Vacation suits me fine

Being a tourist in your own town can be a wonderful vacation. Not only do you see parts of the city you'd never seen before, but you can also sleep in as much as you like without that sense on guilt that you paid so much to be there, so you'd best get off your ass and get on your way. Nope, none of that. M and I are sleeping in experts and this week I'd say we've earned Master status.

Which isn't to say we haven't been doing stuff. We've been social, we've been to a Major League Baseball game, we've been skateboarding, tanning, running and doing crunches and today we're off to watch some of the Masters tennis semi-finals up at York. Not too shabby.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Vacation" by the Go-Go's

HRH

I can see my old house from here

Last week, M, Mike, Chris and I rented The Bourne Identity. M and I hadn't seen it yet and as the sequel was coming out this week and the movie is chalk full of Prague, it seemed like a good idea.

Now we'd known that some of this film had been shot on Senovazne namesti (aka the square we lived on for two of the three years in Prague), so chance of recognizing the scenery were pretty high. The film was stacked with shots of Nove Mesto, disguised to be Zurich and the Ministry of Trade had been miraculously transformed into the American Consulate. Imagine our surprise when Jason Bourne sneaks out of the "consulate" and finds himself here hanging precariously in front of our apartment building.:



I guess if we can't be in the movies, at least our home can be.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Keep me hanging on" by Kim Wilde

HRH

Let the geek flow through you

And Episode III has a title...

A pity for those of you without Hyperspace accounts because the clip revealing the new title was hype-tacular.

Just in case you were wondering why, a fellow geek laid it out pretty well

1)Anakin Skywalker IS the actual Revenge. Plucking the Chosen one to his side, is Sidious' act of aggression in the title.

2)Destruction of the Jedi order is the Revenge. Payback. It's the culmination of Sidious' prequel arc.

3)Destruction of the Old Republic. Creation of an Empire with a Sith at the head. Also a culmination of Sidious' prequel arc.

4)Anakin is the actual Sith lord enacting revenge in the narrative. (Just as it can be interpreted that Anakin is the actual Jedi who returns.)

And they finally get to use all those revenge graphics they tossed out in '83.



So much spoiler information coming out today. It's a little like Christmas. If you need me I'll be at my computer having a nerdgasm.

HRH

Perhaps a little overkill?

One of the absolute joys of the Internet era is this whole shopping thing. Where I notice that my black ink is ready to die on my colour printer so I order a refill from dell (perhaps not the most cost effective option, but still pretty reasonable, and I didn't actually have to get up from my chair to purchase it... score). And the very next day it arrives in the mail.

I need this black ink cartridge, but part of me was like "Why couldn't my Sephora order have come overnight too?" Alas...

So dell is speedy and easy to use, but you know what else? They indulge in overkill. My proof? Just look at the size of the box compared to the size of the product.





Maybe it's because I've spent most of my professional life in the non-profit sector, where every penny counts, but I am in total awe of the fact that Dell doesn't have a smaller box to send ink in. It's like instead of packing the ink with those environmentally concious air pocket things, they should have just packed it with $5 bills.

HRH

Summer Cabin Fever

Aside from a trip to Loblaws and a breif visit with M's mother, I have been inside for the last three days. Granted I've been asleep for most of those three days and when I haven't been asleep I've been reacting "badly" to my antibiotics. By badly I mean yarfing. And really the yarfing is getting old. And did I mention the boredom? So bored.

Anyway, it's not secret that I'm far too amused by flash animation. This most recent lampoon of the US presidential candiates, is both catchy and perhaps points out in a lighthearted matter that elections are rarely about issues but about the characitures that the candiates become. Which ever wheenie or nutjob does win the election in November, I hope that that president has the sense to keep this and most importantly this in tact so that the people of the US can continue to mock their leaders. It's a very important right.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Freedom" by Wham

HRH

For the record

If anyone was wondering, or doubting that Mike is a lucky guy (and occasional idiot) with an exceptionally understanding fiancee, I give you proof she need not fret about random women on Ottawa bridges, because she's a beauty. It's easy to look like an amazing make-up artist when you're working with someone as gorgeous as this. Sigh, what bone structure...

Dawn

Today's sing-a-long song: (for Mike) "Lucky Man" by The Verve

HRH

Maybe I'll understand when I'm a parent

I'm very zombie-eqsue today. I haven't developed a horrible hunger for brains yet, but I feel like I'm walking in a daze, I'm grunting and moaning alot and drooling just a little. I wouldn't be like this if I'd slept last night. And it's not like I chose not to sleep, that choice was made for me by the infant across the street.

I understand that babies cry and I understand that there's a point where you have to let the baby cry it out as part of growing up. I think, however, that this child across the street has night terrors. That's honestly the only explanation I can think of because this child's was screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs for a good 45 minutes. And since it's summer and everyone has their windows open, I got to listen to it for start to finish.

I thought for a little while that it was a baby, maybe one with colic or a headache or something medical that would explain the wailing, but then I heard it articulating words. This kid could talk!! It could communicate with words. It could tell you why it was screaming and screaming and screaming.

Normally I'd be pretty understanding of screaming children, but since this is the fourth time I've been kept awake by someone else's child. Someone else's child who is in so much distress that it's breaking my heart across the street. It wasn't hungry crying, or I need to be changed crying, it was all out total misery crying and that's crying that cannot be shut out.

