Category Archives: Photos

if i had my druthers, i’d be in bed, blissfully unconscious of the fact i feel like i got run over with a certain black peterbilt belonging to a certain tall j-named boy from victoria. why the HELL did i think it would be a good idea to come to work? what a fucking moron i am.
anyway, i felt human enough to head out of the house last night for a very late sushi spread with col, ritchie and his imaginary girlfriend, cheryl. as you can see, there was a LOT of food and, well, we definitely got our all-you-can-eat $19 dollar’s worth. we’ll definitely be going back, but i hope we pace ourselves better next time.
just for fun (and because ritchie seems to think my blogging about him will cause a surge in his popularity), here’s a little faux-film i like to call i’m gonna git you, sucka. teehee.
okay, i’m going to go wish i were dead now. have a good day!

i woke up without a voice this morning. it’s since come back, but it’s a shadow of its former self. along with laryngitis, my entire body hurts, i’m dead tired and my nose won’t stop dripping. but, i’m at work, like a good little trooper. if my voice hadn’t come back, i would have stayed home. stupid voice!
the worst part is that i have a hot sushi date with col and ritchie tonight and i really don’t want to be snotgirl all over them. i guess i could sit on the other side of the restaurant and we could have a three-way cell phone conversation over dinner…
okay, i’m off to be miserable and froggy. i hope your week has started off better.

BIG. BOUNCY. BED.

did you hear the one about the first snowfall of the season in vancouver? *bah dum pah*
yes, boys & girls, it’s snowing in lotusland. the busses are full of grumpy automotive commuters too tremulous to drive when there’s white stuff falling from the sky. and yes, that includes me. i was out of the house by 6:11 a.m. and at work at 7:28. oh, yeah. i do love public transit!
that’s really all that’s going to be talked about here for the next couple of days, i guess; and by here i don’t mean just this site, although that’s a good bet. i mean this city. we really don’t know what to do when it gets all wintery here. PANIC! WATER FREEZES AND FALLS FROM THE SKY! TERROR!
if i hadn’t been so busy getting places this morning i would have taken a lot of really pretty snowy photos. i’ll have more time on the way home. i’m really looking forward to making snowy photos. snow makes even the ugliest thing beautiful.

in regards to the world junior hockey championships: YAY CANADA!
meg met some guy at the new year’s party she wanted to set me up on a blind date with. i said no to the blind date, but told her to get him to show up at music bingo last night instead. well, we went down to the pub for dinner, watch the aforementioned hockey game and play bingo. he didn’t show up. although, meghan did say she might not have recognized him if he did. i mean, she couldn’t even remember if his name was kevin or scott!
good thing i wasn’t all that excited about meeting the short, bald, non-skinny (meg’s troubled by my predilection for tall, skinny boys) law student or else i’d have been disappointed. although, i did smell good, just in case he did make an appearance.
my work day started at six-thirty a.m. why would i begin work at such an ungodly hour, you ask? so i can leave at three to be home to await the delivery of my new bed, of course! there’s usually a method to my madness. i’m surprised you don’t realize that by now. silly reader!

at the pub, phil the rocker guy said something about my green cat eyes. strange, but i always thought my eyes were blue-ish. except when i cry. then they’re definitely green. just ask morgan.
so, i was all set to run out to buy a new bed frame from ikea to use with the less-than-a-year old queen size mattress i’m being given for FREE. but, as i was lollygagging about the house the dr. phil show came on and, well, it was all about getting your financial house in order and how money doesn’t solve money problems and there are no sacred spenditures: nothing is exempt when it comes to helping to get one out of debt and financially secure.
i realized that even though i would LOVE to have a new bed and even though the mattress is free, i can’t really afford to spend $600 on a bed frame and new sheets at this time. i’m still paying off my baby and that last big car bill, among other things i dare not speak of. i took a deep breath and phoned my dad to tell him that even though i’d really like to take the mattress, i can’t justify the expenditure at this time, and to please tell his ladyfriend thank you, but no thank you.
this is where it got both weird and glorious.
when he paused a moment, i thought his reply would be something along the lines of “i’m glad you’re being responsible. i’ll let her know you changed your mind.” instead he responded with “what if i buy it for you?” if i was a fainter, i would have been on the floor. he basically told me to go out and buy my bed and new sheets and he didn’t even give me a price range to work within. i was, and still am, flabberghasted. completely and utterly dumbstruck with gratitude.
well, once i was done trying to talk him into buying something for himself for a change and i was convinced he was absolutely sure of his decision (like he ever says anything he doesn’t mean. you’d think i’d know that by now), i put on some pants and drove straight out to ikea. i sat on all the different beds. i wiggled all the different beds. i lifted up mattresses and yanked at headboards. i read tags and tags and tags. when i was convinced i really wanted the bed i thought i wanted, i found myself a lady in yellow and blue to get me a list of pieces.
then came the sheets. oh, god in heaven. my new sheets… cafe au lait coloured 100% cotton satin finish fitted sheet and a 100% cotton satin finish cream with light floral pattern duvet cover and matching pillowcases – with ribbon ties! i couldn’t wait. as soon as i got home i ripped open the packages and washed them. so soft. so silky. they will look so beautiful on my new bed.
i realize that stuff shouldn’t make me so happy, but it does. i’m going to have such a pretty, grown up bed! once it’s assembled and bedecked, i should have a bed party! a party for two, just like shania. ;)

