Nothing wrong with my eyes on this one

I forgot to mention an encounter on the weekend. I love encounters like these:

I was working the closing shift on Friday night. When the jewelry girls are all busy and there aren't a lot of people to kill time with I can be quite the little busybee in my department. That reminds me of a childhood memory all of my friends seemed to have of which I have no recollection...but that's for another time.

Right, so jewelry girls were busy, evening was going slow. I set myself about restocking socks. You just know the work is crawling when you are restocking the smallest, most inexpensive items in your department.

That's when I noticed someone standing at my counter ready to buy some stuffs. As I'm heading over to my till I realize that the lady is really pretty. Don't get me wrong, I love the guys. But there's nothing wrong with recognizing players on your own team who really have it going on. This young lady was dressed chicly, her makeup was done perfectly; accenting her best facial features while looking minimal. I was almost at my till when the lady blurted out "Oh my God, Leah!"

Here was a girl I went through 9 years of school with. She's always been a sweetie, kind and thoughtful and, to appease the popular crowd, well dressed all at the same time...and blessed with a great nose. There aren't a lot of Filipinos who can say the same. :) Wow, she was always good-looking back then...but if the guys could see her now. Let's call her Lady B.

Despite admiring Lady B's gorgeousness, I've never been one to be jealous of another's appearance. I appreciate that everyone comes in different shapes and sizes. Admittedly, there have been times when I've seen someone and thought to myself "Wow, I'm so glad I don't look like that." but on the flipside, there haven't been any occasions where I've wished I looked like somebody else.

One girl who used to hang out with aqua_angel and the rest of us once commented about another girl how she would kill to have a body like hers...but she didn't want the face. She'd rather keep her own face. At the time I thought it was a diss. Actually, if she had said that to the girl it would have most definitely been a diss. It's easy to say so-and-so has great legs or he has a great butt and all...but I think it'd be more humane of us to see the whole person and appreciate them for how every part of them contributes to their unique beauty. I'm not saying I'm innocent in the matter 'cuz there have been times when I've mentally torn apart peoples' appearances, but it would be nicer to appreciate the whole person.

Come on, pass that dutch, baby! Shake shake shake your stuff, ladies!

Missy Elliott fans must surely know that her latest CD will be released November 25th. I'm just behind on sharing the news.

I can't wait. You all know that she's a major inspiration for my weight-loss situation. (Not to mention, Queen Latifah looks like she's doing/looking well herself.) Plus, Missy's music, I find, are just the right pace for my workout at the gym. Her and Daft Punk's Homework. Not Daft Punk's Discovery, Homework. Discovery is too lax and I've always felt that Homework was their better album, anyway. Having new grooves to work out to will be terrific.

Ramble ramble

Sooo sleepy and it's only 10 pm.

Phenoms won today! I forget who their opponents were this game around, but boy did they play rough. I wonder how Flamingo's team did? Sometime during the season they really need to lose so they'll be on even par with the Phenoms for the semi-finals/finals. Can we say "rematch?" Also, looking at their game schedules for the rest of the season, it doesn't look like I'll be seeing Flamingo at all for the next couple of months. Unless he comes early/stays late to watch a few other games.

Bizkette can't believe I'm still going on about Flamingo. I agree with her, but I can't help it. SunMoon can't believe that after all these years all of a sudden I'm too shy to start up a conversation with the guy. I can see where she's coming from, too. Bah.

My new phone is snazzycakes. I'm happy now. Loud earpiece, loud rings, a bit of a delay between the vibrate and the first ring, but that's alright. Downloaded a ringtone to determine its potential. It's all good. And I love plugging my schedule into the datebook...makes me feel even more important. :) I guess I can be impressed by bells and whistles after all.

The progress on becoming Elle Driver is at a total standstill. For the life of me I can't find a cheap (and I do mean cheap...I'm not going to wear one of "wedding-day" quality on a club crawl) garter belt. The only nurse costume I've come across was sleeveless with a stupid heart on the front...blonde wigs are inexplicably non-existent. Not only that, but all the eye-patches I've found come with pirate makeup and have a skull and crossbones embossed on it...so painting it will look funny after I turn it into the red cross on white patch design.

And to make matters worse, at one of the nightlife community sites I frequent I came across another Calgary girl who's planning on being Elle Driver. A natural blonde, and svelter physique, undoubtedly she'll look like the better Viper Assassin. *sigh* That kind of thing makes me want to choose a whole other costume.

For some reason, it feels like Halloween is, pardon the pun, "dead" this year. The major department stores in my mall (one being my store, the other being Sears) have foregone even having a Halloween department this year and have opted to start their Christmas push early. I heard the MAC counter playing funkdafied Christmas carols and I just wanted to run away. It's much too early for that. Even Wal-Mart has their Halloween and Christmas departments side by side, the Halloween being inferior to the Christmas. I even tried Superstore, they're just flat out of adult costumes...but from the looks of the area it's not like they had a lot to start with. Value Village/Salvation Army, you're my only hope!

Being a retail girl, I'm not appreciating the premature Christmas hype at all. If things carry on like this we'll be setting up Christmas trees right after the kids have gone back to school. Note: I'm by no means a scrooge. I adore decorating my Christmas tree and wrapping presents. But 3 months of Christmas is just waaaaaay too much.

Act your age!

I must thank Daisy and Bizkette for a wonderful evening out last night. I adore those Tirasmoothies at Kelsey's. Bizkette also showed us her soon-to-be digs. I'm so excited for her!

Word to those two: We have got to make certain that we keep each other inline with "the plan." We must see it through!

Not only did we have yummy drinks at Kelsey's, we also had some chocolate bubble tea afterwards! Aren't they unbelievably fantastic? (I mean the girls, although chocolate bubble tea rocks, too.)

Here's where the irony plays in. I had work today at 7:30 in the morning. Yes, groan with me people. We were going to go back to Bizkette's to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Yes, I know, if I were sensible I would've called it a night after the bubble tea...but I love hanging out with the girls so I wasn't going to be a party-pooper. As if by some sort of psychic connection, Bizkette started yawning and Daisy was feeling tired. So we ended up cutting the evening short anyway!

Yes, I realize this makes us sound old.

So Bizkette drops me off, and lo and behold, my mother and my grandma were playing Mah Jongg in the kitchen with two of my aunts. This was about 1 in the morning. I left them to it and went to bed.

Got up today at 6:30 and they were still going at it. Hooooooly crap. They didn't end the game until 7:15!

"Kids" these days!

Some good some bad

I absolutely thought I was going to get away with an Ericsson today. He was ringing it up and everything. But then a fellow salesguy informed him that they don't offer the Ericsson I wanted as part of the hardware upgrade anymore. *sigh* Sooooo close.

And I was leaning towards the V60 'cuz I figured it'd be louder and more practical...but salesguy and Weird Kid swayed me towards the T720 with all its fandangled bells and whistles.

Happy? Sad? I have no clue. I always suffer from a bit of post-purchase stress when it comes to expensive gizmos and whether or not I'll actually like them. Except for my computer, of course...that was an easy buy. We'll see how this puppy keeps up with me this weekend.

Think I could make this work for a Halloween costume?

And in other news, Ryan cleans up quite nicely...and the newlywed is wondering if he'll ever blog again.

There she goes. There she goes again.

And so we say goodbye again, SunMoon. I tell ya, 6 weeks just isn't enough these days. We never got to do Banff, never got to go rollerskating, never got to do a lot of things together.

It will be a loooong wait until June. I'm glad so many of us came to your farewell party. Isn't it nice to know you will be missed? Take good care of yourself while you're away. We'll all be here for you when you get back.

If you had told me then what you are telling me now...

Call it delayed teenage rebellion or whatever, but I am thinking that belly button piercings are pretty sexy. Mind you, I wouldn't want anything extravagant Just a regular barbell for me, thanks. I've seen some crazy ones, things that look like chandeliers dangling from one's tummy. Those make me extremely squeamish. I'm so scared that they'll get tugged off or something equally nasty.

So I bounced the idea off my mom. I figure, if I can get over my squeamishness, and after my tummy is flatter than it is now...I may go get myself a pierced navel. That's all I want. A couple people I know have nipples done. It sounds great, but there is no way I would be able to go through that.

You know what she said to me? "You're too old for that. Maybe if you were 18 or something, then that would be alright."

Excuse me? Sure at 18, I can go ahead and do whatever I want to my body. But I bet you she would have severe issues with my navel if I had gone ahead and done that when I was 18. It's super easy for her to say it would've been alright then now that, oh, 6 years have past! My mom, gotta love her.

Must. Flatten. My. Tummy.

"Now I know why he's a Red Hot Lover. He's pretty well-endowed...and the water was pretty cold, too."

