Day Ninety-Three - This Conversation Can Serve No Purpose Anymore

One of my very favourite places to be in Toronto is the rep. cinema. It's cheap, they show better films that you get in the regular cinemas, the snacks are inexpensive, they have a balcony and the limited decor is quite art deco. It's also quite close to my house and although in a student-y neighbourhood, it is generally free of students. Well, not entirely free - but they are severely limited. I went through a period of time when I thought that I just didn't like films - this is not the case. I just don't like most films - the ones I do like I love with a fevered intensity. I don't like rom-coms, 90% of comedies, blockbuster type dramas...so...yeah - I'm fussy.

The great thing about the Bloor Cinema is that they show old films [some kinda old, some really and truly old]. Joseph and I have always planned to go see an old film on the big screen, but we have never done it because they tend to show them on weekdays or Sunday afternoons [I don't like watching films in the middle of the day]. Tonight was a bit of an exception and I went to see a classic film in a cinema. The film? 2001: A Space Odyssey. I had seen it before when I was a lot younger [I always liked the cover of the film @ the video store and my dad rented it once], but it is the kind of film where the impact is more authentically felt in a cinema. And also, when you're not nine years old. It's a great film, to be sure, but the monoliths made me feel a bit sleepy - they certainly did not spur my consciousness onwards to greatness. Oh well...

Day Ninety-Two - Recyclers Do It Over And Over And Over

One thing that the subway has going for it is that it's generally kinda clean. I mean, I would never eat in there [but oh so many people do - gross], but it seems cleaner than other public transit that I have had the pleasure of riding. It might just be because the trains are newer. The service still sucks though - let's be clear about that. One problem area for the TTC is that people like to leave their newspapers behind. I'm not quite sure the rationale behind this - I mean, you pick up the paper [we have free daily papers here] and then don't take it with you? Why are you leaving it there? It's your responsibility to dispose of it. I just don't understand littering - it's just such an a-hole thing to do that my wee brain just can't handle it.

Normally I sit and look @ the papers on the subway that have been left behind. I'm not one to touch them [some people like to read the disgarded ones] as god only knows what discusting thing someone might have left on them. But today was different - for I had the power of gloves! So I collected newspapers and other refuse from the subway trains and disposed of them properly. Both trains I took today had papers, religious magazine things and other assorted stuff. I didn't touch any food wrappings or tissues, though. I'm not angling to get the plague or anything.

Day Ninety-One - The Big Game

As part of the United Way campaign @ my former workplace [yes, it's still strange to say it like that] I brought in a vegan chili which went down shockingly quickly and to great fanfare. I had a few people ask for the recipe and I promised them I would send it out...before a certain "big game" traditionally held at the end of the NFL season. That's right - it's 'the big game' this weekend. I find it amusing how advertisers go out of there way to not say its proper name, but of course everyone knows what it is...but I guess it's fun being coy. And, even if you don't like football at all, it is something that you might be coerced into 'celebrating.' It's an unofficial American holiday, but why should they get to have all the fun? Eating [okay, overeating - go big or go home!] tasty food, lying in a sedentary position for hours @ a time, eyes glued to a screen watching something that really doesn't matter to you with a cold drink - that's living! Or, at least - that would be a Super Sunday [wink wink, nudge nudge]. I think there are some parts of American culture that we can all get on board with.

Well, anyway - today I made good on my promise to send out the recipe - and then some. I compiled a mini cookbook and sent it out to friends and family - its theme - a food gameplan for THE BIG GAME. Here are the recipes that are included:
- Vegan “Pope of Chili Town” Chili
- Ginger-Poached Shrimp with Two Dipping Sauces
- Sweet and Tangy Chicken Wings
- Blue Cheese Dip
- First-Time-In-The-Kitchen Chicken [Or Not] Quesadillas
- Cheese and Spice Pita Chips
- Omnipresent Spinach Dip

Please let me know if you are interested in seeing any of these recipes. They all come with a little introduction as to why I like the particular recipe and a bit about their origin in my life. I've gotten a rather muted response thus far, which is a bit disheartening as I put quite a bit of effort into this. Brett is interested in cooking apparently, but wants to add extra meat to everything. You don't win friends with salad.

Day Ninety - Imelda Marcos

As previously noted, I am trying to use my fun-employment as a time where I can begin volunteering efforts - and hopefully they will stick me once I get a job [I'm being super optimistic that this will happen - go me!]. As it is my lifelong goal to work in arts/culture, I have often tried to lend a hand to local institutions of this nature. And often been rejected. Volunteering is quite competitive [ummmm - nevermind about getting a real job in this sector then?] and therefore, I've never been successful. Until now!

