You know how sometimes you'll remember something long forgotten? Only the thing you remember is something small and silly but so great you can't believe how you ever could have forgotten it to begin with?
Last night, sitting in our room, out of nowhere Seguin sings, "I love rock'n'roll," and I instantly remembered that time a few years ago we were riding the Go train together. Some kid and his brother a few seats up were standing in front of the window, bouncing around, and the kid would sing, "I love rock'n'roll, take off your pants," over and over, and Seg and I were cracking up over it.
From that point onward, "I love rock'n'roll, take of your pants,' became a part of our random repertoire, to be busted out and sung whenever one of us felt like it. So it's funny how something like that could be a 'thing' for so long, then forgotten.
I'm glad it's back.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
A Little Sunshine
Here's something fun and cute for the end of a gloomy November day.
Penelope had just woken up from a nap, and being the proud parent I am, I decided to take some pics while she was sleepy and still. Sleepy kitties yawn a lot apparently, so I got all these.
Pretty great, huh? I also saw this, which made me smile.
Cheers!
Mir
Mir
I just arrived home last night from my whirlwind trip to the city. I had a lot of preconceived notions about this trip; I lived there for over three years of my life, experienced my first real independence there, formed friendships, built routines, made a home. And I was desperate for it, as I hadn't been there in so, so long. This desperation and my tendancy for nostalgia led me to assume I'd be all fuzzy wuzzy the whole time I was there, and that I wouldn't want to leave when the trip was over.
It's funny how differently things can turn out.
Part of the reason for my unexpected response is because you really can't ever go home again. Things shift and change, sometimes drastically, sometimes subtley, but it never feels quite the same. The other part of the reason is that some things never change.
The whole Toronto part of our trip was like that, exactly the same. I'd expected to have some sort of 'Wow, it's great to be back,' feeling the instant we stepped off the subway downtown. But oddly, it was as if I'd never left. We hit the streets and there I was, nothing unusual about it, every part of me felt as if I did it every day. The only sense of longing or relief I had was that I was able to find every item I needed for work in about two seconds, and a wish that Toronto was closer so I could hop a bus and do that every time I needed something.
The Go train was like that too. I stepped aboard expecting to be gazing out the window the entire time, watching all the old scenery go by, my heart warmed by the familiarity of it all. (Seriously, I'm a cheese ball for 'the way things used to be.') But I may as well have done it every day that week, because I found myself uninterested, and spent the whole time beading, barely glancing at the window.
Oakville was where things were different. I was looking forward to riding a bus around again, but we were picked up in a car by a friend and her new (to me) boyfriend. We went back to her apartment in a building we had never been in and hung out for a while with a cat we'd never met. We then went to visit our other friends in their new house in a part of town I'd never really spent any time in. The stores we visited were new, we went out to a new place, even the taxi cab we rode in was different, with some new-fangled, computerized fare meter instead of the old red, digital clock-looking one.
Throughout this whole trip, I kept catching glimpses of my old Oakville world; a restaurant here, a bank there, the very top of the building we used to live in peeking over the wall as we passed it on the highway. But everything I saw was from a slightly different angle, a new perspective; it was as if I was viewing everything from a dream or like it was an exhibit at a museum. I could see it, but at a distance, I couldn't touch it or experience it the way it used to be.
Back in Toronto the following day, it was much as it had been the day before. I felt like a natural and completely ordinary part of my surroundings once again. And one thing that may seem contradictory to that statement had also not changed; I still can't stand the crowds. The mall, the streets, every place we wandered in an attempt to pass time while waiting for our bus was absolutely packed and busy. Sometimes I'm oblivious to it, sometimes I'm not. And when I'm feeling particulary tired, as I was, and a little ill, like I had since Friday, it's hard to deal with. That was one thing I hadn't expected, to be so glad to finally take a seat on the Northlander home.
Now I don't want to make my trip seem like a disappointment, because it certainly wasn't. The only thing I regret was not being able to meet up with a few good friends of mine there. But everything else was nice. It was cool being able to see Jen in her new apartment, which is an absolute dream, let me say. The view was wonderful, the cat was great, her boyfriend seems like a real sweetheart. I liked hanging out with Simon and Shane as well. That new house is great too and I had a genuinely good time. It was nice to see the city and buy everything I needed and remind myself of all the awesome supplies available to me there. And it was really nice to have a quiet morning walk with Seguin around our old town, even if it was completely different, something about it did feel the same.