Alright, before the wonderful evening watching Kill Bill Vol. I on Sunday, there was also the yummy turkey and the Phenoms' CPBA game and I haven't even touched on how Saturday went.

Phenoms vs. NE Express. NE Express won by one point. ONE POINT! with three seconds left to the game. We were leading by an entire basket up until that NE guy swished a three pointer with no time for us to get the ball back to our court. Grrrrr. Soooo close! I'm choked.

And, lo and behold, Flamingo got a crew cut which absolutely killed me. I doubt he knows of my affinity for buzzed 'dos, but ohhhhh man. Absolutely unfair.

Mind you, the fact that he won the game made it easy to dismiss his Marine-looking sexiness. After the game I was standing by the door to the gym as he headed towards me with this massive grin on his face. (He doesn't look as good when he's ecstatic, I've realized...or maybe I'm just bitter *grins*) I smile sweetly and wave hello.

F: Soooo close! *still beaming* Just one point!

L: Yeah, very tight game! *thinking "Why do I want to smack you right now?"* Congratulations!

I think the Phenoms took it much better than I did. *giggles*

---

So Saturday, as you all must know by now, I got a bit tipsy. Tequila ended up being a "go" but Bizkette had also invited us to the Night Gallery. One of the bands she likes, The Red Hot Lovers, was playing.

"I know this isn't really your scene, but I really appreciate your coming here tonight." Bizkette is such a sweetheart!

Night Gallery is "Home of the Darrylizer" Darrylizer being a supersized Paralyzer (unsure if it's vodka or tequila) I figured I wouldn't get many chances to experience the Night Gallery so I ordered one. Goes down reeeeeeal easy. Daisy bought Bizkette one as well, but since Bizkette was driving that night I got to be the lucky drinker. Yummmmmmy. And then, for good measure and since they were absolutely delicious, I had a third Darrylizer. While I could still "feel my legs" *inside joke* there was no doubt those Darrylizers hit me hard

Hence out came the verboseness that is Leah in all its glory.

Daisy - amused: "Le, you're so drunk."

And for the first time in a long while, I think I should've perhaps agreed with that statement, although I kept insisting I was only "tipsy."

We bid adieu to Bizkette and M soon after the Red Hot Lovers finished their set. Luckily, Tequila is only a few blocks away.

We got to Tequila around 1 a.m., I would say. We had walked by Tequila around quarter to 11 on our way to the Night Gallery and there had been a line-up at that hour...always a good sign as to the calibre of the club. I figured the line would've died away by this time, but we still had to wait a good 10 minutes or so to get in!

My 25 cent review: Tequila is terrific! They have not changed it much from the old Roxy (an old favorite of mine) and now their drink selection is even better.

Luckily Daisy had more of her wits about her and after a quick tour of the club she swiftly directed the two of us to the shooter bar before "last call." La di da, they had coffee tequila! (Note: coffee tequila had always been something we had wanted to try at Senor Carlos but they stopped carrying the stuff.) Indeed, we had to have a shot of that. Daisy did the ordering as I was already blissed out....and come to think of it, she probably did all the paying, too. I'll have to ask her about that. Seeing as we still had not located the "retail girls" we did another tour of the place before getting another shot. Watermelon tequila, gotta have it. Not sure how drunk the other guys at the shooter bar were since they informed Daisy that I was bleeding. Really it was the watermelon tequila splattered everywhere (yet somehow, luckily, it didn't splatter on my person)...wonder what they would've thought of the coffee tequila that I splattered all over as well.

Needless to say I would definitely like to go back. So many other tequilas still to try! Oh, and yes, we did find the retail girls. They were grabbing their coats to head home. Booooo. We'll have to try that again sometime. Daisy and I stuck around for a couple of songs and then decided to beat the crowd out of there.

Amazingly, Daisy didn't protest when I felt like trying to find Husky House again. On New Years Eve I had dragged the poor girl up and down the streets of downtown in the snow wearing our dresses and strappy sandals to try and find Husky House for our post-bar noshies. Our trek was a complete failure and we ended up at Humpty's. This time I was successful on the first try! Finally, after all my raving about their poutine Daisy could finally try some. Their serving wasn't as big as the Husky House in Red Deer but that's quite alright.

Some poor guy had way too much to drink and passed out cold right in front of the cash register. *thunk* I don't think I've ever passed out before, whether it be alcohol induced or heat or what have you. Never.

Other than NE Express beating the Phenoms and my lack of tiramisu I could not have asked for a better weekend!

I know "patience is a virtue" but whatever

La la la, I saw Kill Bill Vol. I last night, la la la la la.

Neener neener pumpkin eater...I did that, too. Pumpkin pie, that is.

Alright, Kill Bill Vol. I. Hands down one of the best movies I've ever seen in a long time. Sure, it was gross, but it has to be to emulate that old school samurai movie type style. Anybody remember watching Ran from junior high? That should give you an idea.

We made it to the latest show possible; 10:35. We sat at the very back (theatre filled up pretty quickly) and right in front of us were these kids who were maybe 8...10 years old. Their parents took them to go see the movie (parents were on the other side of our aisle...which made for extreme annoyance during the previews 'cuz the kids kept going back and forth between seats. Kill Bill Vol. I is rated 18A...doesn't that mean that kids aren't allowed in there? Even with adult supervision? I mean, don't get me wrong, my parents never screened what I could and couldn't see...but they would be rented flicks. My parents would never have actually taken me to a cinema to see such movies. Last night, I didn't blame the parents for it, 'cuz since they'd probably watch it once it was out at Blockbuster then there really is no argument for them not watching it at the theatre...but the ticket-takers outside the door definitely have some explaining to do.

If I was skinny, I'd be O-Ren Ishii for Halloween...flip my hair out and everything.

Uma Thurman, under Quentin's direction, is my hero. I only wish there had been some way to work Sam L. into the flick. He did such an amazing job on Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.

You have no idea how difficult it is to gush about this movie without being tempted to give anything away.

And oh yeah, I watched Reservoir Dogs. I'll have to watch it again since it might be one of those movies that grow on you. As of right now, though, I only love the first couple of scenes. Mr. Brown's monologue about Madonna is fantastic. "Dick dick dick dick dick dick dick." It certainly isn't Pulp Fiction, that's for sure. I still love Pulp.

I have to wait 4 months for Vol. II. Aaaaaaugh!

4 a.m. soooooo possed I feel youngf again. yAYAY YAYA!

Friday night and the weekend's here

This is bad, very bad. The more I'm away from the "working world" the more I'm resistant to becoming part of it. This week I worked at the store Monday to Friday. And as much as I adore my coworkers I did not enjoy having to take time out of my life to make an appearance and "work" 5 days in a row. To illustrate further just how spoiled/lazy I have become: my only full 8-hour day was on Monday, and the other 4 days I worked 6 hour shifts...and yet I whine. It sets the time I can workout (which I hate....I despise working out at the gym after all the 9-5ers have gotten out of work) and limits the times I can do my phonecalls (need to get in touch with Blue Cross, discuss my phone upgrade options...) and, ironically, constricts the times I can actually search for a job during open office hours. Bah.

Anyway, the weekend's here, and I actually have it off like the rest of you office-people. :) Well, except for Monday, but I'm not sweating that too much. I think we started off the weekend right already, thus far.

Last night, Civic met up with me at the mall to help him find presents for this girl he likes. Not to brag, but he is sooooo lucky to have me around as a shopping assistant. :) (Now THAT is a career I could definitely get into.) You want to know what he was looking for? Maple leaf earrings. Who in the world wants to wear maple leaf shapes on their ears??? Alright, no bashing, 'cuz apparently this girl does. Talk about fierce patriotism.

Now, you may ask, just where in the world can one find maple leaf earrings? Why, my store, of course! Don't ask me how I found that out...I just happened to be shopping one day and there they were. Clearly my mind knew to remember that for future reference so when Civic asked I knew EXACTLY where to go. Boo-yah.

The search for a Halloween costume.....well, that wasn't as successful. His brother's having a Halloween party so Civic, for the first time in years, I'd say, needs to find himself a costume. I have the Howler to prepare for, and I have no idea what I should be this year. As much as I love the Mia Wallace idea I don't want to be a chubby Mia Wallace. That and apparently a lot of people are Googling "mia wallace costume" so, yeah, originality gone. Anybody got any ideas?

