And I Thought I Was A Good Girl

Apparently, I am mistaken. Maybe it was the job question, where I chose lawyer.


How evil are you?

Seen at Nimue's and Maggie May's

Very Accurate

Found in the library of Luckybuzz.

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Non-Reader
Fad Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

I'm ALWAYS reading. Brushing my teeth, waiting in line, on planes, trains, and automobiles (when I'm not driving), in the tub . . . you get the picture.

See??

This is why Corwin and Granpappy should not be allowed to go shopping together. Last year, we ended up with an inflatable snowglobe that has a snowman and two penguins. Fine, it's cute, it's on the front lawn. And somehow, we also got an 8 foot long Santa in a sleigh with presents, pulled by a reindeer. Hmmm, now starting to swing from Martha Stewart to more Griswold-like decor. We put the Santa on the pergola at the back of the house, and it's fine there.

Somehow, they went out again when I was at conference. And this is what came home with them. Did I mention that this 4 foot high Rudolph is an INDOOR inflatable? Where the hell am I supposed to put it? Now we're WA-A-A-A-A-Y over the Griswold line.

A Little Laryngitis Comin' On

Yep, I can feel it. It hit as I read the "What's On" in the Arts section today, and read about my masterclass. Being advertised to the public. In the Arts section. Ticket prices are cheap. And Handel's Messiah is rather popular at this time of year. Is it just me, or does the word masterclass imply that it's for the students of the voice studio, to benefit and grow from constructive critique? In my wildest dreams, I never took it to mean PERFORMANCE or OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Apparently, I was very mistaken.

In other news: One more sleep 'til Gerhard!!!!

I'm So Excited!

Gerhard is in town!! I won't get to see him until Sunday, because he's doing conference-y things until then, but yay, we're in the same city!! It's been over 2 years, and I really can't wait to see him. Unfortunately, his wife has to fly back early Sunday morning so so I won't see her this time around. But Gerhard will hang out for the afternoon (even coming to my father-in-law's birthday lunch), and I'll take him to the airport for his flight Sunday evening. Is it bad to hope for a freak snowstorm so he has to stay an extra day? Corwin is going to be SO excited to see his Godfather - I haven't told the kids, just in case. Three more sleeps!!!