What made it so strange, I suppose, was not the absence of emotions I'd expected to have, but instead the presence of ones I didn't expect to have. I was surprised by how instantly at home I felt in Simon's new house, by how nice I felt about Jen's new man. I was warmed by the feelings of home and contentment I got from and with Seguin, walking around and having an unexpected talk about Christmas. I was taken aback by how much I missed little Penelope.
But most of all, when the trip was over, I was caught off guard by how relieved I was to be back in Huntsville again. The instant I stepped off the bus, I was so completely grateful for the cold, clean air, the empty road, the space, the dark, the snow, the quiet. That's not to say that I no longer like the city; I'm still eager for the next time I visit. But having felt so torn between two places for the last year or so, I fully expected this trip to trigger a desire to move back. So I was completely surprised by its having the opposite effect, providing me instead with a sense of closure and contentment. Another era of my life has ended and the parts that remain have taken their places in my life. And another era has begun.
It's funny how differently things can turn out.
Part of the reason for my unexpected response is because you really can't ever go home again. Things shift and change, sometimes drastically, sometimes subtley, but it never feels quite the same. The other part of the reason is that some things never change.
The whole Toronto part of our trip was like that, exactly the same. I'd expected to have some sort of 'Wow, it's great to be back,' feeling the instant we stepped off the subway downtown. But oddly, it was as if I'd never left. We hit the streets and there I was, nothing unusual about it, every part of me felt as if I did it every day. The only sense of longing or relief I had was that I was able to find every item I needed for work in about two seconds, and a wish that Toronto was closer so I could hop a bus and do that every time I needed something.
The Go train was like that too. I stepped aboard expecting to be gazing out the window the entire time, watching all the old scenery go by, my heart warmed by the familiarity of it all. (Seriously, I'm a cheese ball for 'the way things used to be.') But I may as well have done it every day that week, because I found myself uninterested, and spent the whole time beading, barely glancing at the window.
Oakville was where things were different. I was looking forward to riding a bus around again, but we were picked up in a car by a friend and her new (to me) boyfriend. We went back to her apartment in a building we had never been in and hung out for a while with a cat we'd never met. We then went to visit our other friends in their new house in a part of town I'd never really spent any time in. The stores we visited were new, we went out to a new place, even the taxi cab we rode in was different, with some new-fangled, computerized fare meter instead of the old red, digital clock-looking one.
Throughout this whole trip, I kept catching glimpses of my old Oakville world; a restaurant here, a bank there, the very top of the building we used to live in peeking over the wall as we passed it on the highway. But everything I saw was from a slightly different angle, a new perspective; it was as if I was viewing everything from a dream or like it was an exhibit at a museum. I could see it, but at a distance, I couldn't touch it or experience it the way it used to be.
Back in Toronto the following day, it was much as it had been the day before. I felt like a natural and completely ordinary part of my surroundings once again. And one thing that may seem contradictory to that statement had also not changed; I still can't stand the crowds. The mall, the streets, every place we wandered in an attempt to pass time while waiting for our bus was absolutely packed and busy. Sometimes I'm oblivious to it, sometimes I'm not. And when I'm feeling particulary tired, as I was, and a little ill, like I had since Friday, it's hard to deal with. That was one thing I hadn't expected, to be so glad to finally take a seat on the Northlander home.
Now I don't want to make my trip seem like a disappointment, because it certainly wasn't. The only thing I regret was not being able to meet up with a few good friends of mine there. But everything else was nice. It was cool being able to see Jen in her new apartment, which is an absolute dream, let me say. The view was wonderful, the cat was great, her boyfriend seems like a real sweetheart. I liked hanging out with Simon and Shane as well. That new house is great too and I had a genuinely good time. It was nice to see the city and buy everything I needed and remind myself of all the awesome supplies available to me there. And it was really nice to have a quiet morning walk with Seguin around our old town, even if it was completely different, something about it did feel the same.