Today I worked my first shift as a volunteer @ the Bata Shoe Museum. The shoe museum is pretty much what it's name suggests - a museum for shoes. It is a medium-sized museum [although the building is quite large and is designed after a shoebox] and any face that the public sees is probably a volunteer. I'm working the front desk and gift shop, so it's not overly glamorous, but I really enjoyed it. I like seeing all of the people who visit the museum [on a Monday morning, no less] - it's encouraging.

And yes, I suppose I could be putting my volunteer efforts towards something more philanthropic...but this means something to me too.

Day Eighty-Nine - Venti White Hot Hold The Whip

I'm not such a freak about chocolate - for the most part I get along just fine without it. I do like Belgian chocolates [pralines especially] and English chocolate bars of any kind [especially Flake] and every so often a Mars bar or something right here in good old Toronto. So I'm not entirely sure how it came to be that I consumed so many white hot chocolates @ coffee shops during my university days. I think it's because I really don't like those "fancy" coffee drinks [trust me, I was a barista - you do not want to drink those unless you aren't already getting your daily dose of carcinogens]. So, to continue my whole vibe of feeling like a student again, I decided to recapture that moment.

I came across some recipes for making your own hot chocolate by chance the other day and thought I might give it a try. Lacking the ingredients to make regular hot chocolate I improvised and I made white hot chocolate from scratch. It was delicious, but so rich [and so much of it - I have a real problem with portion control with just about everything I make]. This also marks the first time I've felt comfortable enough working with baking ingredients to improvise anything at all. Flashbacks to the French apple cake with the extra egg were successfully averted.

Day Eighty-Eight - Robots Take Over!

Today's thing reminded me of how I used to be able to get excellent deals on clothing and shoes because I'm a wee thing. Not as wee as I used to be - but I do still get ID-ed for drinks [as recently as a month ago] and no one believes I'm as old as I say I am [why would I lie?]. I am embracing this at the moment as I like that people think I'm younger - it makes starting over in one's career and having to work from the bottom up a little less pathetic [I'm self-conscious, okay? And I'm working on that, too].

But yeah, I used to shop @ Gap Kids a lot when I was in high school as it was cheaper and some of the clothes fit me better. I stopped doing this when I initially gave up on the Gap and all foreign-produced clothing manufacturers [also their designs didn't quite fit my ever-developing "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman" shape]. I have since returned to the Gap and I wanted to spend my xmas gift card there. The adult Gap had nothing of interest and while looking for something else in the kid's section I found something that struck my fancy. It had robots! So I bought myself a shirt in the boy's department @ Gap Kids. I had to go for the size XL as the L wouldn't cover my freakishly short arms. Surprising. I really should have looked @ the boy's clothes before - the girl's department is a nightmare of pink, glitter and pleasant ideals.

This actually marks the first time I've purchased a matching shirt. However, the parents of the person who will be my little twin have been known to read le blog. I think I've already said too much...

Day Eighty-Seven - The Misguided Use of Imagination

I've always been a worrier - when I was little the piece of advice I heard the most was - lighten up. Also, I tend to do a lot of things that cause me to worry. Why? Well, because obviously I'm a gigantic dumbass. This has caused me to believe that I'm really not happy unless I'm practically disabled by worry. I'm fun that way. An enigma, wrapped in a riddle and wearing really cool boots.

I got a set of Guatemalan worry dolls when I was a tween - from my aunt and uncle and I used them quite faithfully. Therefore, I don't think they really worked as no normal 11 year old should have like five different worries each day. Then - they kinda went away. Until the other day when Joseph was cleaning out the last box we have from moving and I found more worry dolls. And since I'm still the same paranoid, obsessive and worriful individual I've always been I slept with worry dolls under my pillow. Again, I'm not sure they worked.

But I think the flaw might be in their design. I mean, they are meant to take your worries with them so that you can sleep. I don't know what's wrong with me - but my worries don't cause lack of sleep. I chalk this up to my dedication to sleeping only the bare minimum each night. I did sleep a lot longer than normal. And none of the things I was worried about happened.

Yet.

Day Eighty-Six - And Why Do We Fall?

When I started this project I accepted the fact that not everything would go according to plan. To my shock and suprise, it has - for the most part. I haven't been 100% happy with all of the results of my "things" - but I have successfully completed them. Today's thing...I did complete, but the results ain't pretty.