A Bit Late, But Conference Got In The Way

Thirteen Details About Canada's Choir Tour 1. The bus ride was surprisingly fun. Just hanging out and chatting with the people I like to hang out with, and having Beck pick tunes that she thought I'd like on her MP3. Good times. 2. The Log Cabin Restaurant on highway 7, although a popular stop for travellers, is kind of sketchy. Glad it was just the rest/coffee (and for those who needed to, smoke) stop. 3. The rehearsal went well. Even the piece I was doing on flute, except that after my 20 bars of rest, where I was about to come in, Gordon stopped the choir to fix a few notes in the basses, and then said "okay from blah blah blah and we'll go on". But I didn't have the lyrics, because I was playing the flute. So I didn't know when to come in. I managed to get in a little later, and made it to the end. So, this was the second time I'd played this with the choir, and still hadn't gotten all the way through. Hmmm, anyone think I might have been freaking out a bit? 4. Dinner? Soup at Tim Horton's. I was really, really nervous, and also wasn't very hungry (we had lunch before the rehearsal). And I was fighting off a sore throat that had started on Thursday (2 days before), so chicken rice soup seemed like a good choice. 5. The concert. My flute piece was second. Right before we started, Gordon gave a little intro, and then said "And our flautist is Canada". What?!?!?! Holy crap, now everyone is looking at me. I played the first part just fine, and then started counting my 20 bars of rest. During which there are some tempo changes. I came in, but wasn't sure if it sounded okay. And then Gordon mouthed"you're a bar off". uh-oh. Now, if he had said "you're a bar behind" or "you're a bar ahead", it might have been more helpful. As it was, I dropped out, feeling slightly panicky and my stomach was clenched with nerves. I managed to come in at the very end for the last few bars, but I was extremely upset with myself. 6. And then two pieces later, I got to play the finger cymbals. At least I didn't completely cock that up! 7. Oh, and later in the programme, there was a part of something when everyone was supposed to be singing (like, the whole choir), and somehow, we all bailed! I think we peaked at the rehearsal! 8. After the concert, I changed out of my choir robe and went to pack up my flute. That's when it really hit me about how upset I was, and I was almost in tears as I cleaned my flute and put it away. I was so pissed off at myself. Bugle Boy finished packing up his trumpet, and we headed to the bus (we were close to the last on, just before Gordon, whom I really didn't want to see at that point). I sat in the very last seat, very glad it was dark, and announced to Weasley and Beck that tequila would be necessary. (consider that the only way I've consumed tequila since the Ohio camping trip when I was 22 has been in margaritas, and I was ready for a few shots. This may indicate my mood). 9. Hotel, quick shower (no hair wash), lotion, sexy shirt, jeans, black boots with three and a half inch heels, black leather jacket, dangly earrings and some makeup - including eyeshadow, lip plumper, and a lot more eyeliner than usual, and I was ready to go (okay, once I'd checked the trampiness rating of my shirt). Of course, we ended up saying hi to some other choir people in the hotel bar. And Weasley says "check out Canada, you should see her shirt, blah blah". So I had to undo my jacket so that Gordon and a few others could look (Weasley!!). Then Ravi offered his car keys to me, but I told him he really didn't want me to drive that night. So Beck became the DD, who had never driven stick. Weasley got us there, and thankfully I had the common sense to get him to back in to the parking spot so Beck wouldn't have to try to back out later. 10. Junction - way too busy, huge line. So we went down the street to Sin City. We were told it was a bit smaller but it was a "local bar". Huh? Once we got there and saw the people in line, we figured it out pretty quickly. Junction has the university crowd, and Sin City has the locals. Whatever, where's the bar? We went in, and I had a big "oh no" thought because they were playing Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy (I love that song, but I was in the mood for some SexyBack). Then they played RedNeck Woman. Shit. But they had tequila, so Weasley, Bugle Boy, Ginger, and I all did a shot, and then had a beer. At which point they started playing some current dance music. And then Billy Jean by Michael Jackson (ugh!), and then some 90's stuff. It was a weird mix of a chunk of country (3 or 4 songs) mixed in about once an hour. But they played good stuff, and it was a pretty cool dance floor, no strobe light, and it was fairly dark. SexyBack, and Buttons, Promiscuous, and Don't Cha. And SexyBack again! There was some serious dirty dancing and grinding with Weasley, and even Bugle Boy during Promiscuous. We were all astounded when Bugle Boy knew all the words and started the sexy dancing - it's always the quiet ones. Somewhere in there, I had two more shots of tequila, and two more beers. I think we left around 1:30 or so. 11. So we couldn't go straight back to the hotel, some alcohol absorbtion was needed (and Beck was trying to delay the inevitable, her first lesson in driving a standard, coached by drunk people!). There was a really cool, and very packed place called City Lights, obviously capitalizing on the after-bar crowd. And they had awesome poutine. Heavenly. 12. The drive back was amazing. Weasley really knows how to teach people to drive stick, and Beck only stalled twice (maybe 3), but always approaching a stop. How many people have to, the very first time, drive out of a parking lot, turn right, drive half a block and stop at a red light, turn left, turn left again in half a block (after stopping at a red light), and even manage to coast almost all the way in to a parking spot. The last stall was in the parking spot, and she was a bit nervous about giving too much and hitting the curb, so Weasley drove the last two feet. 13. Water, advil, sleep,no hangover (mercifully), church, etc. Right before lunch, I was moving my bag and I was alone with Gordon and I said I was really sorry about the day before. He said "For what?". And I said "You know, totally screwing up the piece, flute, etc" and he said "you got a little lost and then you got found. Very appropriate for church. We'll be doing a lot more of this"(gesturing to my flute case). I told him that I do much better with a stricter tempo, and he agreed that the piece I played was pretty hard to count during rests, but that "it got you over the hurdle". I guess it wasn't as much of a disaster as I thought. Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. crse (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Weekly Weep

I just finished with my weekly cry - watched Grey's Anatomy. I must say, I am SO glad I didn't try to watch the show while I was away (I tape since I have choir on Thursdays). I would have been a mess, trying to call Corwin and Clara. I only talked to them once while I was gone, on Tuesday, right after I checked in to the hotel. Wednesday through Sunday I either missed them, got voice mail, or they were "too busy" to talk. Gotta love it - six year olds who have such a busy schedule that they can't fit me in!