What made it so strange, I suppose, was not the absence of emotions I'd expected to have, but instead the presence of ones I didn't expect to have. I was surprised by how instantly at home I felt in Simon's new house, by how nice I felt about Jen's new man. I was warmed by the feelings of home and contentment I got from and with Seguin, walking around and having an unexpected talk about Christmas. I was taken aback by how much I missed little Penelope.
But most of all, when the trip was over, I was caught off guard by how relieved I was to be back in Huntsville again. The instant I stepped off the bus, I was so completely grateful for the cold, clean air, the empty road, the space, the dark, the snow, the quiet. That's not to say that I no longer like the city; I'm still eager for the next time I visit. But having felt so torn between two places for the last year or so, I fully expected this trip to trigger a desire to move back. So I was completely surprised by its having the opposite effect, providing me instead with a sense of closure and contentment. Another era of my life has ended and the parts that remain have taken their places in my life. And another era has begun.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
I Must Be Pretty Tired
I'm a bit delirious with the tired hypers right now, so I may not find this site to be quite so funny tomorrow morning.
But I hope I do.
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/
But I hope I do.
http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Some Lovely Things from the Last Few Days
First of all, LOOK!!! Poor Seg and John had to leave for work at ten to seven this morning to get this all cleared out of the way for people's feet and cars. I'll have to leave for work 15 minutes early so as not to be late (snow slows me down) but otherwise I think it's beautiful.
I love when cats and humans pose the same. It's one of the best things. Just like this old favourite.
My favourite little family came over last night for Rockband and Scattergories. It was good fun, and really nice as one of the things I like doing most in the apartment is having friends over. Takes it from a house to a home.
Speaking of families, Loki is the sweetest adopted dad I've ever seen.
A friend of mine has me creating a set of wrist pieces as a gift for someone. It's beading, beading, beading. It's been a while since I've done any proper beading, but I'm getting the feel for it again. After I go back and fill in the gaps, I think it will look pretty nice. I'll post the finished pieces as soon as I'm able.
Christmas is coming. This year it's gotten into my head and won't get out. I'm not even bothered by the way all the stores are decorated up already and how you can already hear Xmas carols playing. (Normally that drives me nuts--oversaturation!) But I'm pretty stoked.
That's all. Off to make rotini and bracelets!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
November Morning Thoughts
Winter is pretty much on its way. It's barely, barely snowing; in fact, it's supposed to get up to 11 degrees this weekend or something like that. (When you work in lottery, everyone tells you the weather.) But it's on its way as far as I am concerned. Here are the signs.
1. There is snow on the ground right now. And on people's cars and falling from the sky ever so lightly. It's not much and it won't stay, but the transition has begun.
2. It's dark by 5:30. Completely dark. In grade 6, my brother Eli and I would always watch the Simpsons after school. By the time it was over at 5:30, it was always pitch black out. And that's winter.
3. On Sunday, I made chicken soup and biscuits from scratch. It was delicious, but more importantly, I'm getting the urge for hot, savoury things like soup and hot chocolate and chili more often. Even Fiona's mention of roasting a chicken made me think, 'Mmm. Cozy."
4. I'm not biking to work any more. =(
5. I bought a winter coat. First new one I've had in a while. It's cranberry red and double breasted and falls to mid thigh. I'm excited to have some colour in my winter gear for once.
6. I'm extremely stoked for Xmas. I've been buying people's gifts early this year and everywhere I go I'm thinking of what to do/make/get for people. It's fun, and it's making me very excited for Xmas.
7. I want to be out walking pretty much all the time. In scarves and hats and mittens all rosy cheeked. In the woods especially.
8. Barb is calling on me to make some stuff for the sale up North. Fun!
9. Clementines are showing up in the stores in wooden boxes. Yummy!
10. The light is different. No more bright yellow sun, now it's pale and quiet and almost pure white. Very clean and Wintery.
As Winter's been approaching, I've been thinking of a post I wrote a while ago about the smells of the seasons and how winter doesn't really have any. My friend Devon responded to my note, suggesting that perhaps all of Winter's smells are indoor smells, like hot apple cider and soup simmering on the stove. The more I think it over, the more I've decided she's correct. With the exception of cool, icy pine and that crisp, clean, cold nothing smell of outdoors in Winter, all the Winter smells are indoor smells.
