Bellini-induced Brain Freeze

Rockin' New Year's Eve Like the geek that I am :) I tried to fix up the pics that weren't showing up on my blog. But tonite, it's time to welcome 2004! You excited? I get the best of both worlds. I get to have a nice dinner with my family and family friends, and then it's off to Tequila with my pals and a couple of my co-workers. Hope you all ring in the new year in style. Take care and I'll see you all in 2004!

'Tis the season I'm barely hanging in there. Someone send some energy my way please! Normally I'd say I wouldn't have it any other way, but I think this year I got defeated. Holiday season - 1, Leah - 0. Work family friends work family friends. All I want for Christmas is some sleep now that I look back on the past few days. I worked right up until the closing shift on Christmas Eve. The customers were absolute dolls, which was highly appreciated, no doubt. I did, however, have some wacky procrastinators that day....but it wasn't Christmas for which they were slow on preparing, it was their own weddings. Insane bride no. 1 came up to me in a panic...she was getting married in an hour and would like my assistance in picking out some pantyhose for her. Looking at her you wouldn't have been able to tell she was getting married so soon...her hair wasn't done up or anything. Maybe I was more excited than she was even. "What are you still doing ...

Happy holidays! From my family to yours, the best of wishes for this happy season.

The clock strikes And we're not even talking about new year's eve here, folks! Aqua_angel seems to have everything under control. I, on the other hand, despite having done the majority of my shopping still had to fly like the wind after work today to get that one last thing for my brother all the way in the northeast. I did it in record time, though, With the commute there, buying the dang thing, and coming home it only tacked on 2 hours onto my day. And now I think I'm truly ready to celebrate Christmas *fingers crossed* And the unifriends did finagle in their annual get-together...and it was a dinner, too! Yes, I was thrilled. I was getting a bit concerned the whole thing would get tossed aside. For the parents-to-be I added in a yearbook/calendar to record baby's first year. *excited* I also got the two couples George Foreman grills simply 'cuz I feel that no man or woman on earth should go without one. And for our vegetarian darling I got her a ri...

Roar Chatting with Ryan the other day reminded me that Americans (or the ones that I know) don't know what I'm talking about when I mention cougars. And for those who frequent his blog, you've undoubtedly heard the audblog where those two cougars were being all weird on him. Either that or they really need to polish their pick-up lines. A little bit of edjumacation Also, please note that the terms cougar and MILF are not interchangeable. A MILF could coincidentally be a cougar, but the opposite is not necessarily true. Cougars aren't necessarily pretty. Be warned.

A waste! A waste! I looked fantastic tonight. All the girls at work kept pointing out my pantyhose (I mean, really, I sell these things so I should model them, right?) I'm keen on them, too. I've got lots of pairs of fishnets, but these ... these are fishnets COMBINED with a bigass chainlink fence pattern. It doesn't get more hardcore than that around my store. :) "Look at her fishnets!" and all of my fellow girls would rave about them, but you could tell the "elders" weren't all that impressed. Their silence said it all. Man, I was all ready to go out and do something tonight. I even figured out a funky outfit (hence the fishnets) that could double as our stupid uniform (I'll never be a fan of white shirts, but there are ways around that anyway). You see, Daisy is officially done for Christmas break, Civic called last night wanting to hold a summit re:girl-at-work-he-digs...it just made sense that we would all get together after I fi...

Loyalty pays, baby! I just had a beautiful conversation with my cellular phone representative. I've been a customer with this company for over 4 years now. All that time I've never changed my cellular plan, just kept going on with the hardware upgrades. And now I'm so glad I've done so. I mean, sure, all the other cellular companies out there are very seductive and I'll admit, everytime my contract is up I find myself contemplating switching over to another company...lured by their promises of more minutes at cheaper rates and blah blah blah. But I've stood by my company's side, and at this point where you pay extra for this and extra for that there is no way I'd ever switch now. I've been "committed" too long. I remember shopping with Daisy for a new cellular for her. There were ridiculous extra fees for call waiting, call forwarding, call display. Ludicrous! All of those things are included on my plan 'cuz it's so old....

