cola Store. My favorite. I offer to treat everyone to a Coke, and we sit for a spell and enjoy a nice cold Coke. I buy myself a little something, and then we head towards the shops at the Aladdin, where I promised Geoff I would buy him something if I had won $40. We seek out Hilo Hattie where I try to buy Geoff a shirt. We look and look, but there was nothing he really liked. I'm disappointed, since I planned this for a while. But I guess I'd rather buy him something he really likes, than something he just sort of likes. We are all feeling tired from walking, so we go back to the shuttle to get to the Orleans. Chad is debating going into the pool and hot tub outside. Geoff wants to get in some Blackjack before dinner. Chad decides against the pool, and we all head to the casino. We manage to convince Chad to play some Blackjack, but the cards are not being nice tonight. I get out while I am ahead (up $47), but everyone else is less lucky. For dinner, Lisa is keen on taking in the Player's Choice at the Courtyard cafe, prime rib or 16 oz T-bone steak for $10.25. Geoff was able to earn the two if us free dinner there with all his gambling. We're getting the hang of how comps work. Geoff and Lisa have the prime rib, I have the steak, and Chad has jambalaya. We decide that we are going to go 10 pin bowling following dinner. Lisa gets her shoes, and we all change into something better for bowling. The first throw of the bowling ball, I fall down. I didn't think that trying to bowl like normal would be a problem. So now I have to adjust my bowling method. I am able to get the ball to go down the lane a few times, but my form is all awkward. This makes me sad. I love to bowl. Lisa is awesome (as always), Geoff kicks butt, and in the second game, Chad beat Lisa! We had fun, it's nice to do something different. We go back down to the casino and play the slots before we all crash at 10:30.

Tuesday

We all manage to sleep a little better, and Lisa, Geoff and I meet up at the Courtyard Cafe for breakfast. Chad doesn't feel like eating, he spends the time walking around the casino. A quick bite to eat and we head back out to the strip. Before we leave the hotel, Geoff calls Top Of The World (the restaurant at the Stratosphere) to make reservations for lunch. We head in the opposite direction of where we went last time, but this time Geoff and I get to look around the Forum Shops at Caesars. We make our way to the Venetian, and I cannot convince anyone to go on the gondola. But I don strike a deal with Geoff, he owes me a gondola ride. Either on a future trip to Vegas, or he takes me to Italy. The shops here are so upper class, we feel underdressed. We hop in a cab to go to the Stratosphere, knowing we'd never make the walk there. It's only $10. Once there, Geoff takes advantage of some coupon and plays 2 hands of Blackjack. He wins $15. We check in for our reservation, and have to pass through a security check before we can ride the elevator to the restaurant. Top Of The World is a revolving restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere. The views are amazing, and the food was pretty good. Lisa, Chad and I have cheeseburgers, Geoff has the Ahi Tuna. I am almost willing to forgo lunch and head straight for dessert. They have a chocolate Stratosphere for $15. It looks divine. I had to take a picture. As soon as we finish lunch, we take two flights of stairs up to the observation deck. It's a hazy day, but you can make out the strip. We congratulate ourselves on planning a lunch here, because it's something like $10 just to take the elevator to the top. It was free for us because we had lunch there. We take some pictures, and watch people scare themselves on the rides at the top of the Stratosphere. We hop in a cab back down the strip, getting off at Treasure Island. On the cab ride, we pass by the Crazy Horse Too. I nudge Geoff and we share a chuckle, and wonder if Charmaine is working. At Treasure Island, we look around the pirate ships, and then go next door to the Mirage. We try to peek around and see what there is to see for free, but it's only a sleepy white lion. We go back through the Forum Shops at Caesars so Lisa can buy her girls some souvenirs, and then we visit the conservatory at the Bellagio. We hope to catch the 5pm fountain show. We stake out a great spot, and wait for the show to begin. It has gotten dark, so Geoff and I are happy to see the show at night. This is Lisa & Chad first chance to see the show. The pop music stops, and the fountains start to rise. The music begins. It plays
The Vice Of Killing from For A Few Dollars More. It's fantastic. It plays so well with the dancing water. It's far too short, you want the magic to continue. We leave the strip, and catch the shuttle back. Lisa & Chad plan to leave the hotel by 9 to catch their midnight flight home. Geoff and I play some Blackjack together, and end up getting the fun dealer from 5 months ago. Lisa plays at the $3 Blackjack table, and seems to be doing well. Chad goes between the two and roots for us. Geoff and I quit while he's up $65, and I'm down $10. We grab dinner at the buffet since all of Geoff's playing the first night won us our meals free. We meet up afterwards with Chad & Lisa to take them to the door to say our goodbyes. Geoff and I decide just to turn in, since he's starting to feel under the weather. I stop in at the gift shop to buy us each a litre of water to drink. His throat is starting to bother him.

Wednesday

Geoff is full on sick. I go downstairs to get him some orange juice, and I grab myself a croissant. We leave the hotel at 9:30 to make our 11:30 flight. When we get there, we find there is an earlier flight for Denver leaving right then. We get on it, and head home. I drive home from the airport since Geoff is sick, and even at 2pm, the traffic is crazy on the 225. We get home, Geoff goes to bed, I take care of laundry and calming the cat down. She is trying to tell me she needs food, but the neighbors already told me they fed her that morning. That's it, that our Vegas story. We had so much fun, but it's great to be home, and it was nice to get in one last trip before Elijah comes.

I'm closing with a great quote from Futurama.

Nibblonian : You are the last hope of the universe.
Fry : So I really am important? How I feel when I'm drunk is correct?
Nibblonian : Yes - except the Dave Matthews Band doesn't rock.

Blogging From Vegas
I am going to try to blog from Vegas, so you all will know we're doing okay. We leave tomorrow afternoon, and we return Wednesday afternoon. Until then, remember you always split aces and eights.

Something Like Life
What's new? Well, Rod was scheduled to come to Denver to visit, but his mother-in-law isn't doing so well, and his wife is out of the country, so he stayed in Texas to be in proximity should something arise. We're both bummed, but I'm sure we'll be able to reschedule. We're so excited at the idea of a California friend coming to visit, and because it's Rod. He's like family.

I picked up another shift at work this week, so I worked Monday & Wednesday. Now I'm off until after Thanksgiving. It's been really busy at work, which is good. But I'm very pooped by the end of my shift.