I'm sure for allowing myself to be bothered by this and for thinking "why the hell won't her parents just pick her up and comfort her. She sounds like she's in agony" and thus committing the sin of criticizing a parent when I'm not one I'm dooming myself to have the most ill tempered baby in the world one day. Mmmmm, more Zombie Mondays.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Rock myself to sleep" by April Wine

HRH

Self righteous with a dash of hypocrisy

I'm been berating M for a couple of days about his anger management when it comes to the Internet. I've railed on him quite a bit about what does and does not warrant cursing, yelling and otherwise hostile behaviour. "There are more important things in the world to be angry about" I would say. I would even play the dirty card of "dealing with sick children all day, so the functionality of the Internet just doesn't rate on my scale of things to be pissed off about." I was laying it on pretty thick, no.

And then tonight I fell from my budda-eqsue stature when faced with an exasperating computer related problem I exclaimed (from beneath my desk) "DAMMIT!" You see, my computer speakers have developed an intermittent buzz, something I'd thought I'd fixed by moving plugs and wires. Oh how clever I was! And then a couple of hours later the dammed buzz came back.

Damned buzz. DAMNED BUZZ!

Don't my speakers know that I do almost all of my music listening at my computer. How dare they ruin my time in my happy place!

I'm not sure what I feel worse about. Being upset about M wanting to tear the house down, being upset with myself for being upset with M (vicious circle, eh), my speakers turning into useless sources of irritating noise or losing the moral high ground. How quickly the mighty have fallen.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Sick" by The Sneaker Pimps

GOD DAMNED BUZZ!!!!!

HRH

Having the choice makes all the difference

I ran yesterday.

I realize that a proclamation like the one above makes me sound a little bit like a 5-year-old who finds every task they do just amazing and something to be totally proud of. And I guess that more often than not I take pride in completing what may seem like pretty basic things, but believe me, this is actually a bit of a big deal.

I was on the treadmill at the gym, working on day two of my cross-training program when the greatness went down. I've added the gym to the regimen of swimming and cycling because while my heart is now in just wonderful shape, I'm just not burning fat like I want to be. So cross-training. Rowing machine, spinning, abs, weights and the treadmill. At first I thought I was just going to do some brisk walking. I figured that would get me sweating, but not strain the dysfunctional knees too much.

But then I got ambitious. A friend (and new workout buddy) pointed out that I'm going to have to endure knee pain if I want to a) get really fit and b) restore strength to the joints. I've been taking my anti-inflammatories (I also like to think that while they reduce swelling in my joints they also give me exceptional negotiating skills. Maybe not, eh), eating right and thinking happy active thoughts, so I went for it. I ran.

It's been over a year since I last ran, and even then it was pretty pathetic. But this time it was working for me. I started at a slow jog after a good warm-up walk, thinking that would be all I could do. But something made me increase the treadmill speed. As each minute passed I upped the treadmill until I was actually running. I kept my feet from turning out and twisting my knees, I remembered how to keep my hands relaxed as I ran and it didn't hurt. Dare I say, it was fun. Maybe even a little liberating.

I didn't run for too long. Things were going well and I didn't want to push my luck. But it was running! How awesome is that? My next challenge is to not get ahead of myself. It's going to take a long time to get my knee muscles strong again and I don't even know if that's even going to be enough. I may just have to give in someday and get scoped. But I'm not there yet.

Yesterday I ran and today I can walk. Not without pain, but somehow the pain matters less to me today. I can't help but think that this could be the start of the end of at least one of my limitations. It will be a pretty cool day when I can run down a hill, eat a peanut butter sandwich and have a glass of wine. When decisions are an issue of will or will not, instead of can or can't. Yeah, that would be really cool.

Today's sing-a-long song: "Run Like Hell" by Pink Floyd

HRH

Personal growth

What a week it's been.

To start the week, my party didn't win the election (not like I actually thought they would), but at least there's now a minority government, which should make the next few years a little more interesting. In all honestly I'm really happy the election is over. I'm disappointed that so many fell into the trap of the politics of fear, but I can't say that I'm stunned by it. And that in itself is pretty disappointing too.

Anyway, it's done for now. One thing I have learned from this election is that I need to increase my involvement in the party. Watching all the representatives of the youth of the party left me with one conclusion. I have to get out there for them, because right now they look like a bunch of geeks.

Speaking of losses, the Czech's lost yesterday's semi-final. Boo-urns. It was fun while it lasted. Almost as fun as listening to the poor announcer having to master both Czech and Greek last names. Hope he got hazard pay for that one.

But in the gains department, I have the day off today. And mother of pearl do it need it. As my mother would say, I'm wound up tighter than a two dollar watch. Basically I'm in desperate need of a "stop taking everything so fucking seriously" pill. I think I got some of the dosage yesterday at Shaver & Tyla's, where I was fed like a pig weeks before slaughter and found the best/worst place to watch fireworks in Toronto. Never have I had so much fun seeing so little.

So this weekend, I'll be heading to Kingston to see my parents, swim in the lake and take a deep breath or two. Until I return on Sunday, I'll leave you with some evidence of my Gardening Fu.

Before

and now:







Holy Cow. Tomatoes!



HRH