Down under I was reading the paper after work and came across this: Australia appeals for Calgary sperm Donors offered free holiday Ironic since fellow blogger Shem is apparently in Australia right now. And he had to fundraise and pawn things to pay his way there. Little did any of us realize that all he had to do was make an appearance at the clinics here in Calgary and he could have gone to Aussie-ville for free. So they make you pump it out (sorry *giggles*) every other day during your two weeks stay. Sounds like a fair deal for an all-expenses-paid trip. Too bad it's not as easy for us ladies to donate anything. This is a case where guys get all the luck. *jealous*

Baaaaa no more I treated myself to some gyro and caesar salad today for lunch. I shared my meal with bing in spirit since she is an admitted tzatziki addict like myself (normally I would label myself as a "tzatziki whore" but I don't want to offend bing in any way.) Opa's side order of a pita with tzatziki makes such an awesome snack. But this was lunchtime; I was starving. So the gyro/caesar plate for me. Yummy pita, yummy tzatziki, yummy caesar, yummy gyro. I thought about asking H-Lady after my break just exactly what gyro was made of. My guess was pork since it's always so tender. Instead, I decided to stay away lest I get her going on some kind of conversation (and yes, I feel guilty about doing that, but the other girls take turns lending their ear to her as well, so it's not like she's neglected) and looked it up on the internet when I got home. Ohhhhhh no! Gyro is lamb! Or it's sometimes lamb. Oh woe is me. Lambs are my friend...

1-2-3-4-5-6 Switch! I got a fun activity to do in the mail this morning. I'll write more about it after I see it actually working.

Whoa, food So today was the birth of a new tradition, I guess. The Usual Suspects were at last year's Unifriends get-together and this year the meal was all about the Usual Suspects. And dang it, I didn't get to see Latina's engagement ring yet as they sent it in to have it cleaned as soon as she got back to Calgary. And Latina and her boy are so perfect together that noone could possibly be jealous 'cuz it's just perfect like that. Of course I had my eggs Benny at our brunch, and of course I had some of the roast beef at that same brunch. I have been trained well by my father. If I didn't eat what was, in his opinion, enough food to validate the cost of the brunch/buffet then I'm just wasting money. Needless to say we only do the brunch/buffet thing on special occasions or else I'd be a lot huger than I am right now. :) And, just like last year, the festivities continued on to another locale for the gift exchange. This year it was Vicious Cir...

Bow wow wow yippy yaw yippy yay! Weird Kid gets to go to the Snoop Dogg concert tonight. Just like that. His friend got one of those suite box thingies. What are they called? I don't know. Sure it's not floor seats, but at least it's still catching a show in style. Armand Van Helden is playing Coyote's next Sunday. I'm keen. It's been a while since I've listened to his CDs, though. "Little black spiders.....those little black spiders."

Don't you want me, baby? Don't you want me, ahhhhh? If you know me you know that I had to try this out. I tried it once when Coyote linked it, but I never finished. Now I saw it again over at Desiree's. I live for 80s music!

It's giving a little Ah, bit of pressure lifted off of me...the traditional unifriends get-together is now only a " usual suspects " get-together. Shame on you if you saw that coming. It's a long awaited celebration of Latina and her man's engagement, at the very least. Plus, it buys me some time to neglect some of my friends' projects and just work on those that I have to hand out right away. I knew I should've planned it better! The first one completed was for one of the ones who can't make it on Sunday. Gah. For now, tradition has been pushed aside. Perhaps it'll become a coffee tradition. And this is Calgary! It scares me to think how this would all play out if we lived in New York. I don't think I'd ever see my friends. Well actually, that's not true, 'cuz it's not work that's really keeping us apart. It's family obligations. And you have to love your family. Love them! They are the only ones who ...