In Vegas news, Lisa got the scare of her life. She called the hotel to confirm their reservation, and she was told it was cancelled! When Lisa booked the reservation in September, she asked to be sent an email as to when a deposit would be needed. No email came, and so according to the lady Lisa spoke to, she lost her reservation by not doing the deposit in time. They told her they could offer her the only room they had left, a $229/night suite! At some point Lisa got to book with one of the Orleans sister hotels, but it wasn't for the price she wanted. She took it, and then started looking online for a better deal. When she found one, Lisa called back the hotel to cancel. They said, but you just made this reservation. When Lisa explained the story to them, they said they would honor the original reservation, 2 nights at the Orleans for $20/night. She even gets to stay in the new tower they just built (I don't know where we're staying). Poor Lisa! A half an hour of drama, and I wasn't home to talk her through it. Naturally Geoff made me call to confirm our reservation, and it was okay. Thank goodness. I'm in no state to deal with that kind of garbage.

So we're almost set for Vegas. The neighbors are going to look after Honey, I made up my packing list, and I started doing some laundry. All we need now is for the snow coming on Sunday not to delay the plane.

Yesterday I had a really bad allergic reaction. Very similar to the one that hit when Heather visited. Ugh, I hate feeling like that. Right now it's slowly dying down. I don't need to carry the kleenex box around with me, but I feel all red and blotchy. I don't know what brings it on.

I finally made it to Hobby Lobby this week to check out fabric. I want to make a table runner for Christmas, so I picked out the fabric I like, I will go buy it the first of December. Need to hold off on spending money. We had to buy a new power adapter thingy for Geoff's laptop, his adapter died. That was a $80 expense we weren't expecting. Also at the beginning of December, I need to get my hair cut and highlighted. It's been over a year since I had it cut, and even longer since it had highlights. Unless I kick butt in Vegas, then I'll get it done sooner. :)

Did you know BBQ-flavored peanuts is a Canadian thing? I had a craving for some, and when I asked people if they had seen them, no one had seen them. They thought it was weird I thought I could find that at my local Safeway. On a BBQ related note, I can't wait until next summer to go to Edmonton, and be able to get some flavored popcorn from Too Corny. My favorite? Getting a bag of half bbq, half pizza. Gross? Mmmm, not to me. :)

So we're hoping to catch The Incredibles next week. I already know tons of people who have seen it, and I certainly didn't need their approval to go see it. It's Pixar, that's enough for Geoff & me. I will need more time to get sold on Cars, but they have time to sell me on that. In other Pixar news, Disney has decided to go ahead and make Toy Story 3, without Pixar. Since they own the Toy Story franchise, they can do what they want. But I hear they are having a hard time selling Tom Hanks & Tim Allen on coming back. Good on them!

So AFI is putting together ANOTHER list, like that's what the world needs. This one is 100 best movie quotes. I'm going to close with one of Geoff's favorites, from The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly.

Man With No Name: You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig.

In Dreams
A few nights ago I couldn't sleep so well. I was thinking about this couple I know whose marriage has ended. While we weren't close, I still felt a connection to them. And it pains me to think the marriage couldn't be saved. I don't know any of the details, all the info I get is one sided. In a dream I had, maybe that night, maybe the night after, I tried to speak to the wife. To ask her what was so wrong that couldn't be fixed. She just smiled she didn't say. I am almost compelled to try to email her, find her email first, but I likely won't. It isn't my place.

Sunday night and last night I dreamt about Colin. We were just hanging out. Sunday nights dream lead me to a building which a fabric store, but before that it was the school where I took dance (not in reality, just in my dream). I am trying to use my walkie-talkie to tell Colin to come help me because there is a wild ferret trying to bite me. The ferret is green, and larger than normal. At some point there is also some animal that is a cross between a badger and a bear. I am able to lock that in a room to get away. I have some really weird dreams.

Last week, courtesy of the library, I watched Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star and The Butterfly Effect. The former was a better movie. I laughed a lot, and it was pretty harmless. TBE was darker than I anticipated it to be. I don't know why I thought it would be lighter than that. I didn't stop thinking about it the rest of the day. But I'd be reluctant to recommend it to anyone, only because it dealt with such dark issues. The acting in it was pretty good though.

Speaking of good acting, I love Scrubs. Last week's episode provided a hilarious scene where Turk was white. In the episode Turk got a new phone number, and if you called it that night during the show you could speak to the cast and crew. I wasn't aware of that, but I called the next morning and got to hear a message from "Turk" (Donald Faison), urging fans of Scrubs to vote in the People's Choice Awards for which Scrubs has a few nominations, and Zach Braff is up for favorite movie actor. I'm excited to see that Matthew Perry is directing and guest starring on Scrubs in 2 weeks.

Speaking of Matthew Perry, Celebrity Poker Showdown finished up another tournament Sunday. The championship game had Matthew Perry, Kevin Nealon, Neil Patrick Harris, Mekhi Phifer, and Dennis Rodman. They will be taping another tournament the next few days, there may even be a taping the day we arrive in Vegas, but since we get in late afternoon, I doubt we could get tickets. I will settle for the hope of running into Phil Gordon or Dave Foley. :)

Yep, Vegas is just days away. Let me tell you how the level of excitement plays out. Geoff is the most excited, followed quickly by Lisa, then me, then Chad. It's going to be so much fun!

I'm going to close with a quote from last week's Scrubs.

Cal Turk: Cal Turk here. We don't sell insurance, we sell peace of mind. But only to white people (Winks). Would you like some milk?

Christmas With The Ladies
A pretty good album. If you can get past the first track (Jingle Bells), which I thought was awful (and may be why Kelly thought I was talking about Steven Page (see November 4th post)), Barenaked For The Holidays makes for a great addition to your Christmas music collection. Favorite tracks for me were God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings with Sarah McLachlan, Sleigh Ride, and I Have A Little Driedel. Their original songs are also really good. Geoff thought their effort on Oh Holy Night was pretty poor, and I didn't mind so much.

Mostly RIYL Barenaked Ladies. If you don't, you probably wouldn't like the album.

Scott Peterson Guilty
I'm happy with the way the trial has ended, I suspected he was guilty, but was glad the jurors found it to be so in their eyes. Now they have to decide whether to give him the death penalty or not. I do not envy them, that is not a decision I would want to make. I think it's fitting to close with a quote from Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring.

Frodo: It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance.
Gandalf: Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends.

So Go To Canada You Big Whiner!
Rich and I sort of had it out yesterday. He was being really obnoxious, and I was getting tired of it, so I let out that biting side of me. I can say things sometimes and it comes out much harsher than I intend. I'm not saying he didn't deserve it, but I was just getting tired of him bringing down my natural high. I should start at the beginning.