Since this is a club crawl, after all, I can't dress very warmly and I don't want anything bulky and unattractive. I was thinking of wearing one of my black dresses....and then my bunny ears? And then I saw a set of bat wings which I thought was pretty clever as I've only seen angel, butterfly, and fairy wings (all very froo froo and blah-wussy). Put those three elements together and you get.....what??? I have no idea what that would be other than some mutant animal/girl freak. Daisy enthusiastically came up with the idea Bunnicula. But wasn't Bunnicula a boy bunny? Perhaps I can be Bunnicula's girlfriend....not that childhood book characters had romantic relationships. Oooh, I have a stoopid marabou fan or a magic fairy wand I can use...not that that helps any costume ideas any. Capes in black and red. Oi, somebody please give me some suggestions...they don't even have to use the props I've got right now.

Enough of that. Neither of us had had dinner yet so we went to Luciano's. Oddly enough, they weren't very busy. We got seated right away, our salads came like "boom" and our pastas were at the table before we even finished our salads. Weeeeird.

But Civic denied me of my tiramisu!!!!! Evil evil boy. Somehow we got it into our heads that we should have ice cream instead. We swung around to Daisy's to get her and headed back to the mall for some Marble Slab. Yes, that's right, the home of the orgasmic ice cream.

Sadly, something was amiss. My ice cream (I chose Amaretto mixed with strawberries) was not as orgasmic as my first one (peanut butter). It's "lost that loving feeling." Or maybe it was just an off-day at the creamery. My bad. Civic had wanted to go to Phillip's Forbidden Flavors but, wanting Daisy and him to experience the orgasminess of Marble Slab, led them there instead. Next time Phillip's, for sure.

Civic was a bit too under the weather to come out for drinks, but being a doll he dropped us off at Mortal Coil so we could have ours. Alas, it was just Daisy and I, but that's what you get when the invites are sent out half-assed and on short-notice. We had enough to pretend everyone was there, though. Daisy downed 4 and I consumed 3 martinis. I had my trademark Step Into The Light (jeanclaudevanDAMN, that's good), an Octopussy, and a Melissa Likes To Dance Real Slow. Honestly, where do they get their martini names???

Octopussy was my attempt at being adventurous and hardcore. Gin, vermouth, and olives. It was a lot smoother than I thought it'd be. Daisy had the first sip. D is Daisy, L is me.

D: It's like that stuff you have with meat.

L: (I had no clue what she was talking about, so I take it back from her to try...smelling, tasting) It smells like pepper, is that what you're talking about?

D: Is that what it is? *thinks* Yes! Pepper. Pepper goes with meat. Yeah, it must be pepper. You have a pepper martini!

L: Oooooookay.

So I learned sophistication = sipping a martini that smells and tastes like black pepper while nibbling on green olives (which surprisingly are better than solo black olives)

Melissa Likes To Dance Real Slow is one of their new martinis. It had mango liqueur, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, orange juice....vodka? I don't remember anymore. It was nice, but it wasn't a Step Into The Light, that's for sure. Actually, I would rank Can't Stand To See Your Face above the Melissa one as well.

Ummm, what's in the Step Into The Light? A cherry...very good...um, Tia Maria, creme de cacao, cherry brandy...vodka?...oh goodness, I don't know anymore.

What is crazy is that we actually got home at a decent hour: 12:30. We did allllll that, and still failed to close the bar down. Insanity at it's finest...but I suppose we should conserve our energy for tonight. Night Gallery for a while to hang with Bizkette to see her Red Hot Lovers and then Tequila with the retail girls (it's on again! I should never have doubted them!) Are you coming?

Buuuut...I don't want to be last!

Due to schedule conflicts, my brother and I can't catch Kill Bill Vol. I (one must stress that it is only the first installment of 2 parts!) until Tuesday at the earliest. I hate having grown-up adult schedules where we don't have much common free-time. All excited, I tried to set up a Kill Bill (Vol. I!) viewing with the little bro. B for baby bro, L for me.

B: Kill Bill got 4 outta 4 in the paper. (He always has to check the reviews, why it matters to him I don't know since the paper tends to hate movies we love.)

L: Were you expecting any less?

B: No no. I'm just saying.

L: Let's go watch it! But I can't today. I've got plans. You go see it without me tonight and I'll kill you.

B: I can't see it tonight anyways, I'm working.

L: I've got plans tomorrow night, but I'm not working in the day. Matinee?

B: I'm working in the afternoon, and it doesn't matter about the evening 'cuz we've got practice and then it's R's birthday.

L: Ah, that's right, that's right. I'm not working Sunday. Oh, but that's the game...and then it's turkey time! (It's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend.)

B: How about a Monday matinee?

L: I'm working.

B: You suck. I'm working Monday night. *sigh* Tuesday class finishes at 2. Matinee?

L: Yes!!! Tuesday! I can do Tuesday! *all of a sudden thinking to myself "Damnit, I have to wait until Tuesday now?!?!"*

So there you have it, Shem assumed I would pump out my review of the movie before him...but most likely it'll be the other way around. As I am enthused by all the fellow Tarentino fans who have presented themselves, I'm hoping/looking forward to reading some of your opinions as the weekend progresses. I'll be jealous, but I'll still read it. Since I have, ashamedly, failed to see Reservoir Dogs up until now...I think it would be a good time to rent it. That way I can say I've seen all his movies after I've watched Kill Bill Vol. I.

Now at a theatre near you

Ohhhhh my. Kill Bill Vol. I is out today. The anticipation is over.

As much as I adore Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, I'm ashamed to admit I have not seen Reservoir Dogs. Up until Pulp Fiction came out, I didn't even know Quentin Tarentino was cool...and Reservoir Dogs sounded like one of those war movies that my dad loves so much hence I paid no attention to it. I must rectify that situation soon.

Showcase aired Jackie Brown last night and Pulp Fiction tonight in preparation for Kill Bill. Even though I own both movies I still watched it on TV to catch some of my favorite scenes. Perhaps they showed Reservoir Dogs the night before Jackie Brown? I didn't catch it. No matter. I'm sure after I finally see it I'll be adding it to my collection as well.

Mooooving right along, all the weekend plans have been shuffled around. Tequila tomorrow night may be a no-go (shrinking turnout...pet peeve no. 235: people who don't know how to commit to an engagement) Unfortunately, the exotic potluck dinner isn't going to happen Saturday either (again, lack of commitment). A complete shame. New engagements are popping up, as they are apt to do, so the weekend won't be wasted.

I hope the Phenoms kick NE Express' asses.

And speaking of lack of commitment, C-Girl moved out of the apartment she shared with her boyfriend this week. She performed the move "on the sly." Everybody around her is cheering her on, and I'm happy for her. What happened, you ask? Well, it's not that they fought or anything like that. The problem was: after six years of dating he still had not proposed to her.

She didn't move out on an impulse as she had "given (him) a deadline." Some may be shocked that she would leave just because of that. Is it old fashioned for her to have that whole "why am I wasting my time?" mentality? I mean, why end a relationship that was perfectly fine? Yeah, sure, but everything wasn't "perfectly fine" since she wanted a deeper commitment than piddling through life together sans title. Maybe he doesn't think marriage is that big of a deal? Well then, if it doesn't matter much to him, but it definitely matters to the one he cares about, then couldn't he just make her happy and give her that ring? Apparently he must have been thinking that, 'cuz he called her up all whining and mentioning that he had a ring ready and all that. C-Girl is a tough cookie, though. It's too late for the poor guy.

Besides, everyone deserves someone who will be devoted to you without any hesitation. It may take a bit of time to get there, but they should know by some point that what they've got going is a good thing. Three years sounds good. Everyone knows that two years (sorry, too lazy to find my old post on the matter) is the make-or-break mark. By three years you should definitely know how you feel about a person.

And if it's absolutely right, maybe it takes even less time. My parents met in March, and got married in July. That blows my mind. I asked them when they got engaged, and I just got a sort of blank look from my mom. Really, there was no engagement period that they can pinpoint. Were they reckless? I would assume that it must've looked that way to some people. But they've been together 25 years now so I'd like to think they really, honestly knew what they had found in each other.

I'll have a shot of watermelon tequila...and some drama to chase it down, thanks.

Senor Carlos has got to be one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Alright, I have a lot of "favorite restaurants" -- most I can't take the whole crew to since everyone's tastes are so diverse -- but Senor Carlos is definitely up there. It has become Posie's favorite, too. They must have had a serious hiring binge in the past little while (we haven't gone since May) 'cuz now we know 3 people who work there. 2 of them are new. Not sure what to think of that.

First one, we'll call him Scrub (yes, very old terminology), is the textbook definition of a deadbeat dad. Moreover, his deadbeatdad-ness is of personal importance to our family circle. Anyway, one of us believes that he owes us free food. The other, knowing that he knows she does not hold him in very high regard, is concerned he'll spit in said food, or worse. I mean, yes, it's a show of solidarity to saunter in there not caring if he sees and all...but I don't want him doing anything to that cajete sauce in my dessert.