Technologically Impaired

That's me, Ms Not-So-High Tech. I only recently found out what Wi-Fi is (no, have not used it). So, this is a bit of a cry for help. If ANYONE can tell me how to fix my blog, I will be very appreciative and downright grateful. Why has my sidebar slipped down the page, so the blog title and links are after the posts, but still on the side? How do I fix this? Help, please!!!!

Because I'm Lazy

Since I have been away, and have so much to catch up on, this will be the lazy way of doing it all - bullet points. I'll resume actual paragraphs and punctuation later.

• Tuesday's flight to KC was uneventful, including the clearing of customs. They didn't even ask. And I was not frisked at all (helps to wear knit pants with no zip). Even my naval piercing didn't set off the metal detector.
• The room in KC was nice, clean, good view of the convention centre plaza which was just open space until Thursday, when they started setting up the Christmas decorations. It was really pretty at night after that.
• Room service and a movie, what better way to enjoy the first night there (and I was all alone because Bert was getting in on Wed). In pajamas by 8:30 central time, eating dinner and drinking wine - decadence.
• The 8 hour course on NICU and music therapy was great, and I want to go to Tallahassee to do the rest of the training. The best was that Petunia took the same course, so we got to do lunch at a sushi takeout place - Bumblefish (what a great name, and really fresh sushi)
• Bert was there, but had a meeting to attend when I returned to the room after the course. I waited and did dinner with Bert, Petunia, and another music therapist I know from my GIM (guided imagery and music) level 1 in 2001. A cool restaurant called The Mango Room . Good food (southern and Carribbean), good martinis.
• My Vocal Health and Music Therapy course the next day (5 hours) was helpful, and the best was sitting next to Vermont. This is the longest we've spent together in years, and we caught up during notes throughout the afternoon. I also got to meet her daughter (age 2.5) because she was there with Vermont's mom, and they were going to Omaha to visit family. Vermont and I had room service soup in my room before the opening session, which was kinda lame (so Bert and I left). The silent auction was good - I won two of the three bids I made. Hung out in the lobby bar and had a couple of drinks with Mr DC (my former internship supervisor), Bert, and another friend from grad school.
• Somehow managed to blow pretty much everything off on Friday. Slept in, had lunch at the networking table with Bert and Pearl, then wandered around for a bit. After lunch, went shopping with Bert and Pearl (P. had a car). $154 of Bath & Bodyworks, oh yeah!!!! (not all for me, a whole bunch for my Mom for Christmas). But I am now very hooked on Exotic Coconut. I only got a tiny tube of Le Couvent des Minimes Orange-Cinnamon handcream - I couldn't bring myself to spend $16 on the shower gel and another $16 on the lotion, but you know I wanted to! Also the Warm Vanilla Sugar shampoo and conditioner (volumizing). What a great product.
• Berly and her aunt and uncle met us at the hotel Friday night (Pearl, Bert and I), and we went to The Melting Pot for dinner. You may remember my last Melting Pot experience with Pearl in CT back in March (dinner didn't sit well, bad gastric flu episode). Happily, this was a much better evening. Berly's aunt and uncle are very fun, and their friends were hilarious. Chris, the waiter, was awesome (and I will post some pics of the evening once Pearl sends them to me). With 8 of us, there were two pots of cheese fondue, 2 pots of cooking fondue (coq au vin and mojo), and we ended up with 4 different chocolate fondues (2 pots at a time, gotta love the two course dessert!). For those who care, the chocolate selections were: Flaming Turtle, Yin and Yang, Dark Chocolate, and The Original (milk chocolate with peanut butter) with caramel. There were also martinis. Three for me, to be exact. A lovely time, a lovely buzz.
• Oh, and there was a Williams-Sonoma right down the block for the restaurant. Before we went in for dinner, I ran down to get a catalogue. And came back with a small purchase (Pumpkin Pecan Butter).
• When we got back to the hotel, Bert went back to the room, and I hung out with Mr DC for a bit. He and I made tentative plans to do lunch or dinner the next day, then I went up to bed.
• Bright and early regional meeting, followed by a medical music therapy session. Bert and Pearl and I had a quick lunch at The Mango Room (Mr DC called for lunch when we were almost done, so it didn't work out time-wise), and I went to the session I had really been wanting to attend. It as awesome, but ran about 15 minutes over, so I missed the last block session. I ran into Petunia, so she and I went to The Mango Room (she hadn't eaten) and she grabbed a bite and we each had a a martini. Both of us must have been tired, or the drinks pretty strong, because we were both feeling the alcohol a bit afterwards.
• Saturday evening was a bit disappointing in that we had planned on dinner and going dancing, but forgot that KC isn't smoke free. It took a bit of time to find a restaurant that at least wasn't too smoky, and we didn't even bother looking for the club. The restaurant was okay, the food pretty good - we each ordered soup and an appetizer and a drink (NOT the best mojito I've ever had, but it was strong). The downside was that I lost my favourite scarf. It must have slipped off while we were walking around, but there were four of us and we still can't figure out how a bright red fleece scarf that is THREE FEET LONG could have fallen off without any of us noticing. Damn, and it was from a matched set (with hat and mitts) from my Mom. Bert went to bed once we got back to the hotel, but I went to look for Vermont and she and I hung out for a bit, then Petunia joined us, and then Mr DC. Finally at 12:30, we decided it was time for bed.
• Went to an 8 am session, then started saying my goodbyes. Missed Bert (she went to church, then we missed each other at the room, and at breakfast), but took the shuttle with Petunia and few other people from the New England Region.
• Flight home was relatively uneventful, but we were a bit late out of Newark. Customs, thank God, was a breeze.
• Next year - Louisville, Kentucky.