I got to work and was in a great mood. My iPod was playing some great tunes (Bobby Brown, Tom Petty, 10,000 Maniacs, Guns N' Roses), and I had baked a cake for break time because it was Jeff's 50th birthday. Well Jeff was kinda grumpy, and Rich seemed to be a little grumpy. I was able to keep the mood light with everyone, making up songs (Melissa, huh! What is she good for? You know the song that goes War, huh! What is it good for). anyways, 10 o'clock comes, and we go to break, and we eat cake, and Rich starts going off on the election, and how he wants to immigrate to Canada. I'm like, see ya! Bu-bye! So I'm trying to change the topic, since everyone is sitting around looking uncomfortable. Rich is still going on about how he hates Kerry and Bush, and then big closed minded jerk says the "A" word. (The "A" word is in reference to the President.) That just gets me really upset. And he's saying how he doesn't morals, and he doesn't like Bush making decisions based on morals. Now in my head, I'm thinking of the conversation I'd have with him if there weren't 7 other people sitting around the table. So I'm still trying to change the topic, and every topic I hit, he's got something negative to say. I finally get tired of it all and I say to him, "Oh my eyes hurt so much looking up at you on your high horse." Everyone started to laugh, breaking the tension a little. Thankfully it was 10:30, so break was over. But when I left for the day, he had the nerve to say he expected me to bring him chocolate next week (since Harry & David truffles are amazing). My response was," I expect you to have an open mind next week. Which do you think is going to happen?" He proudly declared he isn't changing his closed mind.

I like Rich, he can be a lot of fun. And I can be friends with people who have a different opinion than me (I learned that at KUCI). But I think we need to sit down and have a serious talk. He was out of control with his attitude, and it did not make for a comfortable nice break for all. I'm debating whether I should email him, or if I should talk to him next week.

I was so pooped yesterday, working at the museum in the morning, than H&D in the afternoon. But it was good. Thank goodness Geoff came to pick me up from the mall, since the sun is setting here at 5pm, it would make a dark walk home. I do have the option to take the bus, so don't feel bad for me.

I'm still having weird dreams. I dream about people from my past life (by past life I mean high school, or B.G.- before Geoff). Last night, I dreamt I was still living with my mom and Hans, yet I was married. It was 3am, and I couldn't sleep, so I got up and my mom was awake, watching tv in her room. I unlocked the door, and left the house, going next door where someone from the past was living. I just knocked on the door, and was let in. For whatever reason, I figured the solution to my not being able to sleep was to talk to this person. The weirdest thing is whenever I speak to this person in my dreams, one of the first things I say is why didn't they acknowledge my father's death? I'm not sure why this bothers me so in my dreams. I'm a weird person. That's pretty much the dream.

I was speaking to Lisa this morning, and telling her this, and I guess I expected people who knew me would have responded to my dad's death. Do I honestly believe people read the obituaries everyday? I did, when I lived in Edmonton. But when I hear about the death of someone I know, I try to send a note, even if all it says is I'm sorry. Maybe it's all just residual anger or resentment I felt at the funeral. I was angry, I was mad that I didn't register on people's radar. That all they talked about was Colin, and Dylan. I wasn't mad at Colin and Dylan, but part of me was mad at myself. For not being around the last 4 (now 5) years. I hated that it was like I wasn't his child. I guess I have some issues that time needs to heal.

Sunday at church we sang I Can Only Imagine, and I couldn't sing it. All I could do was stand there and cry. It's funny because I can hear the song on the radio, and I'm fine. But being in worship, the emotions were too raw. Plus I've been thinking about Grandpa Jim, Grandma Bessie, and Auntie Pearl. I miss them so much. They were just so loving towards me, and making me feel like I was truly their family.

Alright, I'm done. I'm going to close with a quote from Wag The Dog.

Stanley Motss : Why Albania?
Conrad 'Connie' Brean : Why not?
Stanley Motss : What have they done to us?
Conrad 'Connie' Brean : What have they done FOR us? What do you know about them?
Stanley Motss : Nothing.
Conrad 'Connie' Brean : See? They keep to themselves. Shifty. Untrustable.

You are Sir Bedevere! Wise and creative, you are
able to counsel others as well as come up with
some really ingenious plans of attack...sort
of.


Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?
brought to you by Quizilla

Musical Musings
So there is a band I adore, and one of the band members released a solo album. Initially, I thought this might be a good idea. For example, I love Paul Bellows' music and Paul came out of Splendourbog. I love Glen Phillips' music, he came out of Toad The Wet Sprocket. Well, I gave some of the tracks a listen to, and to say I was disappointed, would be an understatement. It's an album I definitely wouldn't buy, or even recommend. Oh well, not everyone can branch out on their own. I won't name said artist, but they annoyed me even further by making comments about President Bush.

Speaking of musicians and their political leanings, Sheryl Crow called our house in the last week, and Geoff hung up on her. He also hung up on Bill Clinton. I'm a little jealous, I hung up on just Coloradan politicians. I'd have to say in the last year with all the election hoopla on both sides of the border, a musician's political stance has been enough to make me not want to listen to their music. It's one thing, if they have always been open about where they stand (REM, Beastie Boys), but if they just decide now to choose sides, it makes it hard for me to listen to their music. Am I being silly? Perhaps. I'm hoping we all can get back to normal.

I struck a deal with Geoff that may affect the rest of my entertainment life. I told Geoff that if Michael Moore wins Best Picture at the Oscars in 2005, I will never watch the Oscars again. He was giddy, asking if it applied to all award shows. In all fairness, that would leave the Emmys and the Golden Globes. I do wonder how you get to have your picture nominated for Best Picture. Is it enough for Mr. Moore to say he wants the prize? If they want to get all controversial maybe they should nominate The Passion Of The Christ. They certainly wouldn't award Mel Gibson that prize, they like to give out awards to people who are controversial in a different way (see Roman Polanski).

50 days until Christmas. Eep. well, I have a list of what I'm buying everyone, except Mike. Mike, what do you want for Christmas? Now I just have to peck away at buying this stuff, and ship off some of it. But first, I have to get past Dylan, Dawn & Colin's birthdays. So really, half the battle is won. I know what I need to buy. :)

16 days until Vegas. Oh Yeah! Chad is now in on the trip, so he can get excited. He wasn't mad at Lisa, which was her concern. Well, he was annoyed (or disgusted) by the cake she made (Lisa, Geoff thought it was gross!). We're trying to decide if we want to spend the money on seeing Penn & Teller. I think it would fun, but $155 worth of fun? Hard to say. We will likely take in a movie at the theatre in the hotel, we're thinking of seeing The Incredibles. I have to call and book my massage soon.

I guess I'm done. I'll close with a quote from Grosse Pointe Blank.

Debi : You're a psychopath.
Marty : No, no. Psychopaths kill for no reason. I kill for *money*. It's a *job*. That didn't come out right.

