You Heard It Here First

Ok. This is my theory. Season 4 of Battlestar Gallactica will reveal that the entire story has been an imaginative fantasy coming from the mind of a young and challenged in some way 14 year old boy who is trying to come to grips with his love/addiction for computers, his need for human contact that makes sense and a desire to feel connected with something greater than his limited sensual world. How else to explain Jimi Hendrix, inconsistent character development -- especially among the women, and the siren like sex appeal of cylon Trish.

A Sucker Born

I was invited to and actually went to a candle party the other day. One of my 'new' neighbours put a card in my mailbox. (the neighbours moved in around Christmas...but since everyone bascially holes up here in winter, I hadn't a chance to actually meet them). I had no idea what a candle party was. I thought...hmmm...I like candles. My social calendar hasn't exactly been overflowing. What the heck. Should be fun.

I went.

So. In a nutshell. A candle party is a tupperware party but, instead of buying tupperware, one buys candles. (no, I've never attended a tupperware party. My mother went to one when I was quite young and still has some of the tupperware she bought then). Pretty candles. Nice smelling candles. Somewhat overpriced candles but, along with the candles, one can buy overpriced candle holders as well. Candle knick knacks of all shapes and sizes.

There was a short dvd presentation. I kid you not. The man on the tv was 'a scientist who's job is to ensure that these candles meet exacting specifications and are put through strenuous lab testing -- yup...these candles are lit and then watched to make sure they burn well. No beeswax I'm afraid but these parafin wax candles are made to burn clean.

My neighbour was the host of this shin dig. The food was good. Fresh veggies, crackers, cheese and shrimp. I spent my time checking out how the house was laid out. You see, their house is paired with mine and, as such, is an exact mirror image. Funny thing but to me, it looked completely different. My neighbours have 'grown up' furniture. It felt like I walked into a furniture store. Everything matched. They have a full size entertainment unit along one wall. They have matching dining room chairs. They have rugs.

Last year, a friend of mine commented on my bedroom saying that she was a bit freaked out cuz my bedroom reminded her of a parent's bedroom. Seeing how the house next door looks, I understand her sentiment. I asked J later what furniture store our stuff looked like it came from. Without batting an eye he replied 'the Sally-Ann.' It's hard to to make lifestyle comparisons. When all is said, however, I like my stuff. It's comfortable. It's home.

While my neighbour was the host, another woman was the seller. She passed out catalogues and made reference to various deals. She also mentioned that there would be another party in April for the men...because, as she said, 'just because you're a man who likes candles it doesn't mean that you are gay.' The men would, of course, be able to bring lady friends because...just because you're a man and like candles doesn't mean you are capable of choosing by yourself.

I was asked if I would like to host my own party. I replied that I really didn't know enough people to make it viable. She pressed on to suggest I invite people I work with. I looked at her and said that the technicians I worked with, complete with full body tatoos and biker goatees down to their chests probably wouldn't be interested...even though some are gay.

I ended up getting a bag of tea lights and a couple candles as well as 2 new candle holders. I didn't want to offend. I had eaten 6 shrimp. I do like candles.

Only cost about one hundred dollars.

I should be getting them within 30 days. I can hardly wait.

A Lifetime in 6 Hours

I've been spoiled. I've been thinking about 'the good 'ol days' when all I had to do was pick up the phone and voila, I'd have a coffee date, lunch date, walk date, doing laundry date or, just a hang around for the hell of it date with a good pal. It's funny how easy it was to take for granted. Life consisted of classes, work and hanging out. Even though I knew the classes would end, I never thought that the freedom to just hang out would go as well. It's not that I don't see folks. It's just that the freedom to just lay about and pick up the phone spur of the moment to arrange a meeting doesn't work out the way it used to. My closest friends no longer live in the same city as I do. Even if they did, the focus of my life--kids, partner, cats, home, work--takes up most of my 'free' time. When I have a moment removed from the above list, I crave aloneness more than company. A good book. A solitary walk. Still, thinking back to the many hours of banal yet stimulating conversations about everything and nothing, I find that I miss it. I wonder if I would have treated those times any differently had I known them to be so fleeting. I had the pleasure last year to spend 6 hours with a friend who now lives in a distant land. Memories and anecdotes seemed to flow effortlessly as we both caught up on our new lives and remembered our shared past. Funny. I used to spend 6 hours a day with this person at one point and didn't think twice. Did I take it for granted at the time? Yup. Funny how precious the last 6 hours were and how, in a mere 6 hours, a seeming lifetime was (re)lived.

