Japanese Game Show

I love crazy Japanese game shows!!! This one is the human tetris game, Sugoi!!!

Lazy Days of Summer

I took WIGSF's advice and spent most of Saturday drinking down by the water during the day and most of the evening. My friend called and wanted to spend the afternoon doing a mini pubcrawl, having a BBQ and then returning to drink.
We do this once or twice a summer when the weather is gorgeous and we want to enjoy it lazing around. Sometimes we'll play volleyball (he always kicks my ass) but we had a long long night ahead of us and decided to just bask in the sun, chat and listen to an acoustic set. The place we go to is like a mini village within a city right on the water. They have little bars with patios, a beach nearby and some cute boutiques. It was heaven!!! Next weekend is a long one for us, so perhaps i'll try to enjoy the weather in a different manner.
I'm thinking some hiking and biking, reading in the lounger and enjoying every minute of it. What did you ladies and gents get up to this past weekend?

At my wits end...

Seriously????

I got not one, not two but count them three calls in one day from some of my finer clients. Those which have failed to keep in contact with me over the past year as the courts have ordered, have failed to return my calls or answer my letters. All of a sudden my phone is ringing off the hook and they are begging to see me within the next 5 days before their probation ends....so they won't get charged again....are you fucking kidding me????

It spilled over into today and the lucky bastard that called got an earful at which time I decided to stop answering the phone for my sanity. I didn't quite yell at him but it was apparent I was livid according to my co-worker as she was staring at me and laughing "I've never heard you talk to anyone like that before." I refuse to be a babysitter with grown adults and will most likely keep my voicemail running tomorrow as well so I can get some real work done. SERENITY NOW!!!!!!

Fireworks and Fun

It has been a rather busy weekend yet again. I'm definitely making an effort to be more active especially with this gorgeous weather that we've been having. I've been to the gym and bike riding.....I lifted weights for the 1st time in months and ooohhhh maaannnnn am I sore. Seriously, it's two days later and my arms and neck are rather stiff. (Clearly my neck should not be I'm assuming it's from the shoulder exercises or whipping my head around when a hottie walks by)

I was able to see an old friend and finally meet his fiancee on the weekend and I'm glad to say we got along well and she was lovely. He met her overseas and she just moved here a few months ago...silly girl, it's much nicer where she's from :)

A few friends and myself went to see this amazing 30 minute, kilometre long fireworks display. Now for those of you that know me, know that I am terrified of loud noises IE fireworks, thunder, gunshots (thankfully the last one I've not heard in person as of yet). I figured I'd suck it up, throw in some earplugs and enjoy the show. There were hundreds of people around ohhhhhhing and ahhhhhhing which made me giggle and the show itself was fantastic. The only thing that irks me is the amount of money which went into this display. Social Services are being cut left right and centre, we have the working poor, homeless people and such who can't even afford to feed themselves and yet we can waste hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars on 30 minutes of entertainment. Sometimes I loathe the social worker in me as I just can't enjoy things the way I used to :)

Here are a few videos of the fireworks, enjoy!!! (If you turn the sound on you can hear how freaking loud they are as they light them in the gorge and it just echos)





These fireworks were really cool:

The Pre-Finale:


And the Finale:

Trying New Things...

So this weekend was a mishmash of staying in and relaxing one evening and whooping it up with the boys the next. Gee which night do you think the above photo was taken on :)

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous out and I decided to become one with nature and hit the trails on a bike I had borrowed. A word of caution to numnuts like me, you might want to adjust the seat BEFORE you get out there haha. It was quite difficult trying to ride with my knees up to my ears and legs bent the entire time, however I'm a trooper and gave my riding mate a good laugh.

After about an hour we petered out IE our asses were numb and we decided instead to go and hit a few balls at the driving range. Thankfully she plays golf as I have never played (other than mini putt) which is obviously not the same thing and she was my teacher for the remainder of the afternoon. I must say it was a lot of fun and I managed to get at least one ball past the 150 yard mark. How the hell do people hit the 300 mark??? I don't get it.

I still have no desire to actually watch golf on TV, the epitome of boring for this gal but I'm keen to actually try out my new skills on a course. A very very small course, preferably during the week when no one else is around.

Strangely enough after my day of exercise and sun I began to feel rather yucky and under the weather. I missed volleyball and even left work early this week. I'm starting to feel a bit better....but clearly exercise = throbbing head and stomach pain..... sitting on my ass in front of the TV = well rested and content!!! Gee which shall I choose for the coming weekend...haha!!

Dad

My dad has always been a very big part of my life. I could always count on him as a child and now as an adult the same holds true. I remember him running behind me holding onto my bike while he taught me how to ride. He also bought me my first fishing pole and we would sit on the dock for hours at the cottage trying to catch a fish. In the summer he taught me how to catch a baseball (like a man haha) and in the wintertime he was always there to take me tobogganing.