Gotta Love Election day




I hate, hate, hate that I can't vote. :(

Have A Candy-Filled Halloween!

So, what yummy treats will you be doling out to the kiddies? We're giving out M&M's (Peanut, as usual) and 3 Musketeers. We'll just be hanging in, giving away candy, and we may watch a movie. Probably The Nightmare Before Christmas, since it's the only movie we have that it Halloweeny.

I'm going to close with a quote from Scream 2.

Killer: What's your favorite scary movie?
Randy : Showgirls. Absolutely frightening.

Stumpin'
Definition: To travel over, delivering speeches for electioneering purposes; as, to stump a State, or a district.
Well, I had wanted to post a picture from Brain Candy, the scene where Don Roritor gets off the elevator and lifts up his pant cuffs to reveal the color of his socks. I've had Marv's voice in my head all morning, "Red Socks, Red Socks". Yeah, we watched some of the game, the end mostly. Then this morning while I was flipping through the channels, I stopped on Good Morning America, which I rarely do since I think ABC is way biased, and heard Curt Schilling say, "Get out and vote. And vote for Bush!" I cheered, and clapped. How refreshing to turn on the television and see someone not stumping for Kerry. :) Holy crap, you can't go anywhere and not see some celebrity telling you to vote for Kerry. Here's the thing I love the most, there are already people complaining online about the comment. But it's fine to have the world shoving their pro-Kerry messages down my throat every second of the day. These are the people who will scream about how I'm intolerant. Yeah okay.

I am preparing myself for what will go down next week, and in the following weeks, months, and years. Regardless of who wins the election, all this trash won't go away. If Bush wins, it will be another 4 years of whining, complaining, and campaigns to impeach him. If Kerry wins, it will be 4 years of Bush bashing, rehashing everything he did and said. And where could you go to get away from it? Nowhere. Not Canada or Britain, they'll be doing it there too.

Okay, enough of that. I don't want it to consume the rest of my day.

I had my first real shift at Harry & David. Oh man, if you've ever been there, you know how tasty everything looks. Well, I have to sample stuff so I can give my opinion on it to customers. I'm serious. I have to be careful not to gorge myself on tasty treats all day. But it was fun. I like the people I get to work with. And I'm going to love using my discount to do Christmas shopping. I am probably going to need better shoes, but that can wait for a few paychecks.

Last weekend, we watched The Whole 10 Yards, and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. TWTY wasn't as good as the first one, but it was entertaining enough. The same could be said SD2. But I kept my expectations low, so I wasn't too disappointed. In the last 2 weeks, I also plowed through the whole series of My So-Called Life (there was only one season). The side effect of that was for 3 days straight, I was talking like characters. But it was fun to watch it again. It made me reflect a little of what my life was like when I was 15. Scary! Perhaps it wouldn't be so frightening if my memory wasn't so good. But I turned out alright.

Alright, I'm going to close with a quote from Kids In The Hall.

Cory: If I can't keep Mr. Stevenson, I'm gonna hold my breath until I turn gay.

How hot is that?!

Happy Happy Joy Joy


Monkey came home! :) She found her way home on Thursday night at 10:30pm. I never would have thought it were possible. Everyone is happy she is back, the cats, the neighbors, and us. She came out to say hello to us, and tried to jump off the balcony again! She needs to be supervised more, and the hopefully she won't teach that trick to the other 2 cats. The neighbors are now going to get collars and tags for all the cats.

Monkey & Turkey
Still no return of Monkey. I feel really bad for the neighbors. I don't know if I could hold out hope that long.

We got an invite from The Jones' to join them again for Thanksgiving dinner. Yummy! Free turkey is always welcome.

10 more days. In 10 days, Chad will know about Vegas, we hope we'll know the sex of the baby, and the stupid election will be done. I'm just so tired of it all (the election). I could rant and rave forever about what bugs me, but I just don't want to go that into it. I will say one thing, if Ralph Nader wants to be on the ballot, and other people want him to be on the ballot, let him be on ballot. What's the big deal? Seriously!

Ha Ha, no more Mayor Bill Smith. Thank the Lord! I was never a Bill Smith fan, so I'm glad to see he's been replaced. Having not lived in Alberta for 5 years, I don't really have an opinion on the Alberta election (which is right around the due date), but when I was there, I didn't think Ralph Klein was so bad. But as I said, I haven't been around the last 5 years. Sigh, I miss being able to vote.

So, Fedex and I finally resolved our problem, and it went in my favor (like there was a doubt). I'm still boycotting them, I won't ever use their services. I think we'll aim to send off our Christmas gifts at the beginning of December, through the post office. Once I get a few paychecks under my belt, I can start shopping. But I at least have an idea what I'm getting some people.

Rich is looking for a new girlfriend. Why is this news? I don't know. It was funny, it's been an eternity since I had someone ask me to fix them up. Sadly, I know no single women in Denver. But he's a nice guy. I do enjoy having him working on Mondays. Someone close to my age.

I'm still listening to Christmas music, still wearing the Christmas socks. It's not like I'm listening to whole Christmas albums, just the occasional song. :) I'm really sad that I won't be able to wear any of my Christmas shirts. Maybe I'll try to pick up a new one in December. Old Navy is always good for putting out seasonal/holiday shirts.

I've been having strange dreams. No big surprise, my dreams are always weird. In my dream last night, I saw someone from high school, Dean, who, in my dream, joined the band The Polyphonic Spree. Except in my dream the band was an amalgamation of The Polyphonic Spree & ApologetiX. So I woke up singing Light & Day. The weird thing about Dean is I remember very little about him. He drove a Nova that always needed gas, he dated Evette, and he threw up after a party.

Well, I'm gonna close with a quote from Three To Tango.

[When Peter clicks his pen, it's supposed to signal to Oscar that he's rambling]
Oscar Novak : Hey, you have a Buddha! Oh, I love Buddhas.
[Peter clicks his pen]
Oscar Novak : They're like bright, cheery, naked Asian Santas.
[Sound of clicking pen.]
Oscar Novak : You know, I had a buddy in college whose name was Bob and we used to call him "Buddha Bob" because he as kind of fat and he liked to walk around naked.
[More pen clicking.]
Oscar Novak : We used to rub his belly for luck.
[Frantic pen clicking. He gets the hint.]
Oscar Novak : Anyway... I love Buddha.
[awkward pause]
Oscar Novak : He rocks.