Note to self If there is anything I have learned while working on my little Christmas project for my friends it is this: Little Leah Home maker I most certainly am not. Oi vay. Which would also explain why I always buy the things I want/need rather than make them myself. I'll give them the finished(?) products anyway...maybe they'll get a good laugh out of them. Next time when I come up with a design, I'm passing off the creation of said vision to someone else more capable than I. *groans*

Numero uno! Heeeeey! Phenoms are number one going into the playoffs! Oh yeah! NE Express got beat by Sovereign and so now they're in 3rd. I'm sure it's just a blip and we'll come across them again during the finals. But now we're first! Yay! And wow, what a show the Phenoms put on today. It was definitely showtime; them with their snazzycakes passes and shots. It was terrific watching them shine. They beat Real Pinoy (or was it Club Pinoy? I don't remember) by 31 points. Insanity! Only bum thing that happened today was that Mijo broke down his financials and I guess I won't get to show him around in January. *sigh* I mean, realistically, yes...we both should have figured that it wasn't going to happen just like that, but it was sooo nice planning it as if it were real. And the poor guy definitely deserves a break from all his law school studying. We'll have to wait a little longer. Had to tweak the Christmas projects seeing as the...

"You came in with the breeze on Sunday morning." A weekend update before the weekend's over. Will wonders never cease? Last night was a little off. Daisy and I have become so accustomed to getting together to mark her schoolchildren's work that we were at a loss when we found ourselves with a completely free evening on our hands. Not wanting to waste this opportunity we racked our brains sitting in her car trying to think of something new we hadn't tried. Bear in mind that Daisy is still getting used to the whole winter driving business. We had a craving for Senor Carlos (I know, I know, NOT new!) but she wasn't keen on driving around there. Plus all we really needed were little noshies. I would've suggested Mortal Coil, but I always feel bad when Daisy cannot partake in the beverages at her "favorite place on Earth." We'd just been to Melrose recently with Civic. Then it dawned on us, we had never been to Wildwood. So off we wen...

Happy birthday, Spydermonkey! Hope you had a great time yesterday and today. Not fair that you guys are going to the afternoon show so I can't come along, but it's your birthday so that's alright. Take care!

"My boyfriend told me to be more affectionate...so now I have two boyfriends." I love finding new sassy messages on clothes. Too bad this was on a trucker hat...and a pink and red trucker hat, at that. (I despise pink and red together, and red and turquoise together. And yet they are 3 of my favorite colors.) I just don't do trucker hats. We'll just leave them to my brother and Ryan . They're snazzycakes on them. So today, since I finally established some rapport with a doctor I can finally call my own, I had my very first physical ever. Or at least I think it's my first one ever. I don't recall ever getting them when I was itty-bitty. It's a bad habit my family has, it is. I'm very glad I got it done. Now *fingers crossed* there shouldn't be any more surprises. Let's hope. I just have to figure out a time when I can get the bloodwork done. Bloodwork. Gah! The exam wasn't as bad as some had made it out to be. Maybe R...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas Well, us ladies of the house (minus my grandma) put up the tree last night and decorated our front door and our entertainment center and all that lovely stuffs. Pulled out all our Christmas CDs and everything. I felt much happier this year than when I decorated the tree on my own last year. Decorating on my own was depressing. Mind you we still put our tree up later than our normal tradition would dictate, but at least it was a group effort this year. So I was very happy decorating with my sister and my mom. I was singing along to 98 Degrees and everything. Only thing I'm bummed about is that I can't seem to find the Christmas CD from working at R. Our manager (who I wasn't a big fan of) burned us a nice compilation as a gift. She may not be the best person in the world, but that CD was terrifically thought out. I have to find it. I even ate some chestnuts yesterday. Don't you just love chestnuts? A lot of ...

Ding ding Right again you are lavender #E6E6FA Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy. Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working. Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything. the spacefem.com html color quiz

Innnnnteresting I should make a button like this for H-Lady.

Berry Delicious! You're Strawberry Shortcake! What 80's Cartoon Are You? brought to you by Quizilla

Happy birthday, Mijo! See, I'd never forget! Although I'm a bit concerned your birthday card may have not arrived on time. Have a great one, young'un!