As an adult I'm still learning from him. Take for instance the other day, my steering wheel was shaking like crazy when I was clocking 120km on the highway. I told a friend at work and she suggested I fill my tires with air. What's this I asked her, I had never ever done that before as dad had never mentioned it. So her and I went to the gas station, she showed me where to look for the correct amount of air and filled em up. On the drive home my steering wheel continued to shake and shake. I tell my father all about it and chastise him for not telling me about this very important piece of information. Dad stares at me, gets his handy tire tool and off we go. He checks the pressure in the tires and is aghast at how much is in there. Apparently 44 was the maximum for the tires but they should really be at 32....who knew. So he rolls his eyes with a little smirk and lets out all of the air that I had so diligently put in. He then tells me to go to the local tire place as the weights on my wheels have come off and I need to have my tires balanced. Huh??? Tires have weights??? So I went down to the tire place and sure enough that was the problem.

This little incident actually made me rather sad as my dad is getting older now and it's really starting to show. Physically he's in rough shape and it made me realize that there is soooo much more that I need to learn from him. As children we believe that our parents are invincible and indestructible. As we grow we learn that one day they will no longer be with us. I'm not sure what I will do without him.....and quite frankly I'd rather not think about it.

So we're back in once piece. The weather was lovely, the guys were cute and the shopping was hot. We stayed right downtown which was extremely convenient and also meant that it was overflowing with some interesting characters.

One woman in particular would walk around asking for change followed by a big "FUCK YOU" when one would decline her request. There was the gentleman at the pub across the street from our hotel that yelled "Hey Ladies" at us and then proceeded to place his fingers near his mouth, wag his tongue in a suggestive manner and make these bizzaro noises.....ewe!! That was a treat at 3 am as we wandered back to our place. There was also this guy that walked past us as we lounged on the grass under a tree. Nice!!!

Montreal is bustling this time of year as the Jazz Festival is in full swing, as well, we walked out of our hotel room on Saturday to find this Caribbean Parade going on, very cool.

We went to a club called Electric Avenue that was fittingly an all 80's dance club. We rocked out to Eye of the Tiger, some man with a starter mullet tried to dance with me & LD was also approached by a weirdo.....good times.

The rest of our evenings were spent at pubish type places with a pint on the patio. We ventured down to Old Montreal which was beautiful and enjoyed lunch on a terrace while listening to these Latino musicians ( I dug them so much I bought a CD). There were street performers, live music and a beautiful view. We lounged by the water during the day and then returned in the evening to enjoy beer from around the world and take in the atmosphere at this cute cafe: This beautifully lit building was just off in the distance from the cafe:

I enjoyed the artwork in the Metro Stations and this particular piece was my favorite:

Lastly we shopped & shopped & shopped. I bought shoes that I really wanted (the cherry and black ones) and a clutch purse to match my pink purse (but only because it was on sale). As well as this funky Andy Warhol picture with one of his quotes, some silky jammies and some MAC lipstick. My favorite lipstick was apparently a limited edition which I was completely unaware of. I went to buy some at home and they were all out. Thankfully I found a few tubes while on vacation but alas scooped up the last few they had and will sadly never see that colour again. I'll have to make it last :)

Bon soir mes amis!!

Sleep Styles

(Painting by:Henry Maynell Rheam)

I am horribly cranky today as I'm rather tired and have a lot to do before we leave for Montreal on Friday. As well the PMS monster has awakened, so I figured I'd write about this interesting article I read rather than bitch and moan again about my hatred for my volleyball team and other such things.

I read an article a few weeks ago in the paper regarding sleep positions and how they are representative of our daytime personalities. Dr. Samuel Dunkell is the author of a book "Sleep positions: The Night Language of the Body.

Here's what he had to say:

1)Positioned on the side with knees slightly bent forward, the semi-fetal position indicates fair-minded, even tempered types who are layed back, adaptable and easy to get along with. They are friendly, social and trusting.

2)Those who sleep on their stomach are the neat and organized types who like to be in control of their surroundings, actions and relationships. Patti Wood says that lying face down indicates a need to protect oneself and stubbornness. "They hold strong beliefs and try to have everything done their way. They are tense and focused in order to get things done. They do not give ground easily. "

3)Sleeping on your back points to a high degree of confidence, even a bit of arrogance & these types like to be the centre of attention. As well, money tends to be a big motivator for them.

4)Full Fetal position reveals a vulnerable, sensitive type who is affectionate & loyal but needs to be reassured. Extremely emotional and artistic, expect intense one on one relationships Dunkell says.

Geez, I always start off sleeping on my stomach. I find I can't fall asleep while lying on my back.....must mean I'm modest haha!!! Which position do you most often sleep in?

I have a friend in from out of town on Thursday evening and a very early flight on Friday morning so this shall be my last post until I return next week. Have a great 4th of July for the Americans and the rest of you, enjoy the week!!