The other guy is a definite draw to go eat there. Let's call him Eddie. According to a friend from high school they saw Eddie recently working at Senor Carlos. I haven't seen Eddie since high school, and we lost touch about a year after that. So it's a good 5 years or so now. I had (still have?) a little crush on him, even though he's my friend. Trouble was, back then, that Daisy had a crush on him, too. Since she was the first to admit to her crush she then had "dibs" on him should anything happen. I mean, Daisy didn't find out until maybe 3 years ago that I liked Eddie, too. Anyway, now's the perfect chance for us to see how he's changed and everything.

Is the risk of consuming tainted Mexican fare worth catching up with an old hottie? We shall see.

A steal!

I was going to say "Bow down to the shopping goddess!" but I may have competition for the title now.

Over the weekend I got the snazziest little Nine West purse off the clearance section at my store. It used to be a "special buy" of 29.99 and then it hit clearance and, ta-da, this weekend we blew it out with an additional 60% off the last price. How much did I spend on my Nine West bag? $3.64. And that includes our 7% tax. Uh, just don't ask me how many purses I have now. Even I don't want to know. But looking in one corner of my room I count at least 10. And those are purses I used at some point in the past month (as in, not sitting in my closet gathering dust.)

But see, mare got a suede military-style coat for 27 dollars! I mean, most decent pairs of shoes cost more than that, and she got a COAT for that price! Even I bow down to that.

My little trooper

Reading kool keith's post about preparing some water for wacko reminded me that it was about that time for Taco's "bath" so to speak. So I prepped some water, oh I don't know, I think it was last Thursday or Friday with the intentions of changing his H20 as soon as the water got itself all conditioned and room temperature-ish. Yeah, well, the new water sat there by his mini-tank for days and days and days. This morning I finally got down to switching him over. I went over to him to say good morning (Yes, I know he's just a fish, but he's my little pal.) and I found him floating on his side.

Oh. my. god.

So I stooped over so we were eye to eye and he got himself upright and glared at me for a second, as if to say "Change my water already, you stoopid ho!" and then went back to "chilling" on his side. Poor little guy.

His little tank got a good scrubbing, and now he's all swimmy-spectacular again. Hopefully he doesn't mess with my mind like that for a while to come.

Chicosan, his predecessor, died shortly after my radiation treatment finished. I was choked. My dad had given me Chicosan as a feel-better present..."someone" to keep my spirits up (not that my family didn't do that themselves.) Taco came along to represent a new start, or I'd like to think he did.

He's been a tough little guy, even surviving my godson's excessive curiosity. A fighter, Taco is. Amazing how inspirational a little fish can be.

It's 12 a.m. and all's well.

Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm feeling much better now.

Also, thankfully, Flamingo wasn't at the gym yet when the Phenoms had their game. He did not see me in all my wretched sickliness. And the Phenoms won again! Yay, Phenoms! Next week, 2:30, they'll duke it out with Flamingo's team. Ooooooh, that's going to be a tight game!

I still can't figure out what Double J says when Bobby C falls off the bridge. I mean, how many times have I watched that movie? And each time I've watched it I've played that one scene at least twice to try and figure out the line....still can't tell. Though, this time around, thanks to Daisy's tip I DID notice Annette smirking after looking at her own chest in comparison to the topless gogo dancer's.

This Saturday SunMoon is having an "exotic food" potluck....open invitation. Bring something you don't think anyone else has tried. Then, time permitting, me and the retail girls are heading to Tequila for some girls' fun. Daisy's in, are you? No worries if you're a guy, there's 10 girls in your midst, guaranteed, at least. We don't bite. Peru-girl will be there. She's single, a mini-hottie. I wouldn't steer you wrong.

Ring-a-ling-a-ling

As excited as I am to be shopping for a new phone, I always forget how annoying it is to deal with celly dealers. Actually, scratch that. I've had great guys help me out with my cellies...it's the uncertainty with deciding between phones that I can't handle. It takes up too much time.

I wish my brother had his "supposed" new Ericsson (just like the one I want) but he's been on a waiting list for it for about two months now. It might not even matter if I got to see his and decide that's the one for me. According to one of the cell guys I talked to today, they took the T306 off the upgrade program. Say it ain't so!

After zak suggested the Sanyos I went searching for one. I'm open to trying the other brands (though not sure about the Siemens....anybody know?) Unfortunately, my provider doesn't sell Sanyos. And since I really don't need one of those crazy phone/palmpilot thingies that leaves me with Panasonic. My brother's current phone is a Panasonic and it's served him well. I'll admit, the latest Panasonic is really sexy, but much too rich for my needs.

So if I can't have an Ericsson it's going to obviously be a Motorola. But V60 or T720?? Reading some reviews Ericsson leads Motorola when it comes to reception, though I had a hunch about that. No matter. If I can't have it I can't have it.

Thing with the celly guys I deal with, I don't know if they're being flirty or just being extra charming to sell something. I got a great deal on my Ericsson last time in that fashion. Now this new guy seems to be the same way (they work for different stores) so I'm wondering if I could eke out an Ericsson from him I mean, it's a sale, right? And it would be awfully sweet of him if he could pull a few strings for me.

I'll give it a go next Monday, hopefully they get some in stock (they didn't receive any today) and his boss isn't around. He was kind of hesitant to talk prices with the big guy present today.

Me so smart

It's 3 in the friggin' morning and I feel sort of lame since I've been home since midnight. Then again, I'm all sniffly like I said before. So what's up with the nightowl behavior? I blame all the coffee I consumed while I was out earlier this evening.

Buuuuut....in my insomniac state I piddled around with my blog and managed to fix my permalink problem. Yay for me! Do I feel more page design-literate as a result? Not really.

Oi vay, this headache just won't quit. I can't figure out if I should blame it on my sinuses or to all the caffeine. I'm going to look so beeyootiful tomorrow in front of Flamingo during the game. *sigh*

Sexy noises turn me on

What's with guys and their fixation with raspy voices? Civic loves Tara Reid's voice...and yeah, I suppose it's a good voice. But TARA REID????

I guess it's not just guys. I mean, Vin Diesel, hello? I'd let him growl at me anytime. :) And Jason Statham has a sexy voice, too. Mmmm. Growly boys.

I've always hated how I sound on recordings. I know most people are like that, but I really don't think recordings do my voice justice. At least, not as I hear it in my head.

Being sick sometimes has the unexpected benefit of sexifying one's voice. I think I'm on the way to one of those voices. Not appreciating the runny nose business, but the voice sounds good. At least, in my head it does. Well alright, except for the annoyance of sounding all stuffed up.

Now would be a nice time to curl up on the couch and watch Saturday Night Fever.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Bastitch!

You need to get out more often

To the guy (at least I would hope you're a guy) who googled my site with "chubby filipina babes":

I checked out what kind of sites would have been alongside mine when you typed in your search, and I bet you were disappointed in my blog. Weren't you? WEREN'T YOU????

Pervert.

Boooooooo

Is anyone else having problems making links to their previous posts? Mine just don't match up anymore, and I've scrutinized it very carefully. This bites goats.

Not only that, but I have a sneaking suspicion that everyone who has used Haloscan forever lost all their comments past June. I know I did. I looked at aqua angel's blog and noticed the same thing. Grrrr. How about your comments, Desiree?

A penny saved...

I think I was 10 when my parents took my brother and I to the bank so we could start our very own savings accounts (not the secret ones they had for us...as far as we knew, we didn't have bank accounts yet.) I deposited a whole 12 dollars. We weren't raised on the whole chores/allowance system. Once in a while they gave us money to buy ourselves treats and such. And of course there were birthdays and Christmas, and with so many relatives all around us and with most of them not being very big on shopping for presents our take was pretty good.

You know how else I got my change when I was a little girl? Pay phones and newspaper boxes. Always check the coin slot for change left behind. Always. Oh yeah, and the shopping carts people are too lazy to return for their quarter. That's cashmoney, too. (Although now those carts are worth a dollar! Geez, kids have it great these days.) I didn't babysit until I was 13.

So yeah, we got bank accounts. We learned the drill, drop money at the bank, watch the numbers on your bankbook grow and grow. And there was that magical thing called interest, and it would drop more coin into your account, depending on how much you had hoarded already.

And then I actually got a job, and I actually started spending on the regular. And you know what I realized? Interest sucks. Interest on credit cards...even interest on bank accounts.

Picture this. You're a university student. Basically with school taking up most of your time you only have it within you to take on a part-time job...maybe a full-time job. Most likely, you'll end up working in the hospitality or retail industry. Ooooh, ka-ching ka-ching. (I'm being sarcastic here.) So, unless your parents are filthy rich and shower you with monetary "donations" frequently, you're living from paycheck to paycheck.