I'm Not in Kansas Anymore

Well, Kansas City, Missouri, but that's just semantics. And truly, there is no place like home. At least the air here is humidified. What is it about hotels and the wicked dryness? Add to that the drier air of the Kansas City area, and you'll understand why I spent as much money on water as martinis. (well, almost)

Details to come, both from the choir tour (the highlights and the low moment), as well as the Midwest trip.

Any guesses as to what I'm doing right now?

Because I'm a Quiz Addict

You scored as III - The Empress. The Empress is a maternal symbol. She is the mother figure who loves, nurtures and protects.She will protect you, she will always be there when you are in trouble. When you fall over and graze your knee, the Empress will kiss it better. Yet she is not a weak figure. Her compassion is strength. If her children are threatened she will stop at nothing to protect them. If well aspected in a Tarot spread, the Empress can symbolise security, protection and unconditional love. If badly aspected it can represent over-protectiveness, fear of risk taking and refusal to face the real world. III - The Empress 100% II - The High Priestess 88% VIII - Strength 75% XIX: The Sun 75% XI: Justice 69% XVI: The Tower 63% VI: The Lovers 56% I - Magician 56% 0 - The Fool 50% XIII: Death 50% X - Wheel of Fortune 50% IV - The Emperor 50% XV: The Devil 19% Which Major Arcana Tarot Card Are You? created with QuizFarm.com

Teaser Bullets

Here are some random words and phrases that will be the teaser until I post about the big choir tour:

• sounds of scraping metal from the bus
• Wild Weasley
• good rehearsal, yet not quite enough on certain things
• "non-smoking" hotel room that didn't smell non-smoking (blech)
• sore throat and lots of Advil
• whoops
• ding!
• hugs from Beck
• quick shower and makeup - even eyeshadow. And earrings
• calling Beck to determine the "trampiness" of my shirt
• scoring Ravi's car.
• But it's a standard
• Sin City
• Tequila
• Beer
• Tequila. Tequila.
• Beer
• Beer
• SexyBack. Twice!!!
• sexy grinding with Weasley. And Bugle Boy (who knew all the words to everything, but really got into Promiscuous). It's always the quiet ones :)
• The wall. More grinding
• Poutine
• Beck's awesome drive home (she rocked it!!!!)
• Ditched just when I needed Gatorade the most
• Early morning
• Feeling like EVERYONE knew about the tequila. And the grinding
• The lowest pews ever.
• The sudden stop
• Driving Weasley and Beck home (thanks, Dad!) "Driver!"