Hot Water, Brandy & Honey

The weather is changing and that good ol' tingling in my nose and right eye can only signify one thing. Cold season is upon me. I shouldn't whinge too much. Colds for me don't really last that long (knock wood) and they tend to be more of an annoyance than anything else. Nonetheless, I'm quite pleased that I had the foresight to ensure that we had not one but two boxes of extra soft tissue (one box per floor) with which I can wipe my reddening nose.

The past week has been a good one. It's been March break for the kids and my mother has been in town. Lots of shopping, walking, talking, touring and playing. This could explain the oncoming onslaught of cold germs. My defenses have been slowly and steadily stripped away.

What is the difference between a germ and a virus anyway?

Tomorrow, I'll bring my mother to the airport, the kids will regain their playroom and life will go back to normal.

I'll also pick up a bottle of brandy. Can't hurt.

Short and Bitter Sweet

So I'm taking my dinner break at work. Yes, it's a Sunday. My dinner consists of 1 samosa and 2 muffins. I like it when clients leave food. When there is enough of it, I bag it and freeze it for quick on the fly snacks for staff. Two minutes in a microwave and voila! Cuisine. Today is frustrating. The client is whingy and slow. I'm not in the mood for their crap and am being a bit short. My staff is brilliant. God love em for being able to think when I can't.

Last night was supposedly 'date night.' Ahhh, the best laid plans. J and I were in tiff mode and so he basically left it up to me whether or not we were going. 'Well N, if you still want to go, we'll go. I'd like to stay home. I'm a bit tired and my feet are blistered, but if you want to go out, I'll arrange things.'
Translation? 'I didn't get a babysitter cuz I didn't know if we would be talking to each other. I went out the night before so I don't feel the urge to go out again but, I'll leave it up to you so that if we don't end up going out, you won't be able to blame me. Besides, we have beer here.'

This after a long set up for a show that eventually went into overtime (client happy, techs had no breaks

Yup. I'm still grumpy. Good thing the client deserves being bitched at. I couldn't guarantee a sweet disposition even if they were angels.

Tonight would be a good one for a couple pints chased with single malt.

Dinner Conversation

Am, at present, waiting for dinner to arrive. It was a long work day and Lebanese delivery should hit the spot. Speakers work and sound great. Found myself in the position of holding up a 6 000 lb genie lift for a bit. Yikes. Audio patch is working (never wasn't...turns out to be a staffing problem rather than gear). I got the order ready for the local theatre company. Many pipes. A few lights. No biggie. I put a cross and stained glass gobo on the back cyc and have two church like windows crossed as back light. This is all in honour of tomorrow's gospel variety show. My arms and legs arms are feeling stiff. A good stiff.

Dinner's here!

Dinner's done. Done like dinner. Yum. I love falafel. I feel like I've just bathed in garlic. J ordered enough to feed us for the entire weekend. Our family will be stinky but happily full.

J will be climbing tonight. Kinda funny/sad but he was stood up today. He had planned on going ice climbing today. His climbing partner was to rent the gear last night and pick him up at 7am this morning. That fact that a huge winter storm was set to hit us today did not factor into his plans. His buddy 'has a big truck,' said J. Neither did it register for J that his buddy hadn't called to confirm anything. 'He'll be there,' said J. I tried to prepare him but I love his faith. Well, turns out that his buddy had an after dinner nap last night and didn't rent the gear. Ended up emailing J and cancelling (J read the email at 5am this morning...having been up since 3 out of excitement and getting packed). I woke to a grumpy J (not completely unheard of in our household). He'll go bouldering tonight. Not even close to being as satisfying but will have to do.