Boom boom dollar Christmas, my I love it so, but I can see why some may have grudges against it. No doubt it is highly commercialized...but I still love picking out presents for my loved ones. I know it's the thought that counts, but I don't consider myself a very crafty person and rather than giving my friends shoddily-engineered crafts I opt for buying things much like the majority of the world. I'll have to hone my "project" skills. Anyway, some people may find themselves financially pinched during the holiday season. It reminds me of my younger days and how I would go about saving/getting money. Here are a few tricks I've learned. Forget the couch. Scrounge up change by hitting the "change" button on every single vending machine/coin-operated contraption you come into contact with. You would be surprised how often a couple of coins will fall out. When I was a little girl there used to be 2 newspaper boxes right on the corner of our lo...

Forget daydreams My mind wandered during my lunchbreak and I had a nightmare...but I was awake. A daymare? I don't even know how the awful thought wriggled its way into my head. I was blankly staring into HMV while I munched on my food...and I "dreamt" my goddaughter Lana was walking over to me with a big smile. That was odd. She usually has daycare at this hour. Perhaps her grandparents had the day off and decided to take her to the mall? Or perhaps Posie skipped lectures and took Lana out herself. I smiled at Lana and encouraged her to walk over to me while I looked around to see who she was with today. And then I saw them, and they were nobody I knew. Who were these people with Lana? They saw her wandering away and tried to call her back to them, but they were addressing her by a different name. Surely I had heard wrong? I would know Lana's smile anywhere, and this little angel was definitely her. She turned back to look at them and when she turned ...

You spin me right 'round I can't believe the weekend's over. For future reference, Moxie's makes this new "martini" called Banana Split that has chocolate milk as its base. It goes down so easy I'd have to say it could be dangerous. But it tastes oh soooooo good. When I wasn't with family or friends my time was spent playing Space Channel 5 or listening to This Is Not A Test (Go Missy!) Hence my lack of bloggage as of late. Yet again, Space Channel 5 has me addicted...but as of today I've completed both games several times so there isn't much left to "unlock" or whatever the video game terminology is. I think I can calm down now. And Missy's got me itching to groove at the bus stop, on the train platform, on the walk to work...one of these days I'm just going to let loose and be that crazy girl who dances in public listening to a Discman. I can definitely see it happening. Friday night saw us with Bizkette and he...

How could I miss this? Happy belated Thanksgiving to all my American friends! Hope the turkey was delicious, the pumpkin pie was yummy, and that you weren't too drowsy afterwards. :)

Welcome To everybody who has found my little site by looking up Jonathan Brandis: Welcome! I don't have any information that I can share with you beyond what you have most likely already found via articles on other sites, but I can share my feelings with you all. In a way I'm very happy to see how many of you have come here by looking for him. It shows that you all cared about him like I did. There have been a lot of you in the past few days. Thank you very much for sharing your comments and your emails about your experiences with him. I'm just a fan like the rest of you...but I appreciate sharing this common bond with you. Thanks again, Leah

Kismet He came to me in the night When I was alone and cold And the rain was beating hard Upon the shadows of my soul The night was truly black There was no moon, no stars All was silent but the rain That gently washed away my scars His soft blond hair was soaking wet His sweet lips were kissed by rain His deep blue eyes were grave and intense Full of sensitivity and pain We stood there breathing silently Raindrops trickled down his face He raised his arms to reach for me And I felt his warm embrace He led me to the shore of a lake And we sat beneath a tree Not speaking even a whisper He declared his love for me And the night began to crumble As the sun burst through the sky He lovingly took me with him And we left this world to die

A good cry I wrote that poem (Kismet) in junior high. It was about Jonathan Brandis until I altered the details so it described another guy. (For shame!) I've changed it back to its original edit. Back then I thought it was all romantic, but upon rereading it now it sounds kind of morbid. There are details in the Yahoo article that I hadn't read in anything else I had come across. Last night as I read about it a vivid image of what his final experiences must have been like came to mind and I broke down. And to be honest I think it's exactly what I was waiting for inside. Like I said, I've been surprised at how hard I've been taking his death...but no matter how miserable I was feeling I couldn't shed any tears. So it was actually a relief and a release when I finally cried last night. It really hurts to think that he, and a lot of others out there, felt/feel so hopeless that ending their own lives actually looked/looks inviting. They are loved an...