i’m going to ikea to buy a bed(frame).
the incredibles is truly incredible!
2005 is looking to be the year of the hook-up.
i really need a haircut.
can i have just one more day off? please?
seems i’m incredibly insulting.

there are no answers for me right now.

so, yeah. it’s new year’s eve tomorrow and my big plans are sitting at home, eating pizza and watching fourteen hours of viggo (yes, virginia, daddy bought me the lord of the rings extended edition dvd box set for xmas). i’ll stop at the liquor store tonight to pick up a bottle of asti spumante and raspberry vodka so i can get myself right pickled to ring out 2004.
since i’ll be home, possibly bored and most certainly very tipsy, you should all expect to wake up to a long, rambling lookback on saturday morning. then again, i may just finally spend the night reorganizing and archiving my photos like i’ve been meaning to for the last six months. who knows. i’m a single girl in the city. my options, they be endless!
i’d totally invite a cute, good-smelling, tall, kissable boy over to join me in my quiet fuzziness, but 2004 has been really lacking in anything resembling those. i sure do hope they sprout up again next year (odd years are definitely better for boy crops, i’ve found) ’cause i’m pretty sure i’m soon to forget what boys are for entirely.

Yesterday afternoon, while driving home from work, I was tuned into The World Today as I am often wont to do. During the four o’clock news, there was a woefully short blurb about a seventy-one year old, wheelchair-bound man who was left in a HandyDart van overnight on Christmas Eve.
Sitting in my car, waiting for the light at Kingsway & Griffiths to turn green, I was completely overcome with emotion. I very nearly had to pull off the road to regain my composure enough to continue my commute.
I know most people won’t understand the depth of my reaction to this story, especially at a time when there are tens of thousands of lost lives half a world away. I find the plight of this elderly gentleman so heart-wrenching because it wasn’t an unexpected, unpredictable, uncontrollable act of nature which caused his suffering; it was due to someone rushing home on Christmas Eve, not giving so much as a second glance into the back of his vehicle just make sure it was empty. Neglect and lack of conscience caused this poor man to suffer on the one night of the year when everyone, EVERYONE, should have a warm, loving place to be.
While I recognize that news is business and time is precious, I had hoped to find some more information as to the victim’s location in order to, at the very least, send him a note or card to try to express to him my sincere regret that such a horrible, negligent, heart-breaking thing could happen to him. Unfortunately, at the time I write this, there is no mention of this story on the CKNW website which I can find.
I don’t know if you’re the right people to ask, but since I heard the story during your show, I’m taking the chance. Can you help me find out where I might send a card to the gentleman in the piece? I thank you for any information or direction you could provide.
I’m very fond of your show,
Heather L.
North Vancouver
(if i had date stamps on my entries, you’d see it’s 2:55 am right now.)
update:
thanks to shelagh and google news, i found many links to the story and superpages‘ search actually worked well enough this time for me to find both mr. halland’s nursing home address and his wife’s as well. i will be sending them both cards before the weekend is over. i’m still not sure if i’m going to send a letter to the town, which operates the shuttle, or the nursing home, for not noticing the gentleman hadn’t returned before bedtime.

holidays are exhausting! thankfully, it’s a short week and there’s another long weekend coming up. those three days will be much quieter than the three previous. it may be a short week, but it’s going to be hella busy at work. ugh.
for some reason, my friends and family decided that it was the year to spoil me. i feel wholly unworthy, but totally grateful for all the bounty i received under the various holiday trees i visited.
unfortunately, i’m still kind of sick with the nose-blowing and coughing and such. i’m definitely on the mend, but nowhere near 100%. it’s been over a week, already. why am i not better yet? i guess i need to go buy some orange juice on the way home tonight and load up on the vitamin C.