Like she said, soup and cider definitely. The cider smell also makes me think of how my father used to put cinammon sticks and cloves in a pot of water and set it to boil on the woodstove. Mmmmm.
Clementines are distinctly Winter to me. That first potent burst of scent when you break open the rind is very Christmasy. So distinct as well....the other day Eli had a clementine (unbeknownst to me) and then handled the kitten. When I took her back from him, I knew he'd eaten one as I could smell it on her fur.
Wood smoke is a good one. Also that earthy smell firewood gets after you bring it inside and all the snow and ice start to melt off.
Scotch tape is Christmasy (and therefore Wintery) to me as well. When I was younger, the only time I really remember encountering scotch tape was opening gifts on Xmas morning. So the combined smell of scotch tape and wrapping paper does it for sure. Now when I wrap the gifts as well as when I open them.
These are all the smells I can think of for now. Perhaps more will come back to me as Winter progresses. Or maybe you have some of your own you'd like to share?? Please, comment!
1. There is snow on the ground right now. And on people's cars and falling from the sky ever so lightly. It's not much and it won't stay, but the transition has begun.
2. It's dark by 5:30. Completely dark. In grade 6, my brother Eli and I would always watch the Simpsons after school. By the time it was over at 5:30, it was always pitch black out. And that's winter.
3. On Sunday, I made chicken soup and biscuits from scratch. It was delicious, but more importantly, I'm getting the urge for hot, savoury things like soup and hot chocolate and chili more often. Even Fiona's mention of roasting a chicken made me think, 'Mmm. Cozy."
4. I'm not biking to work any more. =(
5. I bought a winter coat. First new one I've had in a while. It's cranberry red and double breasted and falls to mid thigh. I'm excited to have some colour in my winter gear for once.
6. I'm extremely stoked for Xmas. I've been buying people's gifts early this year and everywhere I go I'm thinking of what to do/make/get for people. It's fun, and it's making me very excited for Xmas.
7. I want to be out walking pretty much all the time. In scarves and hats and mittens all rosy cheeked. In the woods especially.
8. Barb is calling on me to make some stuff for the sale up North. Fun!
9. Clementines are showing up in the stores in wooden boxes. Yummy!
10. The light is different. No more bright yellow sun, now it's pale and quiet and almost pure white. Very clean and Wintery.
As Winter's been approaching, I've been thinking of a post I wrote a while ago about the smells of the seasons and how winter doesn't really have any. My friend Devon responded to my note, suggesting that perhaps all of Winter's smells are indoor smells, like hot apple cider and soup simmering on the stove. The more I think it over, the more I've decided she's correct. With the exception of cool, icy pine and that crisp, clean, cold nothing smell of outdoors in Winter, all the Winter smells are indoor smells.
Like she said, soup and cider definitely. The cider smell also makes me think of how my father used to put cinammon sticks and cloves in a pot of water and set it to boil on the woodstove. Mmmmm.
Clementines are distinctly Winter to me. That first potent burst of scent when you break open the rind is very Christmasy. So distinct as well....the other day Eli had a clementine (unbeknownst to me) and then handled the kitten. When I took her back from him, I knew he'd eaten one as I could smell it on her fur.
Wood smoke is a good one. Also that earthy smell firewood gets after you bring it inside and all the snow and ice start to melt off.
Scotch tape is Christmasy (and therefore Wintery) to me as well. When I was younger, the only time I really remember encountering scotch tape was opening gifts on Xmas morning. So the combined smell of scotch tape and wrapping paper does it for sure. Now when I wrap the gifts as well as when I open them.
These are all the smells I can think of for now. Perhaps more will come back to me as Winter progresses. Or maybe you have some of your own you'd like to share?? Please, comment!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Feeling Pretty Stoked
Yowza. Just came from downtown. It's funny.....just when it seems I'm starting to run out of stimulation, when I think I'm not getting what I need from this place anymore, I go downtown and recieve so much good stuff that I feel completely the opposite. It's awfully nice.