It is so Edited: I changed the date I met him, 'cuz obviously I didn't meet him in 2004. I meant 1994. I also added another article confirming his suicide. The details hurt even more. He committed suicide. And earlier they had said it could be 4-6 weeks until they got back all the tests. I never got to "marry Jonathan Brandis and move to Fraggle Rock." Side note for my own future reference: According to my scrapbook I met him on February 19, 1994. Lovely day that was.

Holding on Even though I didn't know him as well as I've known others who have died this past year, I'm still feeling low about the passing of Jonathan Brandis. To be honest, it has surprised me how much it has hit me. I mean, I've already grieved for those close to me. Why would I feel this same grief over an actor? Any free time I had this past weekend, I scoured the internet for news about him, and this one girl's explanation of grief made me realize why I was feeling so bad: she said that he had a been a huge chunk of her childhood. Jonathan Brandis was a humongous part of my youth. aqua_angel and I would write fan letters to him together during math class...I don't think we ever sent them. Every month I'd make 2 trips to the convenience store, once to pick up the latest Bop magazine, then another trip to pick up Big Bopper magazine. I'd carefully pluck the staples out of each one and separate the pinups from the written material then re-...

Can you hear me now? Last night was interesting and a half. Event of the evening: a noshie summit at Bizkette's new digs. I love her new place, by the way, it's so retro-revival kitschy and funky. And it suits her so well, she's kitschy and funky like that. So before we go to her house, we stop by the liquor store. Guy behind the cash counter was just a tad too happy to see us. His face just lit up and he was all: "Heyyyyy! How are you girls tonight?" I'm not sure what was up with that. It couldn't be that he had seen us before, making us "regulars." We'd never seen these guys work this store before. So yeah, we pick out our drinks. Mr. Enthusiasm goes at it again. "Hiiiiii, cutie-pie girl! Big party tonight?" (I swear on John Travolta's beautiful blue eyes this guy called me "cutie-pie girl.") "Uhhh, no, these are gifts, actually." "I'm sorry *big grin* Can I see some identifi...

The last page I'm glad to see that our newspaper has deemed Jonathan Brandis' death as publish-worthy material. I admit that I, like many of his old fans I'm sure, did not take much notice of his latest goings-ons and he isn't the teenybopper idol he once was...but to let him pass away without a mention would be rude and cruel to his memory. Though it's a bit morbid, I clipped that article (the picture they posted was of him on SeaQuest DSV...didn't they have anything more recent?) and I'll be adding it to that massive scrapbook of long ago. What a way to complete the "collection." I don't have Ladybugs , though now I really want to own a copy just for the sake of nostalgia. Perhaps I'll watch Sidekicks or a bit of SeaQuest DSV this weekend just to reminisce.

Crushed I'm soooooo choked. Jonathan Brandis is dead! Other than the New Kids on the Block, ;) Jonathan Brandis was the most massive teenybopper crush I had back in elementary and junior high. No matter how dumb his movies were (although I did enjoy Ladybugs back in the day) I watched them all. I'm sure I still have VHS tapes of recorded SeaQuest DSV episodes lying around somewhere. I even have a Jonathan Brandis action figure. *giggles* And you would not believe the scrapbook I put together about him back in the day. I think people would seriously question my sanity if they ever came across it. "He likes Yoohoo and has a terrier named Megan. He dated Tatyana Ali and Vinessa Shaw. He was born in Danbury, Connecticut. He likes to shop at Urban Outfitters... I could go on and on and on. I have his mom's recipe for chocolate chip cookies. It's really really good." I went through some humiliation for this guy. This crazy boy, we'll call h...