Savings? What's that?

The bank stores your money. It goes in, it flows out. Some accounts may have more flowing out than going in, but that's a whole other story. You're lucky if you have any cash left for your enjoyment at the end of the month or what have you. But you know what? The bank is taking away whatever money you have left in there, just nibbling away at it.

Most students and their banks have a great agreement where they pay no fees so long as they're still in school, or maybe they have reduced fees. This still has limits on how many transactions they can do, etc. etc. Just from what I can remember from my bank back in the day, say your bank fees are waived, but after 10 transactions in that month you're charged 50 cents for each additional transaction. And don't even get me started on that stupid 1.75 additional charge on top of your own bank's charges when you withdraw money from a different bank's ATM.

Alright, so you buy groceries once a week. That's 4 transactions. You pay your phone bill. You make payments on your 2 credit cards. You pay your internet using online banking. You write a check for your rent. You pay your cable. You pay your electric. Cell phone? Another payment. Get some new clothes. Maybe eat out once in a while. Even if you're watching your debit transactions, it's easy to go over 10. More likely you've got 12-15 at least.

Let's be optimistic and say you only went 3 transactions over your limit. At 50 cents each that's 1.50 you'll be losing from your account at the end of the month. Oops, and one of those transactions was at an "other" ATM. Ding you another 1.75. That's 3.25 on top of your "free service fee."

And what kind of interest did you earn, considering the rates these days, on what little you were able to save - if any? 2 measly dollars. You just lost a buck twenty-five by doing business with your local bank. It's been a pleasure.

So a dollar or two is really nothing for having the convenience and security of managing your money through the bank. But it still bothers me. They're taking your money so you can have the "privilege" of using your money. It's like giving someone your car, but everytime you need the car for a ride you have to hand that other person bus/cab fare. You're paying someone off so you can use your own car! Not to mention, since it's your car, you're the one paying for the insurance and the gas and repairs.

I've found that it doesn't feel better once you're out of school. Bank plan fees are 8.50 a month at the very least. Even if you've got a good hunk of cash sitting in your account...you'd need a LOT to earn enough interest to make that minimum 8.50 loss negligible.

Like I've said, interest sucks. It slows the bleeding on your account, but that's about it.

"You can be what you want to be...In Living Color"

I miss that show. Lots.

So October is upon us, and you all know what that means. We have a month to figure out our costumes, more or less. Halloween Howler (the annual club crawl) is on November 1st this year.

Are you with me, people???

I can't decide what I want to be this year. Who knows what the weather will be like at the end of the month, but the clubs are always boiling. Lara Croft was a blast, and I'd like to make my Playboy costume more authentic someday. However, that's not going to happen this year, nu-uh.

You know? I've always wanted to be a boxer. That deserves some consideration.

If I had a more savvy group (I doubt Civic and Daisy could help me pull this one off, considering they are most likely indifferent to the idea.) I'd definitely want to do an ensemble costume. I mean, I could be Mia Wallace, someone else could be Vincent Vega, another Butch, another Marsellus Wallace, somebody else as Jules. My first year with the Howler I saw a chick dressed as Mia Wallace, complete with the nosebleed and the syringe in her chest and everything. I was in total awe at her originality.

That was also the year that I had a dream that Mr. Right would be at the Howler dressed as Zorro (I think I have a Zorro fetish.) Did I find Zorro? Well, there was one Zorro there...but not the Zorro of my dreams.

I wish SunMoon was going to still be in the city when Howler goes down.

"Brown girl in the ring, traalalalala. There's a brown girl in the ring, traaalalalalala."

Who in the world came up with that song? Never mind, just found out it's Boney M. Go figure.

"She looks like a sugar in a plum, plum plum."

Oi, anyway. Cell phone, contract's been two years now. You know what that means, boys and girls? Hardware upgrade!

I was shocked, nay, baffled, when I tried to get some guys' opinions on phones. Guys are gadgety, correct? They know what's good and what's not-so-good....ask them! Turns out, no, a phone is a phone is a phone. Whoa, could've fooled me.

Alright, so in the past I've had that big honking Motorola MicroTAC (Micro, hah!) which turned into the Ericsson T18d. I adored that Ericsson. Then it broke, and it was past warranty...and it was more cost-effective to just get a new phone (hardware upgrade yet again). So, being a moron, I got the Nokia 3360. And I KNEW I shouldn't have got it. You see, when they were busy looking at my Ericsson to give me a repair quote they gave me a Nokia 3310 (and I'm sure these numbers mean nothing to you, I've just realized....you all seem to memorize the letters and numbers that go with cars but with phones??? Whatever.) and I despised it. So WHAT if I could get downloadable ringtones. So WHAT if it had games?

The past two years I've realized that I really don't like Nokias. They are nothing but flashy toys. Ooh, get a flashing battery! (I admit, I have that.) Get a new faceplate! (I admit, I have that, too. I think I was trying to make my phone more likeable) I really don't need a phone that has an FM radio and MP3 player. What is that all about? No more Nokia for me, thanks.

My massive Motorola, or as my friends called it at the time, "Desert Storm" (Think, Clooney and Wahlberg in Three Kings.) was very reliable, and thank goodness they don't make them that size anymore. So Motorola's a possibility. However, Daisy and Bizkette both own the C333...and I'm ashamed to admit I failed them in getting a highly practical, yet snazzy, phone. It isn't very loud when you talk/listen. Polyphonic ringtones are another one of those "ooh pretty but absolutely worthless" features. You can't hear the phone ringing in your purse, definitely not in a bar, or even just walking down a busy street.

I guess polyphonic ringtones are the latest rage/plague. I don't think I'll get away with a phone that isn't polyphonic unless I go for an older, practically obsolete model.

Which brings me back to Ericsson. My T18d was insanely loud, but it wasn't polyphonic so that was good. However, even if I somehow didn't hear it ring, the vibratealert was so manic that there was no way I would miss it ringing in my purse. Hopefully their latest, although they have paired up with Sony, would have that kind of fierce vibratealert.

So out of these my heart is setting itself on one of these.

Unless someone can tell me the merits of considering this.

Does anybody have any opinions at all?

You should be dancing!

"Dance like nobody's watching and love like you'll never get hurt." Or something like that. What about love like nobody's watching and dance like you'll never get hurt? I think that would apply to me better than the first statement.

Mijo and I were talking one time, and he mentioned how, at the clubs he went to (which hadn't been a lot....he's not very into the club scene) you weren't allowed to bring your drink onto the dancefloor. A wise policy, albeit an annoying one.

If the clubs I've been to would follow that kind of rule, the floor would be less slippery/sticky/sharp with glass shards. Then again, perhaps it's not enough. I've had some morons drop their beer bottles from the balconies onto the dancefloor...and a piece of glass will fly by and nick me in the leg. That has happened to me twice.

But if we couldn't drink on the dancefloor, then I'd actually have to stop dancing just to wet my throat. We can't be having that, either.

And SunMoon wouldn't have any ammo against WetBoy. That would be a travesty!

Back in the days when I thought owning and running my own club was a definite possibility, I used to ponder this drinking/dancefloor situation. What if made the dancefloor out of some kind of metal grill? Girls in stilettoes would be cursing me. I could have the floor slanted so the liquids drain away....but inebriated dancers might have difficulty navigating it. Plus, it wouldn't solve the glass problem.

Perhaps I shall simply serve my alcohol in SippyCups. We could call the club Preskool. Oi, I can't believe I just said that.

Anyway, one thing's for sure. People must've respected the dancefloor a lot more in the 70s. Can you imagine Travolta doing his thing on sticky-wet sharpness?

I hate those shirts called "crumbcatchers," but apparently I catch crumbs anyway.

Embarassing fact about me: I have horrible luck with regards to food and my shirts. That is, food usually falls on my shirt, or if they're just out to get me that day, it will fall in my shirt.

Man, I can't believe I'm admitting to that. But you can ask any of my friends. They'll tell it to you straight. And it's not even anything like I chew my food all nasty (ie. with my mouth open snapping like a turtle....that's just not me) and stuffs. Usually, it'll fall on me before it even gets to my mouth. Butterfingers.

Ice cream is a typical culprit...but I've been doing extremely well with ice cream for the past few years. Condiments are particularly evil. Ketchup, gravy, veggie dip...those usually get me without fail.

One Bermuda Shorts Day, actually, I think it was the one where I was dressed as you see in the top right-hand corner, a piece of popcorn chicken flew out of my hands and down my top. Beautiful. Remind Daisy of the incident and she'll crack right up. There is just no way of retrieving that popcorn chicken with dignity and grace without the aid of a nearby bathroom.