We Need Ace Ventura
Our neighbors' (the ones we like) cat is missing. The white one, Geoff's favorite. Her name is Monkey, and she's been gone since last night. She chased a squirrel off the balcony. When I got home from work, we spent 90 minutes looking around the property for her. I looked again this morning by daylight. We thought that maybe because she's a scaredy cat, that she'd just be hiding, but once she got hungry, she'd venture to find a way home. I feel just awful for the neighbors (whose names we now know. They've lived here for a year!).

I think I'll keep looking while I go to the library and store. I hope Monkey comes home soon, or that someone finds her and sees the flyers. The other 2 cats are just miserable without her.

Where To Begin?
Ok, I guess I have stuff to write about, but I'm not sure where to start.

So, Glen & Diane arrived, and we packed in so much in such a short time. It was the best visit ever!

I got a part-time job at Harry & David. This will come in handy earning money for Christmas, maternity clothes and other little things. It's only seasonal, as I likely won't want to work past my 8th month.

We picked up some pumpkins to carve, so we'll tackle that this weekend.

I know there was other stuff I wanted to write about, but I'm at a loss as to what it was. Oh well, I can always write more later.

I'm going to close with a quote from Twin Peaks. I've spent the last 2 weeks watching the 20 episodes I have on tape (not the whole series, sadly). I love that show.

Jerry Horn: As your lawyer, your brother, and your friend, I highly recommend that you get a better lawyer.

Missing Papa
I felt like I should blog today. I don't quite know what to say, so I will post a letter I wrote to Colin & Dawn.

Hey. So, it was a year ago today, when everything
changed. I can remember the day so clearly, every
step, every phone call, every emotion I felt. There
are times when I forget he's gone, and I think I
should call him. Then the moment passes, and it feels
like he's been gone forever. I wonder if I'll forget
the sound of his voice, the way he laughed, his smile.

What I love about Dad is how he never judged us. He
accepted the decisions we made, and supported us any
way he could. He may not have always said how he
felt, but it was in his actions.

I hope we will always be able to share with each other
stories about Dad, to keep his memory alive. There is
so much of Dad in you Colin, I know you hear that a
lot, but you have all of his good traits. His
generosity, his sense of humor, his compassion for
other people, and the ability to bring out "The Claw"
when needed. :)

I love you guys, and I'm thinking of you today.

Success!
Lisa's package came through! Ha Ha! Stick it to the man!

This is what all the fuss was about. Lisa claimed it as gift on her customs form. Which is was, a gift. There was also a bag of hickory sticks, some magazines and a maternity top. :) Is she cool or what?

My around the house days are numbered. I'm getting a job, but it'll probably only be seasonal. Let's hope they will be willing to work around my Vegas & Victoria trips. It's just a job at the mall, but the 2 places I have interviews are places I'd fully use a staff discount. I'll keep you posted.

Colin is doing great. He went back to work, he's in a different department that doesn't involve as much labor, and he likes the hours better.

Well, there is laundry to be done before the Armstrongs arrive. Clean sheets is just one of those things I feel I should provide.

I suppose I ought to close with a quote from Office Space.

Peter Gibbons : You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care.
Bob Porter : Don't? Don't care?
Peter Gibbons : It's a problem of motivation, alright? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don't see another dime, so where's the motivation? And here's another thing, I have eight different bosses right now.
Bob Porter : Eight?
Peter Gibbons : Eight Bob. So that means when I make a mistake, I have eight different people coming by to tell me about it. That's my only real motivation is not to be hassled, that and the fear of losing my job. But you know, Bob, that will only make someone work just hard enough not to get fired.

A Real 30's Woman
Okay, so some of you know, I'm not the cook of the family. But I've been branching out, and preparing supper a few times. Last week I made a very tasty meatloaf. I told Geoff I'm like a real modern woman, and he laughed, you're like a real 30's woman. Fair enough. :)

I'm breaking out of my reading box. I usually read older books, or classics, but I am trying to read more current books. I have a few on hold at the library that sounded like I might enjoy them. I don't mind being recommended books, but like movies, there are some people I just don't trust their judgment of what I would like. It's nothing personal, I just have a different taste than them. There are also people I know that I wouldn't presume to know what they would enjoy reading. I don't think I influence what anyone reads, but that's cool. Diane & I were talking last week about books, and I said that new books couldn't be called classics, that they have to get passed being the trend, or fad. Time has to have passed and I suppose what is a classic to some, may not be to others. Who decides what gets to be a classic? This is just something I wonder.

Thursday I am going to have coffee with Mary, which should be fun. We've never hung out outside of the museum. We may end up housesitting for her around Thanksgiving, if we can work it around the Vegas trip. She seems to be pretty flexible, but we can talk about that on Thursday.

Saturday, Glen & Diane arrive. We have so much to pack into this visit, it being Glen's first visit here since he was 15 (I think). We've made reservations at Ruth's Chris for Saturday night, and I'm so excited because it's my favorite restaurant. I hope they enjoy it. Sunday we'll have a turkey in celebration of Canadian Thanksgiving.

We decided we want to carve a pumpkin this year. It's not something we always do, maybe every few years. We'll be home for Halloween, so we thought why not. We'll have to wait until much later to get the candy as I don't trust myself with it in the house. :)

Lisa sent off a package to me with meatballs and gravy. We'll see if it makes it here. She talked to the post office about it, and they told her she had to contact the FDA and bioterrorism act. Come on people! It's processed meatballs! Last year when my mom tried to send some chocolate they told her no way. Dawn sent the exact same chocolate, but didn't claim it on her form and it came through. If the U.S. would just let more Cadbury & Nestle chocolate through, it would be a better place. Hee hee!

We did take the trip to Goodwill and I was so relieved to get those bags out of the house. We also got rid of an old chair. They have a pretty good system set up there, you drive up, you drop off, and they give you a tax receipt if you want one.

I have a confession to make, and I feel no shame about this. I wore my Christmas socks two weeks ago, and I even listened to some Christmas songs a few weeks before that. It's taking a lot to stop me from wanting to dig out the decorations. I've just been in a holly jolly mood. It's only 80 days to Christmas, and when I told my mom, she said she didn't want to hear that, it's too soon. She wanted it in hours, so Mom right now it's 1935 hours away. Geoff and I have decided that Christmas 2005 will be here in Denver. Mind you it will be a family of 4 then, the two of us, Honey & Peanut. It's exciting to think about.

I'm trying to talk Geoff into a trip to DisneyWorld for 2007. It will be our 10 year anniversary, and the baby will be 2. That's how old Dylan was when we took him, and he had fun. He still remembers a lot of that trip. I guess I should get a job so we can start saving for that. :)

I'm gonna close with a quote from The Net:
Angela : So, what's this for?
[showing Jack his gun]
Jack : It's uh... it's for shark fishing.
Angela : Shark fishing... with a silencer?
Jack : Yeah. You certainly seem to know your ordinance.
Angela : Colorado. You grow up with guns.