Well. This is different They're giving away an iPod complete with all of Missy Elliott's music! How cool is that?

It's like a middle-child thing, only worse I've never watched that Average Joe show, but if they made one with the gender roles reversed I'm thinking perhaps I should give it a go. Being "average" is so blah . Unfortunately, you get lost in the whole melange of things. You're not gorgeous so that everyone takes note...and yet you're not ugly so that people do their best to avoid you. All throughout school I was friends with all the different "types" of people: the uber-popular, the not-so-cool, the stars, the supporting characters. I was all over that. At the age where everyone seemed fixated on having a boyfriend/girlfriend I was stuck with boy friends who had girlfriends and girl friends who had boyfriends. And at that age, that kind of things digs into you. It was a blessing as well as a cuss. The sad state of affairs had it that the fat and the ugly were chosen 'cuz they would be "grateful" that some guy paid attent...

"Want a plane that loops the loop. Me, I want a hula hoop." ~ The Chipmunks singing a Christmas song. I knew I couldn't fight it for very long. I admit it, Christmas has got me. It's got me, babee! How could it not? I love baking, decorating, buying Christmas gifts. And ohhh, has inspiration slapped me on the ass! I hope I can get this plan up and running 'cuz I don't have much time until my annual gift exchange and dinner/brunch with the old uni-friends. Which reminds me, I have to figure out what day is good for them! I had a dream that I was opening Christmas cards from my friends and family, and in each card was an Italian charm which reminded them of me or was an aspect of them which they wanted me to carry with me always. (Clicking on the previous link will take you to some examples of Italian charm bracelets, in case you don't know what they are.) Go figure I would dream about a trendy fad like that but I was all emotional about it in m...

Something runs foul in Computer-land I can't upload pictures, I can't email attachments, I can't even get into my email period. It's always timing out. I know it's my computer. Pisser. So yeah, sorry if you haven't heard from me via email, the email situation has just turned from bad to worse. Hopefully this post comes through *knock on wood* 'cuz as of yet Blogger has been alright. And I'm afraid of the whole "virus on AIM profiles" rumors so I've blocked everyone but those on my buddy list already. If' you'd like to chat with me please let me know in my comments and I'll add you on. I'd say "email me" but, you know. And yeah, for now I'm just on AIM 'cuz even ICQ is acting pretty shoddy...as in I can't connect on ICQ. "I love you, I hate you, I love you, I hate you." ~ Frou Frou (dedicated to my computer.)

And they're going down My dad told me that a certain CPBA team lost a game last week, which means that now my beloved Phenoms are tied for first place with that certain team. Oh yeah, it's so on. We're getting that title back. To respect the passing of our friend's mother they held a moment of silence before the game. Also, our team sported black wristbands with her initials embroidered on them. Very touching. But for me it was also kind of spooky seeing as I have those same initials. We won again. I sincerely hope they keep it up. We've got three more games in the regular season...only one of which, by my research, should pose them the slightest bit of trouble. So long as they don't get all cocky, of course, they should be fine. We'll see NE Express in the finals. My family went to Burger Inn for lunch prior to the game. Yummmmy...haven't had Burger Inn at all this year so far. Actually, now that I think about it, that's kinda craz...

Remembrance When I first read the poem (? not sure if it's really a poem) The Creation by Kahlil Gibran these sentences really struck me: "He gave her the cup of happiness and said, 'Drink not from this cup unless you forget the past and the future, for happiness is naught but the moment.' And He also gave her a cup of sorrow and said, 'Drink from this cup and you will understand the meaning of the fleeting instants of the joy of life for sorrow ever abounds.'" I just found my old copy of Tears and Laughter and I read The Creation once again. I'm not sure if I agree with Mr. Gibran now that I've had time to think it over. A friend of the family's died last night. She was the mother of a young man who's good friends with my brother and best friend. I can't imagine how he's feeling right now. They invited me to come along with them to the guy's house to comfort him and his family and keep them company but I felt awkwa...