Time for bed. Oh yes, it is calling. And crap, I gotta do laundry to get the not-too-trampy shirt washed and ready for Kansas City!

And the Lies Are . . .

#3. On the way back from LA in first class, I sat behind GARY BUSEY, not Nick Nolte. FYI - he was a jerk, but his wife was way worse (you would have thought he was an A-list actor the way she was demanding things)

#6. I do NOT belong to the "mile-high club". I'd like to, but am probably too chicken. (and LB, you totally crack me up - "I hope #3 and #6 are somehow related"!! Too funny!!)

#. 11. I play flute, piccolo, recorder, guitar and several rhythm instruments. But not the French horn. I would love to, I love the sound it makes, but I just can't play any brass instrument because the buzzy lip thing drives me insane. I can't even hum!

An interesting note - SOMEHOW (ahem, Beck!!!) I have become the finger cymbal player for the choir. Yessiree bob, I get to "ding" along to Jubilate Deo. In concert. If you're in Peterborough this weekend, you can catch this astounding performance on Saturday night.

TT Topic Credited To CRSE

Thirteen Things About Canada (10 truths, 3 lies) 1. I am an only child. 2. The first time I ever went scuba diving was on the Great Barrier Reef. 3. One time when I flew first class back from LA, I sat directly behind Nick Nolte and his wife. 4. My left knee is messed up because my horse fell on me, but I have never fallen off while riding. 5. I have a bizarre desire to milk a cow by hand. 6. I am a member of the "Mile-High Club". 7. I have written a children's book. 8. I got to spend one night in a castle built in 1100 when I was in England, complete with dry moat and working portcullis. 9. I was denied entry to the US once, and sent back across the border with a little "Illegal Alien Denied Entry" paper on my windshield. 10. I am completely addicted to Harry Potter - books and movies. So much so that I get the books at midnight on the day they are released, and I have seen the last three movies on opening night. 11. In addition to the flute, piccolo, and recorder, I also play the guitar and the French horn. 12. I try to vacuum every day. 13. I got lost inside the Vatican, and barely made it back to St Peter's Square to get the bus back to Rome. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. leave your link in comments and I'll add you here.

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Canadian, Eh?

You are 100% Canuck!

You rock, you are an almighty Canadian through and through. You have proven your worthiness and have won the elite prize of living in a country as awesome as Canada. Yes I know other countries think they are better, but we let them have that cuz we know better than they do, eh?

How Canadian Are You?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

FYI, I never say "eh". Many do, I am not one of them. Inspired by Luckybuzz, who had first a Massachussetts quiz, then a selection of California quizzes. Interestingly, I am 92% Massachussetts (kudos to my MA friends who have adopted me and taught me well!), 52% California (enough to say I've visited), but 75% Northern Californian.

The Wrong Side of the Bed

That's where Corwin woke up this morning for sure. I love my son, but that doesn't mean I don't feel like strangling him when he's cranky and demanding. This morning, he woke up at about 6:55, and started yelling for me in a grumpy voice. I went to see if he was cold (sometimes his covers slip off), or needing something. When I got there, he started demanding in a cranky/whiny tone "read me a chapter". And I said no. I told him that if he asked nicely, I might consider it, but the way he was acting would get him nothing. At that point he started his growly whining, and telling me he hated me, and that I was a bad mom. Heh heh - I guess I am, because I ignored it and went back to bed.

On the plus side, Clara was sunny and cheerful, all hugs and cuddles. It's nice that, for the most part when one is acting miserably, the other is at least pleasant. (like Clara being a wench last Friday, while Corwin was feeling yucky, but sweet). Hopefully, Corwin will be a happier guy later today, and we can read a few more chapters of C.S.Lewis' The Magician's Nephew. We've almost met Jadis, so it's getting good!