However, apparently I have a new problem: bugs.

I won't tell you when it happened, or who was there...just suffice it to say it happened.

I was outside hanging out with this guy while waiting for a few others. A bug, a friendly one at least, decided to land on my forehead. What nerve! So I go to brush it away when whoosh it swiftly dove down my top. Mortified doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.

Guy says "Yeah, that was some bug that landed on you, huh?"

I'm thinking "Oh my god, did he see where that bug went???"

I'm trying to play it cool, finding a good lull in the conversation where I can flee to the bathroom to, you know, fish it out. Said bug was trying to make matters easier by getting itself out on its own. May I remind you, though, that I'm extremely ticklish and it took everything I had not to jump around, squirm, scream, what have you, and just keep on chatting as if nothing had just happened.

Mercifully, as I turned slightly away from the guy the bug eventually found its way and FLUTTERED out of my shirt. I could have died. Luckily, guy just kept on chatting as if nothing was amiss. I have no idea if he saw it fly away or not.

Stupid bug. It's not like it could have found any popcorn chicken down there.

Family togetherness

Today was the opening day for the Calgary Pilipino Basketball Association season (I don't like how they spell Filipino with a P, but whatever). Weird Kid is now a part of the Phenoms with Spydermonkey.

And yes, Flamingo was there with his team. Furthermore, I deserve some beats from you all for not getting in touch with him like you had motivated me to do. In my defense, I myself can't understand why I'm stalling. I've never been intimidated or shy around him, and now I'm coming up with all sorts of excuses to delay phoning or even emailing him. Though I did write him a note on his guestbook. Yes, I know, very cowardly and it'll hardly get the job done.

Wouldn't you know, the Phenoms were slated, by the luck of the draw, to go up against Flamingo's team as the first game of the season. For some reason, as the two teams were warming up, the game order was all shuffled around and the Phenoms ended up playing the second game against, uh, I don't remember who they played. Flamingo's game was third, but I didn't stick around for that.

I've got a feeling Flamingo's going to try and steal my brother's friend away from the Phenoms for his own team. Not that I'm the sisterly-basketball version of a soccer mom, but that's got me on edge. I don't blame him for scheming to lure him away. The friend scored 14 points that game, and he was sleepy. I'm so proud of these boys.

And, oh yeah, we won. Go Phenoms!

In other news during the competition, Flamingo decided to play the See-you-see-me game. I'm so sick and tired of that game; we're not in junior high anymore. You say "hi" to my mom and neglect to greet me likewise? Sprawl all over the bleachers in front of me just in case I didn't happen to see you? Well, I suppose I could've said "hi" first, but that's no excuse. Alright, it's a draw.

Spydermonkey, Weird Kid and I ended up catching The Rundown tonight. They're absolutely right. That movie was terrific. Exceeded my expectations completely.

Pillsbury doughgirl

Last night was the first time Daisy and I had visited Sunny's place in a really long time. Daisy pointed out it was almost like a wake for Sexy Eyes. I suppose it could've been. It's sad to think that everyone was together and that normally she would be there right along with us....but not anymore.

Otherwise, it was great being in the company of "Sunny's world" once again. Along with Sunny and Sunny Boy come a group of people that we don't see otherwise...terrific people, fun people.

Moment from last night that still makes me laugh today:

Daisy and I were at the dining room table flipping through a catalog with CTGirl while most of "the men" sat on the couches watching Days of Thunder. Daisy, in her usual excited way, starts gesturing grandly while talking about some of the items she's seen before, blah blah blah. I'm sitting around the corner from her since we were looking at the catalog together and all, and unfortunately for me, CTBoy was on the couch directly behind my chair and started poking me in the side. I'm horribly ticklish, but thank goodness I've past the "shrieking and squealing" stage (or it's at least somewhat under control.) Needless to say, all this side-poking is causing me to squirm and flinch and jerk about all spasmically (Ryan assures me this is a real word, though it looks kinda funny to me.) but I bite my lip so there are no crazy girly outbursts.

Daisy looks at me all concerned. "I'm not going to hit you, Le"

Me, shocked. "Of course not! Why would you hit me???"

Apparently, the poor girl thought I was ducking her enthusiastic arm movements. Hmm...perhaps this is one of those things where you had to be there for it to be funny...but I'm cracking up as I'm writing this, so it's precious to me. I'm keeping it.

"And I know you're looking down on me from Heaven, like so many friends we've lost along the way." ~ One Sweet Day (Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men)

I'm ready to say something now. She can fill you in on the details. My post is more of an observation.

Tonight was Sexy Eyes' memorial service (I hope she would have liked that nickname...everytime I hear that old Whigfield song I think of her and how she would act it out.). Tomorrow will be her funeral mass, one last chance for all of us to say goodbye.

"When you realize in a blink of an eye - you walking down a church aisle and that was meant for weddings and happiness but realizing those same church aisles are used to view a loved one for the last time..." ~ Missy Elliott (intro to Under Construction)

Those words could not have been more perfect for a night like tonight. For some of us, this was the first time we had all been together at that church since our High School Graduation Mass. This was where we celebrated the beginning of our adult lives...and now we were all gathered again to mourn the end of one of those lives.

Our old band director was there with one of our old sectional leaders, providing the musical accompaniment to the service. I realized that, although I shrugged off my membership to the group during those days, our bonds were solid. And I'm truly glad that I never quit the marching band, because those were experiences we shared that I will treasure forever. They even had a little tribute in her honor up at the front. There was a marching french horn (her instrument) and a cartoon cutout of a band member topped off by the actual hat of our old uniform. This complemented the sunflowers at the altar, the kanji characters, her beautiful portrait beaming at us.

Sunny's father presided at the service, which made it all the more personal and intimate. My heart aches for Sunny; I cannot imagine losing my best friend in such an abrupt fashion.

There were a lot of people there. While it is certainly not a popularity contest, it was great to see how many people cared for her, all the people she had touched.

My deepest sympathies go out to her family. They look like such a loving clan.

I don't recall the exact details...but a long time ago Daisy relayed to me this one experience her junior high class had with a guest speaker. If anyone else had this same speech delivered to them please fill in the blanks for me.

The speaker, I'm not sure what his message was that day, but he left the class with this thought to ponder: "In 10 (20?) years, half of you will not be here."

Like I said, I don't recall the details, and it just struck me recently when I remembered it all of a sudden. At the time she had first told that to me, I had assumed that perhaps he meant that we'd be living in different cities, different countries. But maybe she (and the speaker) meant that half of us would not even be here, on Earth, in that period of time.

What scares me is...I think they may be right. So many people around my age have gone ahead of us, and in ways we would never expect. Leukemia, falling through an elevator shaft, driving late at night, flying a plane...with the exception of my friend with leukemia, the rest of them have been taken from us so abruptly. And the one thing they all had in common was their enjoyment of life. They were happy.

That was the part that made me angry about Sexy Eyes' death. She was shortchanged. A life being enjoyed to its fullest potential should not be cut short. This is selfish and mean-spirited, but there are others out there who would have benefitted more from dying than she did. (Goodness, I know that did not come out right, but I cannot find the words that I am trying to say right now.)

And in another convoluted way of saying things, she had the easiest time compared to those of us she left behind. There is so much grief and heartache that her loved ones have yet to cope with. That has got to be the hardest part of all, being the ones remaining.

I think, in a perfect world, I would be the last to die out of my loved ones. I can't bear to think of my family mourning over me. I would rather be the one to suffer through the pain of losing them. Apparently, after telling Posie I had cancer she stayed awake that night, crying. (Her mother told me.) That was the last thing I wanted. Let me be the one to do all that. I would take away all my loved ones' tears and suffering if I could.

Yay yay yay!

Comments are back! Yeesh, it's sad enough when you can't receive comments...but being unable to comment on others' blogs is just as miserable. *sigh* And I don't have the time to go back and re-read the posts to comment on them finally.

I changed up some of the things on my 100 list. It's weird how at first I was racking my brain for 100 things to share about myself, then when I finally finished the list I realized there were things I didn't even touch on! No individual can be summarized in 100 little anecdotes, I'll tell you that much. But don't worry, I won't put you through another 100.

Civic played hooky from work today, hee hee hee. Had a nice long coffee with him, like almost 3 hours! It's just as well, I haven't caught up with him properly in a long while.

Just like in 4th grade, I'm re-realizing that you have to work at making/keeping friends. I think the same goes for a lot of us in my circle. It's a very easy trap to fall into; losing touch. One can argue you get what you give. But then in return you give what you get. So you get what you give yet again. Nothing gets better. Quite the contrary. I may be content with the close friends that I've got, but there's no harm in maintaining the other friendships if both parties are open to it.