I'm sorry I'll get over it soon, I swear. Which David Usher Are You? Test created by Lilith . Dark, sultry and a bit mysterious, that's you. You may be quiet sometimes, but you have style, and an aura of elegance. Maybe it's because of all the opera you listen to, but you tend to be more cultured than your acquaintances. You have class and you're not afraid to show it.

I will survive Ryan is my hero for helping me nab this snazzycakes hottie photo of David Usher . Yes, his magical spell hasn't worn off me yet. It figures that when the day my doctor's appointment finally arrives my knee is doing, I'd say, 95% better than it was on Monday when I called. Still a bit tweaky, but at least I can go up and down stairs without cringing. Thankfully he still figured out what was wrong. Tendonitis, he says. Probably the day it snapped (Halloween Howler) I had submitted my knee to more activity than it was used to. That's what he said. Huh? I boogie every day. I groove as I change into my outfit for the day. I bop as I brush my teeth. I throw down as I wash the dishes. More activity than it's used to? Say what? At least it sounds like a one-off thing. I'm so grateful that I'll be able to salsa again, to bachata like there's no tomorrow, to continue working on my belly dancing.

C'mon ride the train As I was listening to the jukebox of songs on David Usher 's site (post-groping *giggles*) I came across a song called "F Train." I love it and wish he had sung it at the concert. It could not be more different compared to Black Black Heart. I realize I just posted lyrics on Tuesday but I need to get these words on record here. For me, it speaks of the reasons why I love taking the train and even walking down 17th or Kensington rather than taking the quickest or most direct route to my destination (aka the kindness of friends and their access to cars). I love people-watching; guessing what that man is thinking as he sits on the bench sipping his coffee. Or you wonder what the couple standing by the door are discussing in such an animated fashion. There's always something interesting going on on the train or on the street. Always . Last month Blockbuster phoned to let me know that the movie I special ordered, Subway Stories , was fin...

F Train by David Usher (Just one sec) (Lavalamps are good) Traveled on the f train down The people press and crowd They start to fade like footprints worn away Only stop and still I'm waiting A thousand faces look the same everyone A thousand different names They come on two by two People fade as people do Came here of my own volition Could be my decision Could be We may still get by We may still get by Wandered down on avenue A The coffee shops the sweet cache Of thoughts and words and laughter gone Never ending stream of what you've Known so long and long ignored Don't think so hard just smoke your cigarette And fade off into blue 'Cause people fade as people always do Consequence comes crashing in The scars and scrapes and scratches All the memories died so long ago Time is up but still I'm waiting Came here of my own volition Could be my decision Could be We may still get by We may still get by And we may still get by We ...

This is how we do it Or rather, this is how we did it. So Daisy and I filled out some ballots for a Ladies Nite package while we were at the Whiskey. And naturally, we won...or at least I won, haven't talked to her yet. It never fails. Actually, I think they just call up everyone who put their name in. I miss those days. Back when me and the girls used to go to Metro every Friday we would always win parties/bar tabs for the following week. Always. And my VIP membership didn't hurt, either. Last time I won a Ladies Nite package was for my beloved and defunct Roxy (now Tequila, so I can't complain.) But being that most of my friends fervently enjoy their vehicles, it was only Daisy and I who took advantage of the sweet ride and we met up with the other two there. Last year, if you recall, SunMoon got a Ladies Nite package at Coyotes right before she left for the Caribbean. Her and her friends definitely knew how to make the most of that evening. And so now I...

"Wink. I'll do the rest." David Usher 's shirt had that on it last night. I'll bet there were a lot of us winking at him at the Whiskey. And his wedding ring caught the light a bit too often for most of the ladies' liking, I'm sure. He's too hot for his own good is his problem. The Whiskey was gorgeous, too. I had never been there until last night, mostly due to their 25 and over age policy. I know you're going to say that, since we're girls, getting in shouldn't be a problem regardless of their age rules...but I've heard that The Whiskey is real strict about that. Actually, I tried to get a guest list there for my birthday this year and they wouldn't budge. Ha, I got them this time! My guess would be that The Drink transformed itself into Tantra in response to The Whiskey's snazzycakes setup. All I can say is that 10th Ave has just become one of my favorite streets in Calgary due to those two clubs. Being that Dai...