The Countdown Begins

This time next week, I will be headed to the airport (well, sometime on Tuesday - I have to check that info again). And on Saturday morning, I will be heading out for our choir tour. All the way to Peterborough. The bus leaves the church at 9 am, and returns Sunday in the late afternoon/early evening. The concert is Saturday night, and then we sing at the church service the next morning, too. Hopefully, we will not be too hungover. You see, Weasley and I, Beck, Lord Elgin, and a few others will be checking out the Peterborough nightlife (hoping there is some that is half decent) after the concert. Who knows if Peterborough will ever be the same? Oh, and this is the concert in which I will be playing my flute. Gordon, wise man that he is, has that piece second in the programme, so I can just be done with it and not spend the entire time freaking out inside while trying to sing and keep it together.

My parents will probably be here when I return from the choir tour. They will be arriving on Sunday to take care of Corwin and Clara while I am at my music therapy conference in Kansas City, MO. Since Hubby leaves the house before 6 am, and gets home between 4:30 and 5, there are a few hours that school doesn't cover. Plus, there is a PD day on the Friday, so that's a whole day off school. It works out very well. In fact, he probably has it better when my Mom is here, because the house is clean, the meals are made, the kids are taken care of, they behave better because it's Gramma telling them what to do, and he doesn't have to deal with me (it may surprise you to learn that I'm not always sweet and wonderful, LOL).

So my flight leaves on Tuesday, and I return on Sunday evening. While I am in KC, I will be taking a 10 hour (8 credit) institute on NICU music therapy (providing music therapy in a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)on Wednesday. This is one of three units in a specialized NICU music therapy certification, so hopefully I will have the opportunity to complete the next two levels over the next year and a half, so that I can market myself to the hospitals around here that have NICUs. I'm really excited about this course, even more so because Hashbrown will be taking it, too. It will be great to see her, and catch up, and enjoy some "liquid refreshment". On Thursday, I have a five hour (5 credit) course on Vocal Health in Music Therapy. As you can imagine, it sucks to have no voice in my job because singing is kind of required. Every year I end up with some sort of laryngitis, and if this course can help me prevent that, I am all for it. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't require singing alone in front of people (it doesn't say so in the description, but you never know!).

The rest of the conference will consist of concurrent sessions, and some shopping and socializing. Pearl and Berly have already made reservations for The Melting Pot on Friday night. Bert has decided not to join us, and I still need to ask Hashbrown (hey, you in?). And the list of shopping includes: Bath & Bodyworks, possibly Victoria's Secret, Pottery Barn (to drool and get a catalogue so I can drool more at home), Williams-Sonoma (ditto), and any drugstore to get the Boss-Lady (from my decorating) some Pond's that is less goopy than the Pond's we have here. I am hoping to get out dancing at least once (love you Bert, but I refuse to do disco this time!!!). Wish me luck on the clearing of customs. I wait in dreaded anticipation for the questions: "Have you ever lived in the U.S.?" followed by "Have you ever been denied entry to the U.S.?" Will they ever stop asking?!?!?!?!

Enough Already!

Yes, you will all be happy to know that I finally got my bulbs planted!!! (So I can just shut up about it already, right Weasley?) The big issue on the stalling (other than lack of time or it was pouring and freezing when I was available) was that I had both new bulbs to plant (no biggie) and old bulbs to replant. This summer, my mom was helping me rip out some of the violet jungle (by which I am seduced every spring, only to curse later when it takes over everything). My mom kept encountering bulbs, mostly tulips, and she gave up on trying to replant at the time. She put them all in a small bucket and put them in my fridge, and said I could just replant them in the fall. But they were all mixed up. As in, I had clumps of colours and types planted together (like my pink with green striped Greenland tulips, and my black Queen of the Night tulips, and my double peony Angelique tulips, etc). Yes, I am that anal and obsessive that I was stressing about replanting them and they would be all messed up. So I just planted them in the back garden, and hopefully it won't drive me too crazy come spring.