I was speaking with a gallery about possibly displaying/selling some of my work (went pretty well I think, fingers crossed!). When I came out, I was feeling completely abuzz with excess energy. I'd been really nervous beforehand. I didn't feel entirely ready to present my work, but I knew I would never feel completely ready, and it was getting me down a bit. That lack of confidence can really make one question the validity of what they're doing. But I had a really nice talk beforehand with a woman here in town who's acting as a driving force behind my career and she gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration that I needed. The positive feedback and general exposure to other artsy folks in the gallery helped me touch base with that side of myself a little bit, reminded me that an awesome arts community does exist here. A nice phone call to my mother and genuine conversations I had with two people I ran into on the street afterwards (a casual aquaintance and a best friend) really served to remind me of the other big reason I am still in this town; the people and how great they make me feel.
Yeah. Sometimes if I get too stuck inside routine, work, the house or myself, it's easy to forget why I've chosen to live in the place I do and in the way I do at this point in my life. It's awfully nice to be reminded of why this works, where it's leading, why I'm here.
=)
I was speaking with a gallery about possibly displaying/selling some of my work (went pretty well I think, fingers crossed!). When I came out, I was feeling completely abuzz with excess energy. I'd been really nervous beforehand. I didn't feel entirely ready to present my work, but I knew I would never feel completely ready, and it was getting me down a bit. That lack of confidence can really make one question the validity of what they're doing. But I had a really nice talk beforehand with a woman here in town who's acting as a driving force behind my career and she gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration that I needed. The positive feedback and general exposure to other artsy folks in the gallery helped me touch base with that side of myself a little bit, reminded me that an awesome arts community does exist here. A nice phone call to my mother and genuine conversations I had with two people I ran into on the street afterwards (a casual aquaintance and a best friend) really served to remind me of the other big reason I am still in this town; the people and how great they make me feel.
Yeah. Sometimes if I get too stuck inside routine, work, the house or myself, it's easy to forget why I've chosen to live in the place I do and in the way I do at this point in my life. It's awfully nice to be reminded of why this works, where it's leading, why I'm here.
=)
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Lovely November
I'm feeling pretty good today. I woke up to sun and fresh air and didn't even realize until several hours in that I had forgotten to set the clock back, and was therefore further ahead than I thought. I ade some telephone calls and wrote some e-mails, things that always make me feel productive and responsible even though they're such little accomplishments. (Probably has something to do with the fact that I am oddly scared of the phone. Calling anyone for business, work or even sometimes fun reasons makes me anxious...silly,huh?)
I've got so much work to do with this week on artistic pursuits. A project to finish for one person, two more to design for another. Some work of my own to finish off, as I finally feel ready to show some stores my finished pieces. Another personal project I'm absolutely itching to start. And two local women to speak with about moving forward in the textile world. How exciting to be making these contacts! I'm pretty stoked. And my week has been scheduled in just such a way that I ought to have plenty of time for all of it (famous last words). But still. Feeling good.
Hallowe'en was great. I finished my costume and was utterly pleased with it. Everyone else looked great too. We swung by my mother's place so she could see us all dressed up (just like being a kid again) and then went out to the Hideaway, the only party in town. It was a pretty good time, Seguin even won second place in the costume contest, I was the super-cheesy-proud girlfriend for sure.
It had been a long time since I had a costume idea I was as enthused about as this one, and it had been since grade 13 that I worked so hard on a costume. Now that I'm all finished with it, it goes in the closet, I suppose. My last handmade costume is still there, a white corseted fairy dress made of old sheer curtains. It's been out and used again several times since then, once by my friend Skye, once by Fiona, two or three times by me. I was talking to a woman at work the other day about keeping old costumes for reuse, and now that I'm adding Lydia's wedding dress to the stash, I realize I really like the idea of keeping them all, of building up my own personal costume wardrobe. What fun to have access to a whole variety of dress up possibilities; for Hallowe'en of course, and for lending to others, but for any sort of dress up party, for fun photo shoots, for videos and good times and crazy nights where you might just feel like dressing up. And think what a collection it would be if I did this every year!
Here's some pictures of the costumes. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