Black Black Heart by David Usher Something ugly this way comes Through my fingers sliding inside All these blessings all these burns I'm godless underneath your cover Search for pleasure search for pain In this world now I am undying I unfurl my flag my nation helpless Black black heart why would you offer more Why would you make it easier on me to satisfy I'm on fire I'm rotting to the core I'm eating all your kings and queens All your sex and your diamonds As I begin to lose my grip On these realities your sending Taste your mind and taste your sex I'm naked underneath your cover Covers lie and we will bend and borrow With the coming sign The tide will take the sea will rise and time will rape Black black heart why would you offer more Why would you make it easier on me to satisfy I'm on fire I'm rotting to the core I'm eating all your kings and queens All your sex and your diamonds Black black heart why would you offe...

The bunny saves The other day I was taking my beloved train to work when two Mormon Elders boarded at the next station. I've never seen them wear nametags before but now at least they're upfront about who they are. Their tags say "Elder so-and-so" and beneath that it says Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or whatever they call it these days. (Please note: I don't think they are a bad lot per se. A handful of my friends are Mormon and we get along fine. It's just that, you know, I don't push my beliefs on you so I'd appreciate it if you didn't push your beliefs on me. Sound good? Wanna shake on it? Fantastic.) You could tell they were scoping out the passengers for someone who looked "up" for a good discussion. I tried to make myself invisible but that's kind of difficult when you're standing right in front of them. They took one look at me and then shuffled back a bit. I was wearing what my brother teasing...

Hot or not I saw this gorgeous guy on Friday. Yummy Spanish accent, beautiful eyes, niiiiiiice arms, sexy smile, mmmmmm. Too bad he had boobs. And I'm not talking about "pecs." These were boobs. As soon as he turned away from me it was like "bam," there they were. Boobs. A little jiggly and a little saggy, too. Thank goodness I caught that just in time. 'Tis a shame, truly. Ryan assures me that Vin Diesel will never have this booby problem. Oh my God, Vin! Did you all catch him on the MTV Europe music awards? I let Peru-girl in on what she had missed. "Vin was on the awards. Mmmm, Vin. Did you watch it?" "No, I didn't realize." "He was wearing a leather kilt." "WHAT?" "It looked soooo damn good." "I never said I didn't like the mental image." Ohhhh yeah.

Synchronicity My planets must be aligned or something like that. Those up in Heaven are looking out for me very very well. I've been having problems with my contact lens the past week...unfortunately, my contact lens is a matter of necessity rather than vanity. The sight in my left eye is so bad that I need a contact lens along with my normal eyeglasses in order to see better. They could give me an eyeglass prescription sans contact lens combo but it would just look really weird since one side's lens would be dramatically thicker than the other. Hmm..I guess it could be considered vanity, then. Needless to say, my glasses are useless without that lens...and going without both makes me beyond all hope. Anyway, I just started on the last contact lens I had and put in my order for 2 more boxes last Monday. But for some reason this lens has been giving me grief...it's been absolutely uncomfortable (I've double-checked numerous times to make sure I wasn't wear...

Downtown Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty How can you lose? The lights are much brighter there You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go Downtown, things'll be great when you're Downtown, no finer place for sure Downtown, everything's waiting for you." ~ Downtown by Petula Clark I needed to mail away my cell phone rebate and rather than just drop it in the mailbox down the street I decided to take a little jaunt during my day off. So off I went, with a couple of invitations for this Sunday's Family and Friends day at my store, my cell phone mail, and an empty tummy. The plan was to visit my old coworkers at the agency, drop off my mail, and grab a falafel at Cedar's Deli (Cedar's has been voted the city's best falafel joint several years in a row and I'd have to agree wholeheartedly with the general consensus.) In the short time I've b...