"Reach out and touch somebody's hand."

Don't hate me 'cuz I'm beautiful...hate me 'cuz your boyfriend thinks I am. -- I've just always wanted to say that. I recently saw tshirts that said that exact same thing.

100 things about me that you probably will never need to know (or maybe you do)

If reading my bio from 3 or 4 years ago isn’t enough to drive you insane, here’s some up-to-date info. (Not that some of these have changed since then, I’m just clarifying points.)

1. My name’s pronounced lay-ah, like the princess. I’ll still answer to lee-ah, and I don’t make a big fuss about it.
   
2. I hate it when people ask me how to spell “lay-ah” and when I spell it out they go “Oh… LEE-ah.” This is NOT Hooked on Phonics and I know how to pronounce my own name, thanks!
   
3. It gets easier when you’re a good friend of mine. Everyone calls me Le. (“lay” – yes, I know.)
   
4. I eat around my sandwich/burger and work my way to the center.
   
5. If it’s a sub sandwich/hot dog I’ll bite from both ends, again working towards the middle. (You get the most of the best part in the middle.)
   
6. I’ll eat pizza either crust-first or crust-last depending on the make. Again, it’s all about saving the best for last.
   
7. When I pick up a newspaper/book/magazine at the store, I’ll take one from the middle so it’s in a more pristine condition.
   
8. I’ve thought about how nasty it would be of someone to lick the glue on the envelopes at the ATMs, let them dry, and then put them back inconspicuously….you know, just to be a jerk. (Anthrax?)
   
9. I’m all about bellinis and sangria.
   
10. Mojitos are excellent, too.
    
11. Sake at Sumo is very cost-efficient.
    
12. Malibu Slings are my beverage of choice at the clubs. (Thanks to my best friend.)
    
13. Nobody can hear me in a club and so I’ve ended up with the craziest drinks at times.
    
14. Warning: Being of the male gender and wearing D & G by Dolce & Gabbana will most likely result in me pouncing on you.
    
15. Early tests point to Paradise by Alfred Sung producing the same effect.
    
16. If you are a male Nu Yorican Marine you are soooooo mine.
    
17. If you are Jarome Iginla you are totally mine.
    
18. Vin Diesel = mine
    
19. It’s fun being a bit of a redhead.
    
20. I still possess all my New Kids on the Block tapes, CDs, dolls, concert videos, books, bedsheets…my NKOTB mini-duffle has become my swim bag.
    
21. I never turned in my Milli Vanilli CD for reimbursement after they were exposed as frauds. I have never regretted that decision.
    
22. I am queen of the Whack-A-Mole. Go ahead, challenge me.
    
23. My parents, despite not wanting to know my gender prior to birth, assumed I would be a boy.
    
24. If I had been born a boy, I would be Gary Edmond…named after the two cities they lived in respectively before they met (Calgary and Edmonton.)
    
25. As a little girl I always dreamed I would live somewhere bigger and more exciting when I was older. However, the more I see of the world the more I know I could never leave Calgary. Life is peaceful and much too good here.
    
26. Despite the tropical nature of my cultural background, I quite enjoy the cold. And I whine when it gets too hot.
    
27. I had a dog when I was really young and I named her Smurfette ‘cuz she was so tiny. She grew quickly to be a HUGE puppy. My parents gave her away to our neighbors ‘cuz they were afraid she would knock me over too much.
    
28. At one point we had 3 pet turtles: Peekaboo (mine), Migotch (brother’s) and Spike (sister’s). They were adorable but unfortunately, the smelliest pets we’d ever had. We ended up giving them to a local restaurant for them to add to their pond. We visit them from time to time.
    
29. I watch Saturday Night Fever several times a year. I think this one was obvious.
    
30. I will marry the man who knows how to make a kickass tiramisu.
    
31. Bonus points if he makes excellent Eggs Benedict.
    
32. I have an extreme fear of snakes. I will not even touch a snakeskin purse. (Mom used to have one.)
    
33. I am afraid of heights when I am standing. Walking on overpasses make my knees go weak. Apparently fear is a factor for me.
    
34. I don’t like bugs. Incidentally, my grandma used to get me to behave by holding dragonflies in her hand, telling me they were her friends, and threatening to unleash them on me if I wasn’t good. To this day I still don’t know if dragonflies bite, but they ARE pretty, I’ll admit.
    
35. Contemplating boob reduction surgery is an annual occurrence at the very least.
    
36. One day I mentioned that if I were to get a tattoo, I would get an orchid on my inner thigh. A friend then informed me that, apparently, orchid means “testicle” in Greek or something like that. Now ain’t that a hoot?
    
37. I enjoy tofu dessert with maple syrup on top.
    
38. Fudgsicles are my weakness.
    
39. Never mind that. Most ice creams are my weakness. But I DO have a softspot for Fudgsicles.
    
40. Although I don’t drive, I adore Volkswagens. New Beetle, Beetle, Golf, Jetta, Thing, they’re all fantastic.
    
41. My favorite characters on Fraggle Rock were the Doozers. My heart went out to them since the Fraggles kept eating their projects.
    
42. My first relationship may have been abusive. :) By default, my boyfriend in 1st grade was the best friend of my best school friend’s boyfriend (you follow?). Our idea of a good time during recess was him lightly pushing me against the chainlink fence where I would bounce back giggling.
    
43. I can’t stand cilantro.
    
44. Pickles and celery are not my favorites, but I won’t go out of my way to pick them out of my food if they are already there.
    
45. I possess the peculiar talent of knowing an abundance of party line dances. Macarena? Electric Slide? Slapping Leather? I’ll show you how it’s done. And yes, for some reason I know the Ketchup Dance.
    
46. I don't like male hairiness and big Adam's apples.
    
47. As a little girl, I thought I was destined to be a flight attendant. I had their routine memorized by the time I was in 2nd grade.
    
48. In twelfth grade my friends and I prepared a song and dance routine for the school karaoke contest. They sang the group parts but choked during their solos (after I had nervously squeaked out my solo first) and completely neglected our choreography. Rather than bring more attention to my dancing by stopping abruptly I just carried on for the whole song.
    
49. Cookies are love. And if you were a friend of mine in high school you could bet on a homemade bag of cookies and a Christmas card every year. Friends will testify for my peanut butter cookies and such.
    
50. Sadly, that tradition died once university started. Too bad I hadn't started the tradition earlier, like in junior high.
    
51. I had never tried smoking up until early this year. I can now say with certainty that I can definitely live without it.
    
52. My lack of smoking finesse was no more apparent than during my Physics final in twelfth grade. Part of my final exam was conducting an experiment using light and lenses...except instead of flashlights they gave us candles as our light source. I had to raise my hand to get my teacher to light my candle because I could not get the lighter to work for the life of me.
    
53. I light candles all the time now. Lighters are fun.
    
54. Matches still terrify me.
    
55. I have a penchant for lighting available paraphernalia while sitting in the booths at the clubs...unused straws, flyers left at the table, paper napkins...
    
56. Despite what you think, I'm not a pyro.
    
57. "Icky old men" are my curse, and I cannot seem to grow out of the phenomenon.
    
58. Noone has succeeded in witnessing me "completely wasted"
    
59. There are 2 guesses as to how I would behave when wasted. 1) I would be extremely chatty. Night of my debut, after my first time ever at the clubs, we were hanging out at my hotel room winding down the night. We were, and I remember this vividly, watching A Current Affair and they were doing a piece on JonBenet Ramsay. I became absolutely passionate about the issue and voiced my feelings on "the tragedy" and "the shame."
    
60. Guess no. 2) I would be absolutely boring. My head feels absolutely disconnected and/or heavy after drinking bottles of Tabu/Smirnoff Ice/Mike's Hard/Rev way too quickly. During times like those, nothing is more inviting than laying across the booth benches at the clubs...much to my friends' dismay and fear that we will get kicked out. And if you are thinking I drink a lot of bottles for this to happen, these days it only take maybe one and a half within a half-hour to have that effect on me.
    
61. At least I don't turn red like most Asians when I've consumed alcohol.
    
62. People cannot identify my nationality readily. I've been considered Chinese, Mexican, Native American (someone asked what tribe I was from), among others. My dad played with some tourists during a roadtrip we took to Vancouver. He told them we were Hawaiian and they believed him. Never mind that we had Alberta license plates and how could we have possibly driven to the mainland?
    
63. My looks undoubtedly take after my dad. There have been a few pictures in the past where I bear a striking resemblance to my mother. When this happens my mom and I are usually dumbfounded.
    