On the plus side, I also got a whole bunch of tedious stuff done today. Three of the four messy cupboards have been organized, and I am aiming to tidy the hall closet and bench soon, too. I feel very productive!!

For Those Who Know Me . . .

This is really no surprise. It all boils down to answering the lighting questions, and the size of the tree. I still long for my twelve and a half foot tree that we used to get at the old house. Sadly, no cathedral ceilings in this house. So we have four trees instead!!! (I'm aiming for 5!) I think my decor is a little more tasteful than the Griswald's, though.

Your Christmas is Most Like: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

Christmas is a big, boisterous event at your place. And no matter what, something hilarious usually happens.

What Movie Is Your Christmas Most Like?

Friday Meme Day

Thanks to Luckybuzz for finding this week's meme. The bold are what I have done, the italica are what I really want to do at some point.


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink (well, the people that I've been there with. Not quite the same)
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (does a large hill count?)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive (no, but I've been for a ride in a Lotus Esprit)05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (to keep from falling over in a mildly intoxicated state)
10. Bungee jumped (well, the Sky flyer at Canada's Wonderland. But I kind of want to do the real thing)
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the shore, both Atlantic and Great Lakes)
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights (sometimes you can see them here if the conditions are right, but not nearly as intense. I really want to see them from up north)
15. Gone to a huge sports game (Go Blue Jays!!!!!!!)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg (but I have touched a glacier)
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper (more than I care to remember)
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run (a very long time ago)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states (I've been to all Canadian provinces, just need to add the Territories)
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country (Ah, Vagelis in Greece. Made out with him, too!)
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign (the construction signs with the blinking lights)
46. Backpacked in Europe. (want to do Europe. Sans backpack)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51.Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan (but my parents have)
55. Milked a cow (you have NO idea how much I want to do this!!! Weird, I know!)
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero (who's pretending? LOL)
58. Sung karaoke (okay, at a house party where they rented one. And I waited until everyone else was either drunk or stoned. Need to try it for real)
59. Lounged around in bed all day (it's been sooooo long!)
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving (first dive on the Great Barrier Reef)
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater (and made-out at two different ones, with two different guys)
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (does being a self-employed music therapist count?)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (wedding video!)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest (grade 8, flamenco dancer)
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (audition tapes)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (well, working on it - they're only 6, so I'm not done!)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart (apparently, but unintentionally.)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show (I wish!!!)
113. Broken a bone (toes, and a fracture on the outside bone in my left foot)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears (no, but my navel is pierced)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery (c-section, tonsillectomy, orthroscopy on left knee)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (maybe when I had pneumonia. Or when I had Percocet after my wisdom teeth extraction)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (I *love* sushi)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (last month!)
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (I left after my Master's, but hadn't stopped before)
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (with the heel of my shoe!!! Blech - that was a drawback of living in Miami!)
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (yum)
134. Read The Iliad (but The Odyssey is better)
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair (now a necessity)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (well, I backed into a parked car)
150. Saved someone’s life

Sick Day

Beck's birthday celebration at 90s night was a success. It turned out to be just the four of us - me, Beck, Weasley, and Olivier. She got carded. The rest of us did not (no surprise there). Weasley, who is 30, had a lot of fun pointing out just how old Olivier and I are. But it was Beck who really hit it home. Certain songs would come on and she'd say - "Oh, I love this song. It reminds me of grade 5 dances!". Yeah . . . I was in my first year of my Master's program!!! And Weasley was in high school. Yeesh.

I didn't realize quite how popular gangsta rap was in the 90s. While not something I would pick to listen to, most of it had a really good beat for dancing. Since it was a weeknight, we didn't plan on staying too late. We left around 12:30, at which point Weasley needed pizza. Weasley and Olivier each got a slice (Weasley's with major hot sauce), and I waited outside with Beck while she had a smoke. We almost went to the ESD (an all-night diner), but Olivier had to get up for work, I had to get up with the kids, and Weasley was leaving at 8:30 am for a shopping trip to Montreal so we decided to do that on a weekend. And we have to do 80s night soon. Same bar, but on Sunday nights (and apparently, gay men come to 80s night. But not 90s night - Weasley didn't find any!). God, I love the 80s!!!! I'm sure that Beck will be laughing at us, and pointing out that she wasn't even born when some of the songs came out!!!