The Grim Grotto



AAAAAHHHHHHH! I could barely put it down, I had to plow through it. Full of clues and it even provides some answers. Now I'm dying because the next book won't be out for a year! But I do think I figured out who Beatrice is. Now I'll spend all day on the computer trying to find if someone else came to the same conclusion I did.

Blah-De-Blah
So when I last posted, I commented on the weather being so great, and 2 hours later, we got a huge downpour of rain. Actually it's been rainy with patches of no rain all week, and that's what we can look forward to all weekend. Not that rain changes our plans. We will finally be taking a load of stuff to goodwill, freeing up space in our house. I guess tomorrow I should make sure I have given away everything I want to. No need to start a new pile once this one goes.

Kinda excited about a new sermon series our church is starting this Sunday. It's called Old Faith, New Faith Let's Review Faith...Interpreting Faith Through Dr. Suess Stories. :) I think it sounds cool.

So Jeff (my boss) was watching some Bill Maher program and it had Michael Moore and Kim Campbell on. How's that for a combination? Anyways, he said Mr. Moore came across pretty stupid (he actually likes him), but that he thought Kim Campbell was great! And how great she must have been as Prime Minister. I wish i could have seen the look on my face. I had to tell him, I don't know many Canadians who liked her, and basing my opinion on her from when she was PM, I didn't think much of her. But I guess Americans think she's awesome. Ah, wacky Americans!

I watched the movie Chicago this week. I got it out of the library, and actually sat down and watched it. Not being familiar with the story made it more interesting for me, because I didn't know how it would end. I thought it was alright. I really enjoyed the number Mr. Cellophane, and Renee wasn't so bad. I generally don't like her work, but she did okay in this. Some of the costumes were a little more revealing, but I think that's just part of the scene. I don't think I'd want to own it, but it was okay to watch. It didn't suck.

I have been tackling my letter of instruction, something to go with my will, once I get around to writing it. I just want my wishes to be known, and the will is to protect Peanut in case something should happen to Geoff and I. Rod thinks it's great I'm such a planner, but planning ahead helps me to feel better about the unpreventable.

Vegas is a go for November! So stoked. And Lisa & Chad are meeting us there. Our last hurrah before the baby comes, perhaps. We'll see what happens, there may be another smaller hurrah, who's to say? We booked the flight & room, Lisa's all set on her end. It's a surprise for Chad's 30th birthday, if Lisa can keep it a secret.

Alright, I'm closing with a quote from The Whole Nine Yards.

Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski : I'm telling you this like a friend because if you screw this up - I would hate to... I would really hate to have to kill you. I would hate it more than mayonnaise. You know how much I hate mayonnaise.

I'm Pesto!



Which Animaniacs Character are You?


You are quick to anger. It's not that you're a jerk, it's just that everyone else is always wrong! Additionally, you often feel like people are picking on you, especially when they say things that you don't understand. You are stronger than many, and fighting is sometimes the only solution that works for you. When you're not fighting, you are fairly calm, however. You tend to act coo.

A Perfect Day (Weather Wise)
Man, it was truly the perfect day weather wise. The sun was shining, there was a cool breeze, you could be completely comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt.

I was inspired to re-read The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy after Chris mentioned it on his blog. It's been well over 10 years since I read it, and most of it is hazy, but some parts are familiar.

We had a rough night on Saturday, as our neighbors had a party that went until 4 am. Had it been contained inside their apartment, there probably wouldn't have been a problem. But the guests were outside and even with the window closed we could hear everything. So we had to file a complaint. I hope this will be the last time this happens. With the baby coming, we'll already have plenty of sleepless nights, we don't need the neighbors adding some.

Our friends(Shad, Jen & Griffin) who recently moved to the NW came to town for a visit, and we went out to Le Peep for brunch. Jen is 20 weeks along in her pregnancy, and they'll be finding out the sex of their baby on Friday. Shad was bemoaning how expensive maternity clothes are, which only helps make matters worse for Geoff. I keep assuring Geoff that they will be a necessity at some point and that I won't need that much, but for Shad to mention Jen "popped out" at 16 weeks, that put the fear in Geoff. Ugh!

I don't really have much else to share. It's been relatively quiet. Glen & Diane will be here in a little less than 2 weeks. There is a lot we all want to do, so we'll see what gets done. There will be plenty of future trips, so I don't feel too stressed. I feel the same way about Victoria. There will be plenty of trips out there, so we don't have to do everything. Speaking of trips, I've had this feeling for a few weeks, a deep-seated need to go to Edmonton. I can't explain it, it's just a feeling I have, that I can't do anything about. Geoff suggested I pray about it. If it's God's will, He will provide the money for it. And if it isn't, He'll give me a peace about it. That husband of mine has some real nuggets of wisdom sometimes. :) Oh, and on the Vegas front, we're looking into it all the time, and we may be meeting someone there. Very cool.

I usually close with a quote from a movie, but instead I'm going to close with a quote from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.
One of the things Ford Prefect had always found hardest to understand about humans was their habit of continually stating and repeating the very very obvious, as in It's a nice day, or You're very tall, or Oh dear you seem to have fallen down a thirty-foot well, are you all right? At first Ford had formed a theory to account for this strange behavior. If human beings don't keep exercising their lips, he thought, their mouths probably seize up. After a few months' consideration and observation he abandoned this theory in favor of a new one. If they don't keep exercising their lips, he thought, their brains start working.

Rainy Days
It's been 2 and half days of rain. There was a small break in the rain today, and I'm glad I took advantage and walked over to Target. But yeah, it's raining again.

Vegas is calling us. We got some coupons from The Orleans along with info on upcoming rates. We want to go back. Geoff teased that if we had $500 we'd leave now. :) We want to try to take in a show on the next trip. We're eyeballing my birthday as a potential time to take the trip. One last trip before the baby comes. But right before Thanksgiving, they are offering rooms for $20 a night. We may also consider the Stratosphere, they were offering rooms for $20-$25 a night. Whenever we decide to do it, we will be extending invites for people to meet us there.

Every tv season I am allowed to adopt a new show to watch, and I've picked LOST which premieres tonight. I don't know if I'll like it, but I'm willing to give it two episodes.

I miss Touching Evil. I found that I had an old episode on tape (along with old episodes of Scrubs and Angel), so I watched it this afternoon. Not one of my favorites, but it does feature one of the best lines in the series.
Branca: "So where were you? What are you, moonlighting now?"
Creegan: "Yeah, I'm an exotic dancer. G-Man by day, G-string by night."
Still holding out hope they'll put it out on DVD.

