Lovvvvveeee Long Weekends!!!

I had a fantastic long weekend.....and it's still continuing on this evening so I have to make this short and sweet. I layed low on Friday evening and spent the evening with my friend while she watched her nieces. Felt good to stay in and relax which is something that I rarely make time for.

Saturday a few co-workers came down and joined a friend and I for the comedy show. Two of the comics were quite funny, one was bleh, but let me tell you, we got quite a kick out of the audience. I'm pretty sure we missed the part on the invitation that read "Hawaiian shirts mandatory" or "wear your jammers from 1980". Seriously it was ridiculous and we pointed out a vast number of "there's your boyfriend". We then went to the Wrinkle Ranch where a few more friends joined us. It again was ridiculous and our tummys hurt from laughing at the cougars and the interesting moves that were flying around on the dance floor.

I bought a bike rack and spent most of Sunday trying to figure out how the hell to mount it on my car, I gave up and asked a neighbour for some help. I made it to the path fine, but figured I'd be shit out of luck on the way home and lose my bike when it was my turn to mount it myself after the bike ride. Shockingly, the bike and the rack made it home in one piece.

Today I spent the entire afternoon down by the beach playing volleyball....no joke, we played for almost 5 hours and it was about 30 degrees out (feels like 36). Hot as hell but felt good to get out there and play with some great people. (Clearly I was not playing with my regular team, just some friends fooling around). It was probably one of my favorite summer days thus far, however I did rip up my toes pretty good. Nasty I know:

Now I'm off to meet them for some drinky poos and then back to work tomorrow ..... BOOOOOO!! Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

Freecycle

So I recently heard about this website called freecycle. There are various groups all over the world with one common goal...to keep objects out of landfills and to pass on items that are no longer of use to you but that someone else may need. Also everything on the site is given away for absolutely free. One can request an item IE I'm in need of a lawn mower......or one can post about an item they wish to pass on IE I have a bike to give away. I think it's a great concept and thus far have picked up a book and four tickets to a dinner and comedy night that someone was unable to attend. I shall enjoy that gift this weekend with some friends. Take a look at the site and find a group near you. Perhaps there are some unwanted items in your house that would be better suited for another person in need rather than the dump :)

This next bit I found rather interesting yet a little bit bizzare. I'm not sure if any of you caught the inmates in the Philippines doing their "Thriller" reinactment....ummmmm yeah!!! Check it out haha, it gets going about a minute into the video. I didn't realize they started having dance lessons in prison, I kind of dig it.



So a happy weekend to all!!! I'm sticking with my plan of enjoying the weather:

HIKING




BIKING

AND OF COURSE LOUNGING

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!!

Volleyball

I need to whinge for a moment or two about my summer volleyball league. Let me preface this post by saying that my talent as a player is nowhere near the likes of Gabrielle Reece, I do however know how to get the ball over the net, unlike some people. They must really love the game so much......they could watch it all day long!! Which isn't a good thing when they are standing beside me on the court. Some actually cower from the ball or duck, they yell "mine" and then stand there as it falls to their feet. Not everyone on my team is horrible.....but my favorite is this one guy. His serves are phenomenal.....when he can get them over. Absolutely no consistency whatsoever. He averages about 2 over for every 6 he serves, yet he is the most vocal about how we have to "get it together." He also has a tendency to hit the ball far too hard so it hurls out of bounds frequently (not just when serving) and get this....he blames the ball. I wish I were kidding "it's too soft" "it's too hard" I'm like "why the fuck don't you just hit it with a little less force...hmmm there's an idea."

My other issues are with the players themselves. We have about 11 or so people on the team....or so I've been told. The first week 5 of us showed up and played really well together. The 2nd week there were again 5 of us but two new people and 3 from the 1st game. The 3rd game 9 people showed up and it was absolutely disastrous. Our last game 3 of the people from the 1st game were there and 3 people i had never met before. Again there is no consistency whatsoever and it's difficult to gauge how people play. A cohesive team we are not. Lastly, it drives me bonkers when people hit the ball over the net for the sake of hitting the ball over the net. If I wanted to play ping pong, I would have joined a ping pong league. There should be 3 hits in volleyball....bump, set, spike, not bump ball flys over the net....get it back, bump ball flys over the net, it's maddening.

Anyway shoes = happy thoughts!!!! I saw these John Fluevog shoes and fell in love. I'm more inclined to the closed toe cherry red/black pair above, but which ones do you like best? I find them all so adorable I just can't chose.


Canada Day is upon us this weekend which means Monday off.....WOO HOO!! Not only does it mean an extra day off but also spending time with great friends, a BBQ here and there and of course a beer or two....and by two I mean a 2-4 haha. The Canucks will get that one!!! In celebration of Canada Day... I present to you a quiz all about Canada. Good luck and let me know how you fare. ( I got two wrong oops, the size and when the Yukon joined the confederation)

T minus 9 Days until we leave for Montreal !!!!!