well, it’s that time of year again. love it or lump it, the sound of carols, the smell of cookies and the ever-present sight of MILLIONS of frenzied shoppers indicates it’s time for xmas. i made one last trip to the mall of horrors on the way home from work. i managed to leave with a bag full of liquor and a stocking for karen. a mighty successful venture, i must say. i hit the “get home to make dinner” lull, i think. no lines at any cashiers and a parking spot almost immediately outside the door. and to think all the news agencies were predicting mayhem. amateurs!
friday should be a short, but still busy, work day. then keb and i are off to nanaimo on the harbourlynx in the evening. i thought it would be nice if i treated us to a little aquatic luxury this time. actually, it’s really just an attempt to avoid the screaming, annoying, ferry-travelling masses. one-fifth the amount of people should serve to lessen my travel stress by at least twice that amount. then again, as i was packing up the presents i’m taking i realized i went a wee bit bazook this year. on top of the stuff i have stashed in my duffel, i have two paper shopping bags filled! oy! i don’t have enough hands! they better have luggage stowage and lots of room around the seats.
well, merry holidays to everyone who stops by my little corner of the internet. i hope this festive weekend finds you all healthy, happy and otherwise content. my love to you all! happy ho-ho! *mwah*

didn’t sleep much last night what with all the snuffling, gasping, drooling and such. i hope the dayquil kicks in pretty damn quick.

spent a pleasant enough evening back at the pub (oy, no more pub!) playing music bingo with m&m. we also exchanged gifts, although meghan wouldn’t let me open mine and didn’t want to open hers. what fun is that? well, at least i’ll have more things to open when i come home from the island.
mark LOVEDLOVEDLOVED his gift, as i was pretty sure he would. i made him open it and everyone was glad i did. i got him these very cool road rage cards (many thanks to tanya for linking them and inspiring me). at one point he held up the “YOUR MUSIC SUCKS” card to the really great lady hosting the bingo. she loved it and it started off our back and forth banter with her for the rest of the night.
just about the time i was about to head out, mr. nelson finally showed up to deliver the unexpected and undeserved gift he had for me. we spent a little time chatting before i turned into a pumpkin. he’s a sweet guy, that nelson. even if he wouldn’t give me his very spiffy camera bag or his even more spiffy zoom lens.
of course, because it’s the holidays, i’m sick. i’m seriously considering a tracheotomy so that i don’t have to suffer the pain involved with air passing through my nose and throat. i should consider investing in a humidifier now that i have a bedroom door to close. i guess i’ll put that on my list for next year.
there was this guy at the pub both saturday and last night. phil, aka rocker guy. it was pretty plain that m&m were trying a mild form of hook up with us. he seems nice enough, but i think i’m way too picky. is it so wrong to not want to settle for less than what you really want? even if what you want could be completely unattainable? is it better to be alone than to be with the wrong person?
again, my prevailing xmas wish list item is really someone to kiss at midnight on new year’s eve. one day it’ll come true. i hope.

i found a camera bag! hooray! yeah, that’s all i got.

it must have been that 1-800-flowers commercial which has been on tv a lot lately which got me thinking about the last time anyone sent me flowers. i know the exact date: july 2, 1997. oy. seven and a half years! stupid commercial making me feel unloved. bad commercial.
for the new year, i’ve decided i need to go on a liquid cleanse. i’ve been polluting myself to a disgusting degree these recent weeks. i need to rid myself of all the poisons i’ve been injesting (ie. martinis, chocolate, caffeine, etc) and start the year off on a fresh footing. anyone have any recommendations for a program to follow?
i could really use a nap.

i just meant to go out to meet m&m for dinner at the pub and then i was going to come home to do laundry and make my dish for the work potluck tomorrow. i didn’t mean to keep having kelly the bartender refresh my martini. they tasted so good. i’m pretty sure he stopped putting alcohol in around the fifth. just when i was ready to go, cam the manager asked us to go to another pub for more drinks. instead, we ended up at his place playing hear me out until 2:30. two-thirty! in the morning.
i’m off shortly to fetch my car at the pub (yes, i’m a responsible girl) then back home to do laundry and my last baking of the season. oh, and buy more tylenol. oh, my head.

mercy sent me presents! it’s quiet torture to just look at them and not rip their pretty wrapping all to pieces.
today is all about the cleaning. as i’ve been telling everyone, the dust bunnies have evolved into dust ponies and even though the apartment is almost twice as big as i’ve been used to, there’s still not enough room for me and all of them. *cue twangy western showdown music*
after the cleaning and laundry is conquered, i have a wee bit of baking to finish. use up the leftover mincemeat, make another batch of chocolava cookies, run to the store for some almonds to recreate biscotti. you know, the usual holiday madness. then, if i don’t hear from m&m about tonight, i guess i’ll settle down with hero to wrap presents and go to bed very early.
do you think it be too much to ask santa for a boy who’ll come over to watch movies, eat pizza, get just intoxicated enough to feel fuzzy and smooch with on friday nights? yeah, i thought so, too. besides, my tree is way too small for one of those to fit under.

this one’s for gill. it’s her birthday.