Colin is doing okay. Still very sore, still healing, and very bored. If he read, I'd send him some books. :)

Not much else is going on. I got in trouble at work this week with my quick wit. Jeff used the expression "beats me with a stick", and without missing a beat I said "I didn't realize that was an option". I got quite the look, and Rich doubled over with laughter. Ah, it's nice to have Rich working on Mondays now, someone at work who gets my wit. Geoff is really the only one who gets my wit on a regular basis. And my sense of humor is what Rod misses the most about me being in Colorado. I'm glad I have my wit and sense of humor. It's what sets me apart, in a world that doesn't always let me be my own person.

I'm gonna close with a quote from Happy Gilmore.

Happy Gilmore : During high school, I played junior hockey and still hold two league records: most time spent in the penalty box; and I was the only guy to ever take off his skate and try to stab somebody.

What You've Missed


Colin had a hernia operation this week. Yeah. So apparently it was something they think he was born with. It was something he didn't know he had. He would feel pain periodically, but he had pills he'd take for that. Then in the last 10 days it got worse. So Wednesday he had the operation because the pain was unbearable. It was successful, and he has like 6 weeks of recovery time ahead of him. Yeah, more time off work, but ideally this will be his last surgery for a while (he's had 2 in a year).

Heather's visit was great. I wanted to post about this the day she arrived, but was busy playing host. :) The one thing I asked Heather to bring me from Canada was confiscated. So I didn't get it. :( It was a can of meatballs and gravy, made by Puritan. They make stews, but I have this thing for their meatballs and gravy. Well, you can't bring meat into the States from Canada, even if it's processed and in a can. I was so disappointed. Had I known I was going to be denied, I would have asked her to bring me Hickory Sticks. I wonder if you can mail meat. I should look into that. :)

In in tv land...Heather Graham performance this week on Scrubs was better than she's been. Maybe she's just better because she's partnered with John C. McGinley. Oh, and Chris filled me in on who's replacing Bitty Schram on Monk. It will be Traylor Howard who's done a few failed tv shows (Boston Common) and a few films (Dirty Work). I'm willing to give her a shot, but God help them if they try to romantically link her and Monk. I will then declare the show has jumped the shark. There are tons of people already on board with that, but I hold out hope.

Oh yeah, I generally don't tune into the Emmys, as they rarely recognize the worthy or un-HBO shows, but Zach Braff is presenting. Tony Shalhoub is up for Best Actor again, and it was announced that John Turturro won for best guest actor for his portrayal of Ambrose Monk (whoo-hoo!). Also, Randy Newman won an emmy for the Monk Theme Song. He beat out the theme song to Monster House.

That's all I have to share today. Tomorrow Geoff and I will walk to Cherry Creek North and check out the new Crate and Barrel that opened this week. Why we torture ourselves going to a kitchen store when we're poor, is beyond both of us. :)
I'm closing with a quote from Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back.

Jay : Miramax? I thought they only did classy pictures, like "The Piano" and "The Crying Game".
Brodie : Yeah, but then they made "She's All That" and it went downhill from there.

Garden Of The Gods


Heather and I went to see Garden Of The Gods today. It was a fairly short drive up the 25 to get there, and it was a beautiful day to go. We packed a lunch, and walk around maybe a 1/3 of the park. Heather was able to get some souvenirs and then home to unwind.

Heather's visit is going well. It's been pretty low-key and laid back which is nice. We may try to get out to Dinosaur Ridge tomorrow, but we'll play it by ear. My butt was a little sore from the driving today, so we may stick closer to home.

My allergies have been acting up all day, so we went to the pharmacy and found something that is pregnancy safe. It was on my list of approved drugs I could take, the list the doctor gave me, but I double checked with the pharmacist to be sure. He said it is one of the better ones to take since it stays local in my head. :)

I'm gonna go rest now. I'll close with a quote from School Of Rock (which was awesome!)

Dewey Finn : Ok, here's the deal. I have a hangover. Who knows what that means?
Frankie : Doesn't that mean you're drunk?
Dewey Finn : No. It means I was drunk yesterday.

Dull Dullness
Oh how I wish I had stuff to share. But I don't. Just counting the days until Heather comes on Saturday. I only asked her to bring me one thing, because I shouldn't treat my Canadian connections like some weird food black market. I do miss the Canadian chocolate bars something fierce. When I feel a sore throat coming on, I like to get a 5 Alive, but they don't sell them here. What can you do?

The weather has been hot, but thankfully it's cooled off at night. I really enjoy fall weather, so I'd like to get some of that soon. Maybe in October.

I got Seabiscuit and Mystic River out of the library, so hopefully we can tackle watching those this week. I'm happy that VH1 has brought back Bands Reunited. I think it's a great show. Even if I am not familiar with the band, it's entertaining.

Oh, I got a weird call the other night. Someone wanting me to do a survey on Emeril Live. It was funny. Though I don't watch it regularly anymore, I still gave my opinion.

Well, that's it. Like I said, I wish I had more to say. I'm closing with a quote from last week's episode of Scrubs. I laughed out loud, because I had to agree with Dr. Cox on several accounts.

Dr. Cox: I suppose I could riff a list of things that I care as little about as our last week together. Lemme see, uhh.... Low-carb diets. Michael Moore. The Republican National Convention. Kabbalah and all Kabbalah-related products. Hi-def TV, the Bush daughters, wireless hot spots, 'The O.C.', the U.N., recycling, getting Punk'd, Danny Gans, the Latin Grammys, the real Grammys. Jeff, that Wiggle who sleeps too darn much! The Yankees payroll, all the red states, all the blue states, every hybrid car, every talk show host! Everything on the planet, everything in the solar system, everything everything everything everything everything everything--eve--everything that exists -- past, present and future, in all discovered and undiscovered dimensions.

(He starts to walk off.)

Dr. Cox: Oh! And Hugh Jackman.

Monk Update
Here is the latest I've heard from Tvtome.com:
Update on Sharona and Monk's New Assistant
Monk's new sidekick will be named Natalie, a single mother with a daughter rather than a son. Sharona is out of town visiting her sick mother (as in "Game Show"), leaving the door way open for her return later in the season (or next year). Cross your fingers.

So there you have it. There is a possibility she'll come back.

September Already
Heavens, I can hardly believe how quickly time goes by. Especially since not much is happening. Yesterday Shannon, Kaylynn and I went for a picnic lunch in the park. It was very hot yesterday, reaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit. We sat in the shade, and I made sure I put on sunscreen. Shannon says the pregnancy will go fast, to savor the slow moments.