I have a lot of clothes. I hate shopping, but I never grow. I've been this height since I was 12 years old and my weight doesn't tend to fluctuate. Hence, the clothes. When my clothes fall into a state of disrepair I look @ them and sigh - can't they just fix themselves? Do I really have to do anything? I hold on to the clothes in need of some TLC for a while...then they fall to the bottom of the closet...and eventually they get tossed out. Okay - I know, I know! It's a horrible waste and I'm a horrible person [also, a lazy person]. So tonight I repaired clothing. I even went out and bought a special sewing kit [I am on the lookout for a proper cheap sewing machine, but nothing yet]. I had an insanely difficult time threading the needle and Joseph succeeded before I did. Then, I sewed. My stitching technique is okay, I think...but...it was a difficult thing to stitch up [the slit in Black Suit #5 had gotten too high cut - appropriate for strippers dressed like sexy secretaries maybe]...and it looks pretty bad. I am going to have to remove the stitches and redo.

Blah - I hate not doing things well.

Day Eighty-Five - Johnny Five Is Alive!

Toronto is known as Hollywood North [also known as Hollywood North was one of my close friend's family movie rental store when I was in high school] - though I'm not sure how many people refer to it as such. Also, I'm not sure how many films are shot here these days as it's now cheaper to shoot in Eastern Europe and also, writer's strike and the higher Canadian dollar are making things unattractive. But there was a glorious heyday of filming and many [okay, maybe not many...but some...okay, I can think of two] of my favourite films were filmed right here.

Toronto is also known for the Eaton Centre, although I'm not sure why as it is just a mall [a mall that never fails to give me a headache]. So, combining the two - today I visited the location where the beginning of one of my favourite movies was filmed. It's bad grammar because I'm excited. The film? Short Circuit 2! I mean, it's no Casablanca, but I love, love, love Short Circuit 2 - the way that Johnny Five kicks ass all over the place @ the end - it never fails to give you a boost. I'm not sure why I have never visited this location before as it is in the Eaton Centre - I think maybe I wasn't sure how to access that area. Today I took an elevator up and wandered around on that famed catwalk. And then Johnny Five read all the books in the World's Biggest Bookstore. And fixed himself up @ RadioShack. Robots are magical.

Urban Legends was filmed @ my university when I was in first year. Jared Leto and Rebecca Gayheart had me booted from the library. It was the first and only time I ever studied in the library. It's totally their fault I'm not more successful.

Day Eighty-Four - Back to School

No, technically I am not a working girl. However, I am opening myself up to different types of work as I am in my career transition. I know the type of work I woiuld ultimately like to do [and where I would like to do it], but in the event that this dream job does not arrive before my cashflow dries up I have to have some alternatives.

My former coworker and current friend Cristina referred me to where she is now working - which is a temp agency serving U of T and affiliates. So today after meeting with her for lunch I interviewed with a temp agency. So yes, I could very well become a "temp - bitch!" Also it was lovely to see Cristina again and I'm thankful for the referral. It was a different type of interview and also there was testing [yes I did kinda tank the Excel test]. It feels good to be productive and I'm actually quite busy this week.

However, it was bizarre to be back on campus - even though the offices are just barely on the U of T campus proper. I'm not sure this building would even be on the map. I felt all studenty again for the second time this week. I love being a student.

Day Eighty-Three - A Latin-Grammy Winning Album By Shakira

The other day Joseph and I were looking @ a website of high-larious tattoos. Not intentionally hilarious, just badly designed or stupid tattoos. The one that seemed the most sensible to me was the one of a laundry machine - one of the ones where you can see the clothes getting all sudsy and mixing it up. Once I learned how to do laundry [yes, I was almost 19 years old] I did enjoy it. But then, bad university washing machines, even crappier apartment complex washers and then our one where we had to take a detour outside...yeah - killed my laundry love [still love the smell though]. But I do love our current laundry situation.

So yeah, it's incredibly cold here so I wasn't about to be going outside today. However, there was plenty of domestic goddess goodness to be getting on with. Also, my internet went out on me @ 10am, thus significantly reducing the amount of work I could do today. So I did the washing up, baked a banana-chocolate cake and I did someone else's laundry. I also did my own laundry. Three loads of it, to be precise. Joseph was surprised and delighted although, to be honest I think he was more excited about the cake.