The blizzard ended up hitting us big time. Lot's of snow. Rough going for awhile but it's beautiful now. Fresh.

Now it's time to have a cappaccino and sit back and read. Yes, I'm spoiled.

Incandescent Lightbulb Moon

So the committee in charge of voting on whether or not a 4% budgetary increase should be alloted to daycares voted yes. Hurrah. It's not a lot but, it is damned necessary. But lo. The actual city council finally drafted it's final budget. Nowhere in the document is this 4% increase to be found. It was agreed upon. But has now disappeared. Poof. Nice to know that our elected officials are on the ball.

I chaired my first meeting as president of the daycare the other day. I did well enough I suppose. Kept order. Kept to a schedule. Ended 1/2 earlier than planned. Less babbling. More deciding. More home time for all. I count that as a success.

Have finally signed the necessary papers to transfer the kidlings to a new school (one actually in our neighbourhood) for September. It's actually one of the top public schools in the city and up in the high percentile for the province. I'm a bit squeamish about the 'uppityness' of the neighbourhood. For those that know me, one of the gentry I isn't. It was a hard choice for me but, I decided to not let my anti snobbishness make me a reverse snob. The school is closer. Chances are the kidlings will now have friends close enough for visits. And hey. It has a chess club and choir. It does mean that J and I will need to juggle our work schedules around some in order to work around the school hours (no more daycare for us!) I think it will work out for the best though. Here's hoping. Weird that I'm thinking about September already...

'Romeo & Juliet' was a success. Now on to a few and sundry variety shows until the next show 'What the Butler Saw' by Orten roles in on Sunday. Tomorrow will be busy. The crossover in our stage left speakers needs replacing, gels need sorting, patch point at the audio console need checking and, if need be, fixin'. I have some new toys that I need to check out to make sure they work as well as some focus notes to work on. On top of that, I have a line check with the camera dudes who are recording Saturday's gospel variety night. I'm looking forward to it. I really don't work well at a desk for any length of time. I need ladders.

I also need books. I am currently relishing a book called 'Snow' by Orhan Pamuk (Nobel winning book). I picked it on a whim cuz it was a Turkish author and the title was Snow. No other reason really. It's wonderful. Thick. Multi-layered and satisfying. I'm also reading 'Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures' by Vincent Lam (this years Giller Prize winner). The difference between the 2 styles is telling. While Pamuk is thick and meaty, Lam's work is relatively lightweight. Lam's characters are somewhat 2 dimensional. Yes they are driven but the incidents in their lives that drive them are obvious. Kind of 'oh ya...that's why she's like that' as if any person can be defined by a single 'oh ya.' I'm enjoying Lam's book. It's just lighter. Quicker. With Pamuk I find myself rereading passages. Learning more about the characters and the world they inhabit with each pass. I guess that's why Pamuk is beside my bed while Lam is relegated to the toilet (not to be confused with shampoo bottle instructions).

I mentioned my love for the novel 'Snow' and its evident 'European-ness' to my boss. He's an English Lit grad and a good person with whom to prattle away the dull hours. He believes that the biggest problem with American lit is its inability to move beyond the notion of the failed 'American Dream.' All characters are situated within the parameters of and in relation to this dream and therefore are never really complete. Hmmm. I guess some Canadian works suffer from this intellectual solipsism...viewing characters in relation to an American counterpart (imagined or real). Canadian drama tends to suffer from unnecessary second acts. Playwrites don't seem to know when enough is enough. They state a case. Then they second guess it. Insecurity? But what they are trying to say is then hammered over and over again so that the viewers end up holding their heads and saying 'I get it! Make it stop. I get it!' Reminds me of an essay I once wrote about the treatment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. It began with various statements regarding the sun.

Australia has banned incandescent lightbulbs. California wants to follow suit. I've been humming Bob's Your Uncle this past week.