Dylan and Laurel start school next week. I don't remember anything about kindergarten, but I'll assume it's fun. I have this feeling of wanting to buy school supplies. "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address"( Joe Fox). I honestly like going into Office Depot and looking around. I see all the things I could buy to organize my house, or even better Jeff's office at the museum. It's scary, if you get the chance to see it.

Scrubs was pretty good on Tuesday. I can't really form an opinion of Heather Graham's performance, but I can probably deal with it, knowing she's only on for another 7 episodes. It's better than last season having Tara Reid. I had a Scrubs dream the other night, and in my dream, I was ready to kick Tara's butt, but she backed off. Don't ask, I just have weird dreams.

I saw a funeral procession on Wednesday. You don't see those very often, and I myself think I've only been in two. When my grandpa died, I think we had one, and the last time was when Rory's dad died. This one on Wednesday had police escorts, to make sure no one broke it up in the intersections.

Gee, not much else is going on. I have the sweetest fella in the world. Surprised me with roses yesterday. :) A treat usually reserved for our anniversary, so I was very surprised. In return, I made cupcakes last night. Well, we both made them. Only a few more months of alone time, so we're trying to get in these little dates. Like going out to Johnny Rockets for dinner.

8 days until Heather is here!

I'm going to close with a quote from Girls Just Want To Have Fun.
Nun: Miss Stone, there is a time and a place for calypso music!

My Sharona
Bitty Schram is leaving Monk. I don't quite know what the show will be without her, it certainly won't be the same. What's worse is it seems that she won't get closure, the article says she just won't be in the new episodes in January. Naturally I'll still watch, unless I can't take the change. Maybe I should write Tony a letter.

A Fun Link
Strindberg & Helium.I recommend In Absinthe & Women. I got this link from Geoff.

Is It November Yet?
I'm so tired of election ads and election talk, and I just want it to be done. I don't need to tell you who I'm supporting, and should it go the other way, you better believe I'll be praying for the President to be making good decisions. I don't have to like him, but I can pray for the decisions he'll make.

I was very impressed to have Canada excel past the medal goal I set for them. I figured we'd get 10, and we got 12. Not a bad year, and medals in events we've never had before.

Not much else is going on. I had a weird dream that T.D. Baker had a anniversary to celebrate how many years it had been opened, and they wanted the first graduating class there. Everyone looked the same, like no time had passed, and I mostly hung out with my friend Candy. I told you it was weird.

Heather booked her trip and she'll be here in 12 days! Whee! October brings a visit from the Armstrongs, and November brings Rod. And then it's practically Christmas. I actually listened to a Christmas song last week. :) I was in the mood for it. I'd say I'm out of control, but I have no Christmas shopping done yet, so I'm okay.

Tomorrow is the Scrubs season premiere. Yeah! I'm leery about the 8 episode guest appearance of Heather Graham, but we'll see how it goes. I don't know if I'll adopt any new shows, I usually end up getting my heart broken. I may tune into Joey, it did get some good early buzz, which I was surprised by.

We're having Brad, Fiona and Robin over for a BBQ on Saturday, but other than that, no plans for Labor Day.

I guess I'll close with quote from Mallrats.

Shannon Hamilton: I have no respect for people with no shopping agenda.

Harsh Realm Comes To DVD
I guess those letters I sent to Fox made a difference. I'm sure other people sent in letters too. This was a great show by Chris Carter and I'm so glad it's being released. Now if we could get them to release Titus or The Lone Gunmen.... :)

A Golden Day For Canada
We won a gold medal in gymnastics, which we've never done before. And the guy is from Calgary! Way to go Canada!

Numfar, Do The Dance Of Joy!


Heather is coming to visit! I'll have someone to keep me company while Geoff goes to Breakenridge in September. I'm very excited. I just had to post that. :)

You Can't Be Serious
I have to start off by saying how dumb I think the summer olympics are. No offense to those athletes competing, but who the heck decided that trampoline is an event? Seriously people, I thought the olympics were suppose to be about skill and strength. I'm happy that Canada was able to get a silver medal in this event, but at the same time, I'm embarrassed. Since I'm on the topic of events that are dumb, I don't think ping pong, soccer, baseball, softball or basketball have a place at the olympics. As much as I love bridge, I hope it doesn't become an event. I just think you can see soccer, baseball, softball and basketball any other time, so what's the point of having it an event at the olympics. I should point out that at this point Canada has also won a silver medal in rowing (which I approve of), and a bronze medal for syncronized diving (which is at least better than trampoline).

Enough of the olympics, new topic. I'm nearly done with my week of living single. I hate this. I'd like to say I accomplished a lot on my own, but I didn't. I watched way too much tv, had long naps with my cat, but at least I did make myself get dressed every day. I made sure to get out and interact with other people. I spent a lot of time online looking at flights for places I want to go. For all the complaining I did this year about traveling too much, I have a lot of traveling planned for next year. We want to take the baby up to Edmonton to meet my grandparents and our friends. And of course we want to take the baby to California to see our friends out there. I think a trip to Ontario to meet Grandma Joyce may have to wait until either later in 2005, or perhaps spring 2006. Sigh. Crazy! But such is life when you live nowhere near your family. :)

I'm annoyed at the fact that we haven't gotten any mail for like the last 3 days in a row. But I guess that means no bills. I am in a Christmas craft kind of mood. I went to Hobby Lobby this week to see what kinds of crafts they have available. I decided to make my own Christmas crackers, so I'm gonna start collecting what I need to make those. I'm keeping my eyes open for fun toys to put in, I already found some corny jokes, and I can get some tissue paper to make the crowns. I just have to check the store to see if they sell the poppers for the crackers. It's not the same if they don't make the noise. :)




Sci Fi Channel is putting out an Earthsea movie, based on the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read it as a child, and Diane is buying me the series, so it's neat to think that I can see some director's idea of it in December. I am keeping my expectations low, because in general books aren't always adapted well into movies. Particularly fantasy books. It will apparently only cover the first two books, but if it's successful they will consider doing the last book. One of the comments I read online was someone's disappointment that Ged was going to be played by a blond headed actor (from Canada btw, as is the female lead). In the books, the people of Gont are dark skinned. Really, getting the actors to look just as they are written isn't as important to me as getting the essence of the story captured right. Anyways, go out and read the books. I'll be sure to let you know how the movie is when it comes out in December.

I guess I'll sign off now. I'm closing with a quote from Toy Story.

Woody : Look, we're all very impressed with Andy's new toy.
Buzz : Toy?
Woody : T-O-Y, toy.
Buzz : Excuse me, I think the word you're searching for is "space ranger".
Woody : The word I'm searching for, I can't say, because there's preschool toys present.