Day Eighty-Two - Wall of Sound

For Son of Sam it was dogs barking...for me...it's the sound of other people's music. It drives me crazy. This all started about a year and a half ago when the people who lived in the basement below us listened to music with heavy bass quite loud - all. the. time. Seriously - 7am - dance party, 10pm on a Tuesday - why not?, and all damn day long in between. I got a little nuts a few times over the period of time before they moved out. This apartment has been better, but it would seem that our next-door neighbours have recently upgraded their sound system and their music levels have gone from mildly annoying to ...really annoying? It was super cold outside so I didn't want to go on a walk or go to the gym or anything, so I seized the opportunity to try something seemingly mundane, yet brand new.

I worked on my laptop in bed while listening to noise-isolating headphones. I have had the laptop since October, but I always leave it plugged in and in the living room. To my surprise, working in a new environment was incredibly productive and I managed to completely rework my resume into a format that makes me slightly happy. The headphones are remarkable - they fit nicely into my odd-shaped ears and wow - the really block out all of that unce, unce, unce sound or the Bollywood nightmare that I live in...or at least adjacent to. I was accidentally shouting @ Joseph all afternoon - he found it amusing. The whole experience reminded me of Joseph and I hiding out in one of our rooms during university. Mmmmm - nostalgia!

Day Eighty-One - Poppin' Fresh

When I was younger I totally thought that Col. Sanders and Orville Redenbacher were the same guy. Or maybe brothers or something. I then thought they were both marketing creations, but apparently that's not true either [although Sanders is not a real colonel]. Well, after tonight's adventure I can safely say that one of them is ripping you off. Since I don't really know much about KFC and what they charge for their fine chicken products, it would be everyone who is buying microwave popcorn who is getting scammed.

Today is National Popcorn Day [I really am on top of things] so in order to celebrate I popped popcorn on the cooker. I was pretty terrified that it would just result in a burned popcorn mess, rendering my most used pot useless. Thankfully this did not happen, although the event was not without incident. It told me to use a half cup of kernals, but didn't say what this would yield - as it happens...A LOT of popcorn. It burst out of the pot and had to be removed from the cooker before it was entirely finished. In addition when I was checking to see if the oil was hot enough [by, ummmm - looking @ it?] one of the test kernals flew out and hit me right in the eye. Good thing I was wearing my popcorn goggles.

So yeah, it was great fun - the sound of popcorn popping is quite exciting. However, the smell of chemicals and popcorn lung was not present during this experience, proving that it's definitely not the popcorn you're smelling. Also, for $1.50 I got a bag of kernals and microwave popcorn cost much more than that [I don't know the exact price as this ain't The Price is Right]. So yeah...someone is making a lot of money.

Day Eighty - The Mussels From Brussels

There is a pub that we like to frequent...and sometimes my friend Rory [shout out!] is there as well. They have half price appetizers until 7pm and of course as Joseph and I are quite frugal we often take advantage of it. Up until today we had never tried the Rory Special - which is the mussels. Something about paying $4 for mussels just seemed wrong to me [just like getting lobster @ Subway]. I was highly suspicious.

So Joseph went ahead and ordered them and proclaimed them tasty...and Rory obviously feels that way so I decided to give them a shot and I ate mussels in tomato sauce. All I can say is hooray for discount mussels! Generally speaking I only eat mussels in Belgium and I have only ever had mussels in a white wine sauce, so this was definitely something different. It could have done with being a bit more spicy, but the portions were plentiful and it went a long way towards combating my elitism towards discount seafood.

Oh yeah, there is reason #42 why I'm a bad vegetarian. Sometimes I like to eat lovely sea creatures. Mussels, though...I mean - what kind of a life is that?

Day Seventy-Nine - ...You Have To Soar With The Eagles In The Morning

So I will be perfectly honest with you - today's thing was supposed to be that I set my alarm to wake me up at 4am and yes, that's what happened. And then I spent about 20 minutes trying to wake up Joseph in a really ineffectual manner [lightly tapping him while he was deep in sleep] - he eventually got up and left the house...and I did get up - I staggered around in the dark a bit and then went to the bathroom and sat on the sofa and considered - should I really do this? Should I wake up @ 4am? Am I that dedicated to this being my "thing?" Is this really the best thing to help me in my job search? Ummmm...apparently not - I went back to bed.