Pride 2007

I went to Jennifer's place for the weekend and we had a great time. Friday I spent a leisurely afternoon shopping and taking a walk (IE death march) with P. The walk was lovely, just very very long :)

Saturday was Jennifer's boyfriends Cottilian and of course Sunday was the Pride Parade. I love Pride as it's one big party, everyone is so happy and the city comes alive. Often I find when we rush to work or complete everyday tasks, we don't really pay attention to those around us, however during Pride smiles & hugs are exchanged with random strangers. We share tables, talk and get to know those around us. I'm far too pooped to write anything worthwhile as it's been a long weekend and the sun did quite a number on my skin. I didn't put on sunscreen and was outside for hours & hours....oops. Enjoy the photos:

Parade Route, they say about one million people go to watch:

Sitting on the street waiting for the fun to begin sans sunscreen:


Colourful Outfits:

They were from House of Lords a hair salon:


This guy was having a good time:

I'm not sure how much fun this gentleman was having in his tighty whities. He would yell and scream at every group in the parade, the police, the mayor on and on he went. Clearly some mental health issues going on......but come on, we all need a good laugh every now and again.


This was very cool:

Loved this outfit: We can't leave out the naked men: Ah hotties:
My very sore face at the end of the day:


Happy Pride Everyone!!!

Cover Up

My friend and I were discussing some of the errr umm gentlemen that pass through our office via the John School. JS is a diversion program for men that are 1st time offenders for soliciting the services of sex trade workers. Many of them are married and yes many of them have children as well. They attend a one day course which can include various speakers such as former Johns, former sex workers, the police, community members & public health who have a wonderful section on STD's which of course include colourful pictures.

So my friend and I were discussing how 97% of the partners of these men are completely unaware that their significant other has been out looking for sex with another person. In some cases, the men will admit that this is their 1st time getting caught however, they have a sex addiction and have done this hundreds of times before. Some are just lonely old men who can't get laid, others are professionals who could have their pick of ladies or men.

This is quite scary and got me thinking about safer sex and condoms. I know a lot of people once in a "monogamous" relationship will forgo the condoms because they are only sleeping with each other.....or so they think. There's this false sense of security....I say false because people cheat all of the time. I see them come through my office, head hung in shame "she/he can never find out." Sad part is, she/he probably never will.
So when do you think it's ok to stop practicing safe sex? I can honestly say that even if I were to get married, the poor bugger that gets stuck with me will most likely be wearing one for the rest of his life. Blame it on the perspective my work has given me....or perhaps my common sense :)

After a long weekend of kayaking, movies and a very early breakfast I've opted to name 8 random things about myself as JLee did.

1. I am absolutely terrified of what I call gagillipedes (the ones with a million legs that run really really fast .... BLEH) as well as spiders and really almost any insect. I just find them terribly creepy to the point where I actually will have a mini panic attack shall I say. Heart starts to race, I feel scared and sometimes I even cry. Not only shameful but ridiculous as well.

2. I dislike salt and will eat it if it is already on something, but on very very rare occasions will I actually add it to a dish.

3. I can get both of my legs behind my head. I took dance class for 10 years which helped with flexibility haha

4. I like Nickelback....yes you read that right. Everyone I know loathes them. I wouldn't buy an album or go and see them live or anything, but if they are on the radio I will sing along.

5. Which brings me to this answer, I'll sing just about anywhere and everywhere. In the car, in a store if I dig a song I will sing along. I've called up LD on many occasions to sing her a song on her answering machine "Who sings this?"

6. My self esteem is essentially non existant however I'm working on it :)

7. I would really love to go skydiving, tandem of course. If I can get the courage I may even do it before the summer ends.

8. I absolutely hate sorting socks, it's torturous for me. I only wear black socks and am ready to buy about 30 pairs of the exact same ones so I won't have to sort them any longer. It's just so tedious, some are shorter, some are longer, some have little designs.....ugh hate it.

As most of you know I sometimes watch questionable television programs haha. I absolutely love dancing so it should be no surprise that I am enjoying this season of So You Think You Can Dance. I generally enjoy the funky hip hop routines and the popping however, this dance really struck a chord with me. It seems to represent passion, turmoil and struggle within a relationship. Plus the song rocks(Dancing by Elisa), check it out:



And Elisa live at the Vatican with an orchestra, man she has a beautiful voice:

HNT

Well the bruise is healing nicely as you can see LOL, it's freaking huge and still quite sore. Hope it is better for Monday or I imagine there will be a permanent mark on my leg all summer long as it will never have any time to heal.

I was listening to the radio the other day and they had the top 25 songs to "get busy to". Now I didn't get to hear the whole show nor which song came in at #1, however the songs I heard left me rather confused.

* Heart Shaped Box by Nirvana

Hmmm I'm not thinking lyrics like "I've been drawn into your magnet tar pit trap I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black" would really turn me on.

Granted there were a few that made sense :

*Darling Nikki (originally by Prince) but covered by The Foo Fighters

"I knew a girl named Nikki I guess you could say she was a sex fiend I met her in a hotel lobby masturbating with a magazine she said how'd you like to waste some time and I could not resist when I saw little Nikki grind" Now that is a hot song, even the Foo's version will do.

My guess is NIN's Closer was #1 but i'd rather not know as that song is soooooo over played. I love NIN and they have so many other great songs, however you are not likely to hear them very often as Closer seems to take over the airwaves.

So what songs do you like to "get busy to?" (I think at this point i'd even welcome Heart Shaped Box into my room if I could find someone to spend some errr ahhh special time with haha)