64. I have a thing for Japanese paper lanterns.
    
65. For the majority of junior high I was a wallflower. My lame excuse was that guys were supposed to ask me to dance, not the other way around, and guys that did ask me to dance...well, I wasn't interested. (Goodness, I was dumb, it was just a dance!) In high school, my school didn't want trouble so we had NO high school dances other than our graduation banquet. I was unleashed that night...and I had no problems with asking my guy friends to dance.
    
66. On a related note, when my junior high friends first saw me perform with the show choir in high school (I got a spot on the floor rather than the risers, I felt like a star!) they were amazed that this once-shy, quiet girl had somehow turned into a dancing maniac.
    
67. I did not become shy until I switched schools halfway through elementary. It amazed me that not everyone wanted to be my friend and I would actually have to work at making friends rather than them approaching me magnetically.
    
68. Those first four years of elementary were the best; nothing beats having the whole class as your friend. Mom couldn't handle it, though. I had one big birthday party in 2nd grade and after that she told me I had to trim my guest list substantially.
    
69. My friends will tell you, though I do not recall this at all, that my teachers back then would constantly remind my friends to tell me to stop talking in class.
    
70. Now people complain that I don't talk enough.
    
71. I'm getting better though...getting back to my original self. Too bad it has taken more than a decade so far.
    
72. Yes, I have a thing for Spanish stuff.
    
73. The Child's Play films may be really stupid, but I can never get to sleep after watching them.
    
74. I first saw The Exorcist one late night when I was about 10 years old. I laughed it off 'cuz it was "soooooo fake."
    
75. I'm too afraid to watch it a second time, in case this time I actually do find it scary.
    
76. Male strippers are something I truly cannot understand. They seem dumb and don't do anything for me. Guys are lucky in that female strippers actually know how to do a good job. Hence, they have nothing to complain about.
    
77. As a little girl, me, my best friend, and another friend would make up choreography to our favorite Mini-Pops tunes and perform them for our parents.
    
78. These same three families usually went on fishing daytrips to Little Bow Park together. I was constantly the mini-damsel in distress.
    
79. I've never caught a fish.
    
80. One time, I found myself thigh deep in a mud pit. I was so stuck I couldn't move. Thinking it was quicksand somehow, I started freaking out as the rest of my friends tried to pull me out and save me. I'm still here today. :)
    
81. Another time, us kids went swimming in the swimming part of the park. Inexplicably I lost my footing and started flailing around. I just couldn't get myself back upright. I ended up crying on the beach lamenting how I "almost drowned." I'm still here today. :)
    
82. It would appear that I have a strong attraction to water. I can be wading ankle-deep in a lake and somehow find myself fully submerged a minute later.
    
83. During a birthday party in 2nd grade I somehow got my leg jammed between the ladder and the slide platform at the Calgary Zoo. Everybody tried to help me get it out, to no avail. Once the zoo guy left us to go get tools to dismantle the ladder my leg miraculously popped free and we walked away.
    
84. I love Nine Inch Nails' "Closer," but the rest of the CD freaks me out.
    
85. I want some clothing bearing an "L." Just like Laverne from Laverne and Shirley.
    
86. Laverne and Shirley still crack me up.
    
87. As a little girl my mom and I would stay up watching the Benny Hill Show late at night while waiting for my dad to come home from work. None of us saw anything wrong with a toddler/kindergarten girl watching Benny Hill.
    
88. I still remember one particular episode when Benny was playing a mischievous school boy with a slingshot. He went to an "exotic" show where a lady entertainer was dancing naked while holding a big ball to "cover her bits." Thinking it would be amusing he aimed his slingshot at the ball and, instead of the ball, the lady deflated. I don't think experiences like these corrupted my childhood. (You cannot blame everything on music and television.)
    
89. There is a raised scar on the bottom of my right foot. This was a result of me trying to climb my closet to get to the toys higher up and falling down, ending up with my foot gouged on the metal hookie-thingies that keep the closet doors flush when closed.
    
90. There is a light scar on my left wrist where, when I was a little girl, my friend and I were playing with my broken screen door thrusting our hands out at each other from opposite ends of the door. During one of my turns, the upper glass panel decided to try and guillotine my hand off. Perhaps I'm over-exaggerating, but regardless there is still a scar there.
    
91. I have never broken any bones, but both my ankles have been twisted more than Chubby Checker. It was a common occurrence for me during my elementary school days.
    
92. One of my favorite elementary school memories was playing dodgeball circle-style in PE class. Seeing as everyone wanted to preserve me they all aimed at the other guy left in the ring with me. After I had "won" they hoisted me on their shoulders and we all did a victory lap around the gym. Again, I was a star!
    
93. In kindergarten, I loved being picked as the cheese during Farmer In The Dell. "The cheese stands alone, the cheese stands alone. Hi-ho-the-derry-oh the cheese stands alone." I can't explain it.
    
94. I own 5 watches and still cannot manage to be on time for most occasions.
    
95. When I was a baby I loved sleeping on my daddy's belly.
    
96. Chances are, when dining at a non-culturally thematic restaurant, I will order a quesadilla of some kind or a Philly cheesesteak.
    
97. My idea of Mr. Perfect is a man who will only eat the cream part of an Oreo and then give me the cookies. That way we don't waste any of it.
    
98. I've got quite a bit of makeup considering I barely ever wear it.
    
99. I cried during Free Willy when the boy sets the whale free. I also cried in Aladdin when Aladdin sets the genie free. I laughed during Titanic when Rose let Jack sink to the bottom of the ocean.
    
100. I vaccuum like a fiend when I'm pissed off.

Looking for Caban?

For those who have been Googling my site about "Caban shoppers." Send me an email. If you'd like, I've got a 20% discount email to share with you good from this Thursday through Saturday.

Happy birthday, baby sis!

May it be the best one yet, you're the greatest sister me and Weird Kid could ever have. Take good care of yourself!

Be strong, little one

I'm sending healthy, happy vibes to Posie and Lana for the next few days. We're not quite sure what is going on but little Lana will be spending the next few days at the Alberta Childrens Hospital for some tests to check out her kidneys.

*hugz* Chin up, you two! We'll be with you as much as we can.

Shoe update

I found 2 more pairs hiding, bringing up the total to 53...and then I got rid of, I think, 10 or 11 so far. It's not the 33% decrease I was hoping for, but it's something.

And as for Lura's question as to where all these shoes go...that's why the family gets all crazed. I do have a walk-in closet, but I don't any of my shoes there. My shoes therefore take up space in the front hall closet, the shoe racks, the shoe shelves in my basement, and uh, yeah, wherever there's room for them. I thought their complaints were unwarranted until I actually took inventory of all my shoes. Yeah, I guess they had reason to harass me.

Sorry, there isn't going to be a picture of the smaller collection. Seeing all of them was riddling me with guilt so I've tidied up the area already. But unless you've got a shoe fetish I don't think any of you are really choked by that, anyway. :)

If everybody jumped off a cliff...

Alright, so Sepi's doing it, Tony's doing it, and the Coyote's doing it...I'll give it a try.

Is my blog too busy looking now? I like the fact that I can put pictures there instead of on my blog posts when I may not have much to say about them.

I'm getting sleeeeeepy

I suppose it does not help that I did not get to bed until 4 all weekend long. But geez, you have to make the most of it! Especially when you know that your friend won't be in town for very long.

That brings up a whole other topic that I'd really like to talk about. However, I think I'll save it for another time as I'm sure all my friends (here in Calgary, at least) are feeling pretty down following this weekend's past events. Maybe something lighthearted to take our mind off things is in order?

Alright, something totally trivial. I have waaaay too many shoes.

51 pairs. I don't know if I have any other ones hiding elsewhere in the house. Geez, that's almost one pair for every week in the year.

So the picture isn't that great...I wasn't going to go moving all my shoes to the backyard away from the fluorescent lighting of the basement. Nor was I going to display them upstairs. My dad would have a conniption. (My collection of shoes, purses, coats, and hats and the amount of space they occupy in the house is something my family consistently gripes about.) Looking at my shoes, it's obvious I don't need them all anymore, but it's really hard to figure out which ones I can part with.

For instance, and this is a really extreme example, I've got these weird black patent platform mules with insane pillar-like heels. I bought them 'cuz they were insanely cheap and I thought they'd serve me well one Halloween or another. Up until now, I've never worn them for Halloween, although I did wear them for one birthday when I was feeling rather whimsical and crazy. Really I should hand them to the Salvation Army or something. But what if I'm inspired for a Halloween costume all of a sudden and those shoes would be perfect for the occasion? Oh, who am I kidding?

I'll post a pic of a newly pared-down collection once I figure out which ones go and which ones stay. Hopefully I can cut down this footwear madness by at least a third.

Next time, we're targetting the purses. Though those are particularly near and dear to me so I doubt I'll be able to do away with any of them.