And sweet baby Jebus I slept until 10:30am [actually I woke up @ 9am, but had a headache so kept sleeping]. Then the internet went out just after 11am for the rest of the day, so I really should have stayed awake @ 4am. Then I started to feel guilty and decided that I couldn't really use the 4am wakeup call as my thing, but didn't have a plan. So after a rousing time chez Zellers I entered my kitchen and completely tore apart our understairs area. The kitchen was a disaster and I ended up sitting in the understairs area - quite delighted that I found many, many beers. So my real thing is that I made a useful [and tidy] storage space out of the understairs area. It looks quite flawless now - I can't stop staring at it.

It's remarkable - tidy, organized and minimalist spaces fill me with such joy and peacefulness - and yet for the life of me...I am the biggest little piggie you will ever see...

Day Seventy-Eight - If You Want To Hoot With The Owls @ Night...

Apparently, for most people my thing o' the day is not such an odd occurence. For me, I don't think this has happened since...forever maybe? Probably when I was very young, anyway. So, out with it - tomorrow Joseph has to wake up @ 4am so tonight I went to bed before midnight! Exclamation point! This really never, ever happens. Even if I have good intentions of "going to bed early" it's quite evident that "early" does not equal before midnight [much to Joseph's dismay as he needs like 20 hours of sleep per day].

This is quite the test for me [and yeah, I didn't end up in bed much before midnight, but the little light was still on the PM on the alarm clock, so there]. I went to bed without seeing Jon or Stephen or Dave or Jimmy or Conan...it was pretty rough. Why do I stay up so late? I dunno - blame my parents, I guess. They never gave me a bedtime as a young 'un and I was frequently last to bed, first to rise in my household. I don't really like sleeping - it's a waste of my time. And staying up late just seems infinitely more rewarding than waking up early. Although, it did shock me and continues to shock me that everyone else I know goes to bed before midnight. Maybe I need to grow up.

Day Seventy-Seven - I Am So Smart - S-M-R-T

I have been indulging my inner dumb girl and catering to all of my LoCoDe whims [lowest common denominator] lately. I'm not sure entirely why, except that I watched Rome for the first time the other day and it reignited my willingness to embrace LoCoDe...and also my desire to visit Rome/Pompeii. I might be a bright girl sometimes, but sometimes I do stuff like watching From Justin 2 Kelly on a Tuesday afternoon [it's a modern classic!]. Today was one of those days.

In a desperate attempt to prove that I'm really not your average dumbass who engages in the sort of activity outlined above I took a Mensa test. Yes, I know that Jen365 [the original new thing a day-er] did this one yesterday, but I was curious to find out if I'm as smart as I think I am. Apparently I'm quite clever [and no - I'm not telling you my score]. Strangely enough I found the maths/numbers questions came to me much more easily than the language/graphics questions. Strange because normally numbers give me hives. Joseph thinks I might be some sort of idiot savant with certain types of maths [I think he's about half right on that front]. Although the test isn't overly difficult, I did feel that it gave my brain a good workout - I could actually feel it thinking! Although this could be because I was under the gun - what with 90210 starting immediately...

Take the test here and find out if you are as SMRT as me! I will tell you mine if you tell me yours...

Day Seventy-Six - Tidy Josephines

It's been a while since I had a food-related thing, so I thought I would give one a try today. I have always wanted to try Sloppy Joes - random meat on a bun [and possibly with cheese?] - how could it go wrong? Well, and then I became vegetarian, so I guess that's where it goes pear shaped. I never got to try them [also I've never tried a Big Mac, a proper steak or dark meat on poultry in addition to a number of other more obscure meats].

Until now! I found a recipe in one of my slow cooker cookbooks [yes, I have more than one] for vegetarian Sloppy Joes - which I guess should be called Tidy Josephines [not sure what the opposite of Joe is - I mean, it might be Shelby, but the thought of combining the words tidy and Shelby just didn't jive]. So, after being slow cooked for over 5 hours I was ready - I made vegetarian Sloppy Joes [Tidy Josephines]. Joseph thought I made them wrong as I made them open-faced style [which is what the book told me to do - obey the rules, dude!], rather than closed up like a hamburger. The experience was...okay...a bit of a letdown, to be honest and I don't think it was because of lack of meat. I found the spices to be an odd mix and I think the buns went a little off. Not likely to be repeated, although I still love my slow cooker.

Seriously - buy a slow cooker. They are very old lady, but they won't let you down. You can finish washing up before dinner is even ready!

Day Seventy-Five - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We have this little blue recycling bin - one that is meant for under one's desk, perhaps - but that we bought when we lived in the original small apartment. Once we moved to our larger apartment, it didn't do much for us, so it was cast aside. When we moved it was ideal for holding on to all of our old magazines. Ones that were obviously too precious to just recycle. I used to buy lots of magazines. Even when I had absolutely no money - I always made the exception for magazines [especially magazines! who needs food?]. They seem impossibly expensive right now, but perhaps I'm just wiser. Anyway, I do enjoy making collage and magazines are the main star of collage [for me anyway - you can collage with whatever you like]. And I do need that little recycling bin as I am no longer shopping regularly @ Whole Foods [I use their paper bags for recycling]...so I combined the two...

And I assembled all of the materials for a new collage from magazines needing recycling. I would highly recommend this even if you aren't a collager. Magazines are a good collaging material because of the bold headlines, saucy adverts and easy cut-ability. The process of recycling is not an environmental freebie and while of course you should recycle, reusing and especially reducing are even more important [though now that I have reduced and reused my magazine consumption, I won't be able to easily make more collages]. So, that's your Al Gore moment for the day.

I need a good title for my new collage. I don't think it's terribly suitable for public display as it does contain adult situations. Then again, I don't usually [or ever] have visitors, so I might just slap it up above the sofa - discretion, be damned.

Day Seventy-Four - TV Killed The Radio Star

I sure do love my TV. Not just mine specifically, I'm pretty equal opportunity in this respect. When I was fourteen years old I watched a small black and white TV for well over a month [in the summer, too - full days of TV watching!] when it was the only game in town and we were waiting on our flashy PIP TV. However, my family was not keen on TV watching while eating dinner [that was FM 102 time].

Times are different, now. I'm apparently a grown up and I can have TV all damn day if I wish [and sometimes I do - although there is seriously nothing on during the day]. I like eating in front of the TV - it gives us the impression that we have more friends [and sometimes even "Friends!"]. But tonight since Joseph cooked dinner he had music on [David Bowie - duh] and when he served up the tasty food he asked if we should just leave the CD on. I said yes. And so tonight I ate dinner with music on, not the TV. Obviously, this isn't a brand new thing, but it is highly unusual. In this apartment, we have never ate @ the table. In our old apartments it was a highly rare event. This was nice. We discussed our favourite Bowie songs [Joseph likes his very old stuff and then also stuff from the 90s - I like the more glam stuff and artsy weirdo stuff, although obviously David Bowie is consistently amazing]. Usually dinner involves me shouting @ the TV.

But don't worry TV - I still loves you, baby.

Day Seventy-Three - Quod Me Nutrit Me Destruit

One of my goals for my funemployment was to do some volunteer work. It is something I have wanted to do while employed, but my job took up a tremendous amount of time, made me incredibly depressed and pretty much useless to most people. So I just threw money @ charities [which is great, too - but I wanted a more hands-on approach this time around]. Earlier this week I targeted a few different organizations that I was really interested in volunteering for and found an opportunity at Sheena's Place - which is a support centre for people with eating disorders.

So today I went on an interview for a volunteer position. I would be helping out with some reception and other assorted administrative duties for a few hours each week at the centre. It is a cause that is near and dear to me [weee - cliches!] and one that I would love to be involved with [just had to end the sentence on a preposition like that]. They do important work - they save people's lives. And I do think that doing volunteer work will go a long way in helping to save me as well - it's work that I can enjoy, not work that will destroy me [and I need to learn that].

Day Seventy-Two - Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow

I know that my ETs lately have been a wee big lame-o - it is because I have had a migraine or other assorted headache everyday this week. It has not been funemployment to say the least. Todays thing evolved somewhat organically due to the highly potent combination of laziness + migraine. I woke up, showered and even washed my hair [I'm glamorous, I know]. But then my head hurt too much to touch and eventually I succumbed to my migraine meds and went back to sleep. I woke up without the migraine, but with a bruise-like pain in my head [this is all normal], so I still didn't want to touch my head.

At some point late in the afternoon I realised that I didn't brush my hair all day. So I just didn't. For reference, I have shoulder-length hair, straight, thin...and unattractively coloured @ the moment [I haven't been to my stylist since February 2007]. The desire to brush or comb my hair did become intense over the course of the evening...I just felt dirty and ratty...but I didn't give in. It looks okay, actually - with more body, actually. Well, the "body" is probably just tatty-ness, but whatever - I will take what I can get. It's going to be a nightmare to comb out tomorrow as my hair tangles so easily, but I am likely to do this again the next time Dr. Migraine strikes. He's such an a-hole. But vanity be damned.

Day Seventy-One - Tigress Woods

There are few videogames where I can truly compete against Joseph [and by compete, I do mean beat him]. However, as previously mentioned - Wii = Love - and that's where I currently get all my best chances to best him. I am very competitive and I don't like to play unless I can win.

Yesterday Joseph arrived home slightly before 5pm [which is super rare - usually he is home @ 7pm or so] so we decided to play extra Wii Sports. Including Wii Golf [which Joseph is less fond of because he says it's slow and takes too long - I think it's because I'm good @ it]. So there I am - I believe on the seventh hole [ranked expert] and really not having the game of my life [my best is 6 under par] when it happens - I hit my first eagle in Wii Golf! I was beyond delighted! I tried very hard to be as gracious as possible...and Joseph did end up beating me overall when I bogeyed the last hole.

Apparently, this isn't a super special thing as people routinely hit eagles and even hole in ones. Bah. I am still pleased with myself, but I guess I do have more to aspire to in life.

Day Seventy - Who's That Girl?

I have made some progress with my feelings towards my appearance in recent...months? years? days? Well, I have made progress and I guess that is important. One of the biggest things is that I no longer wear makeup everyday. Since I was 14 years old I have worn makeup on a daily basis. Even when I was unemployed I would sit in the house all day with no makeup and then before Joseph got home I would put some on. I guess so that he didn't have to work all day only to see my unsightly visage when he got home.

Well, I've been slowly breaking out of that. It began with me reducing the amount of makeup I wear. Then, I stopped wearing it entirely when I was going to be staying in the house [I used to put on makeup before taking out the rubbish]. About a year ago I stopped wearing makeup when heading to the corner store or the grocery store/Zellers. That was huge for me. Today, though - I really took it too the hoop and I went on the subway wearing no makeup. This has never happened before. This is definitely the scariest thing I've done so far for the blog. I didn't even wear a hat! Surprisingly, it was okay - I didn't even get paranoid that people were staring at me! And then on my way home I was all sweaty and pink, so I really didn't miss the makeup [yes, I used to wear makeup to the gym].

I'm unjustifiably pleased with myself.

Day Sixty-Nine - No Tools Required

I am not much of a handy individual and it's certainly not because I'm a girlie girl [because I'm not]. However, I do enjoy building things - it seems much more satisfying than knitting or sewing [I think because I don't do either of those things well enough to actually make something big/impressive]. At the moment I am without garage so my tools are very limited. No room for arc welding [which I was made to take after I got the boot from my grade eight home economics class].

I live in a small apartment and I am always trying to create more space so today I went out and bought a new shelving unit [assembly required] for the kitchen. And this afternoon while watching BH 90210 I assembled a shelving unit for the kitchen. It's wood, it's metal...and it's reasonably sturdy [I find that all these build it yourself kinda things are always a bit wobbly - part of their charm]. It will be home to various kitchen items such as the slow cooker, Corningware and all of the stuff that has been taking up valuable real estate on the cooker.

Day Sixty-Eight - The Plan, Stan

My dad was a big fan of having a plan. We had to have a plan for everything - our holidays were all planned months in advance down to the last detail, weeknights and evenings were meticulously planned and as for life generally - one must have a plan. That's what my dad would continually say to me [because I was more of a fly by the seat of her pants kinda gal] - "Shelby - you need to have a plan. Give me a call when you have one." And I would [or else I would hope he would forget about it - my dad was nothing if not forgetful].

Today's "thing" is a little difficult to capture in a neat little sentence...but today I made a plan. I sat down and wrote out my short-term goals, my long-term goals, my career goals, my crazy goals, my interests, my places I would like to work, enrichment ideas, etc. I've never actually done this. It was pretty terrifying, actually. To actually think and commit to paper the things that you want out of life. Because, if you don't [and I didn't] you are never really disappointed - you can adjust your reality/goals to suit you. Hopefully this will serve as motivation for me - I think it was a very useful exercise.

Tomorrow the job hunt begins...

Day Sixty-Seven - Fangirl

I watched Trekkies 2 the other night [and painted my nails fabulous Gunmetal] and it made me question my devotion to my main pop culture obsession [no, not Britney] - Battlestar Galactica. I know that I am into it on a level that would get me featured in a documentary about Battlestar Galactica fans, but I do like it. A lot. The trouble with BSG is that it's difficult to feed your obsession as materials are limited.

Even though Joseph and I agreed to not buy each other xmas gifts - he has since broken this three times. I have stuck with it - I didn't even buy him a birthday gift [yes, I know - worst. girlfriend. ever.]. Anyway - on Thursday I was the proud recipient of a mysterious package all the way from California. It contained an assortment of BSG goodies for me - an official shirt, patches with the BSG insignia and two pins which mean I'm a Viper pilot [which of course I totally could be - eyesight be damned]. I loved it! So today I wore my new BSG shirt and formal pin in public. The shirt says FRAK! in BSG font!

No one beat me up for being a nerd. Sometimes I miss high school.

Day Sixty-Six - Big Brother Is Watching You

That's right - you are being watched. Since I don't get many comments I have been wanting to find a way of checking to see if anyone is actually reading my blog. To be honest, it doesn't matter to me if anyone is - I'm doing this project for myself and I wanted to have a record of it and this seemed to make the most sense. However, I did want to involve others in the project - friends, family, strangers...but yeah, sometimes I'm not sure that anyone is out there.

Today I installed a site metre from - appropriately enough - sitemeter.com - so I will know if you are out there and assorted other particulars. I will admit, it looks pretty sad there blinking with its pathetic little 1 visitor. I'm a bit too proud of myself for this as I find internets/computer stuff to be a bit overwhelming. I looked into doing this when I started the blog, but found the process to be confusing because I am a moron. I think that being unemployed has really cleared my head, because I found the process to be quite straightforward. And it's the morning...and I'm still recovering from BritBrit trauma.

Day Sixty-Five - Wheel! Of! Fortune!

Just about every evening Joseph and I have the same conversation - "what do you want for dinner tonight?" Well - no more! Last night Joseph was joking [I think?] when he suggested that we have a wheel that we can spin to determine what to eat for dinner so that we don't have to have the discussion everyday [and since he always suggests pizza and then pasta if pizza is a no-go]. Today I called his bluff and I made a wheel that can be spun to choose our nightly dinner.

I had high hopes, despite the fact that I'm not very crafty. I went to the dreaded art store and everything to buy my supplies [construction paper and those brass things that can be used as spinners - they only sell them in packs of 100 - so if anyone needs 99 of them, I'm your girl]. I put our top ten regular dishes on the wheel and created the spinner. It does spin, but not very well. I will make modifications as necessary. I completed this after dinner, so it didn't get any use today. I will let you know how it goes when I do use it.

[so tonight for dinner I had grilled cheese with two types of cheese - mature cheddar and blue for me, mature cheddar and dill havarti for Joseph - and red pepper/tomato soup]

Day Sixty-Four - Let's Get Physical

As mentioned yesterday, I'm not really one for being physically active. I walk a lot because I don't drive, I am not bold enough to cycle and because I hate the TTC. But that's about it. As a result of my job and related stresses, I completely stopped going to the gym and while I was doing pilates, yoga and this stair-stepping thing @ home - I have let that go too [partly because of my knee injury].

While I'm not overweight [my weight tends to be the same no matter what I eat or my level of exercise], I'm sick of looking so bleh, doughy, untoned. I'm all moosh - I think I barely have muscles beyond what you need just to walk around and slouch on the sofa so today I re-joined the gym. [what's a gym? ohhhh...a gym!] They seem to have added more elliptical machines, which is good because that's what I'm gunning for.

And yes, I know - the whole gym thing after New Years is a total hack move...but what can I say? Hacky is as hacky does.

Day Sixty-Three - The Final Countdown

In stark contrast to yesterday's optimistic and positive energies for the new year post, I decided to make today's thing of the day something a little more pessimisstic [and therefore a little more me]. Since we're all dying - wouldn't it be nice to know when? You could mark the date on your calendar and be done with it. My friend Seth used to have his death clock as his screensaver and it always stressed me out. That's right, today I forecasted my death via the internets. I actually used three different calculators, just to be sure I was getting accurate results. And here they are:

January 12th, 2058
December 30th, 2061
February 1st, 2068

I think the middle date is my favourite one - it's right near New Years...no need to start a new year if you don't plan on living through it. However, that would make me 82 years old which seems super old [I do come from a family of long-livers, generally]. It's also a long time to live when you're already old - if you know what I mean? These calculators are rather dubious - one of their main deciding factors is BMI and while mine is quite low, it's not because I eat healthily and exercise. So I'm not really all that fit.