It's a good thing that we didn't stay too late. Both Corwin and Clara are home sick today. Nothing too major (no fevers, no vomiting), but both are under the weather. Clara has a headache and a sore throat, and Corwin has a barky cough. I need to refill his Flovent inhaler prescription, which will help a lot (currently just have the Ventolin). So it's a quiet day here.

Oh, and we got a dusting of snow last night. Damn, I still haven't planted my bulbs!!!!

Bitch and Moan TT

Thirteen Things That Are Driving Canada Crazy 1. My house is a disaster. Really. I have to finish putting Hallowe'en stuff away. The kids' costumes are still in the living room. There are papers and school stuff all over the kitchen, in piles on the counters. I can't find anything because of this. And I have two overflowing baskets of laundry to be folded. 2. My children think I'm the maid. I do NOT find this funny. They are old enough to pick up after themselves (as in, put pajamas in the wash, throw kleenex in the garbage, put their books back on the shelves). Yet they expect me to do it. 3. I have not yet started making my Christmas cards. It's already November 2. 4. I have not made an appointment to get Christmas pictures of the kids done. It's already November 2. 5. I have not lost enough weight to get back into the black pants that I want to wear. I am going to the gym, I am doing personal training. Hmmm . . . maybe some more sleep would help? (less drinking? nah!!!) 6. I have not managed to get much of anything from my TT to-do list done. 7. My bulbs are not planted. There may be snow flurries today. 8. I need to take the kids for winter boots. And also to get Corwin a hat and mitts (his new snowsuit arrived from Land's End, and it is awesome, but the hat was too big, and he didn't really like the style anyway). 9. All the summer toys and gardening stuff need to be tidied out of the garage. And the new patio furniture chairs are too big to go up in the rafters, and don't stack, so they take up a lot of space. I will bring them in to the basement (after I get all the Hallowe'en stuff put away, see number 1), but until then, I can't park in the garage. Did I mention that snow is coming soon? 10. For the choir tour, there are 2 pieces that I saw for the first time last Thursday. Of course, one is wickedly difficult (well, for 2nd soprano, anyway). And there is a piece that I have yet to see. The concert is next Saturday. That's 9 days. I hope we get it tonight. 11. Every night, there is a fight with Corwin to do his Word Wall Word practice (5 vocabulary words to spell and write - like "the", "she", "her", "will", etc). What should take ten minutes turns into a half hour of whining. Telling him that the more he whines, the longer it takes, and the less time he has to play/colour/do other things seems to have no impact. I am completely losing my mind over this. I am clenching my jaw so much during the whining that I have tension headaches. 12. Hubby gets incredibly frustrated about the above. So do I, but I try to grit my teeth and not respond in kind/raise my voice, or else it gets worse. Somehow, Hubby just hasn't grasped this concept, no matter how gently I try to remind him. And then he and I end up pissed off at each other. 13. I have had two underwires break (different bras, but purchased at the same time). And one poke-through. In the past month/month and a half. Argh!!! (at least I was able to sew up the poke-through, and make one salvageable bra from the two good underwires, but still!) Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. crse

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Loving the 90s

So tomorrow we're going dancing to celebrate Beck's birthday. That would be her 22nd birthday. God, I feel old. It's 90s night at the club we're going to, and we have choir practice beforehand, so my to do list to get ready was:
1. small purse
2. make sure jeans are clean
3. find shirt to go with jeans
4. vaguely style hair

Well, I just got an e-mail from my darling Weasley, letting me know that Olivier will be joining us. Somehow, I feel the need to add to my to do list:
5. pluck eyebrows
6. polish fingernails
7. buy new shirt
8. definitely style hair
9. dig out eyeshadow, figure out how to apply
10. actually put on earrings

Pathetic, I know. But oh so fun! Dancing and flirting, then going home alone to Hubby and the kids. Gives new meaning to the term "Desperate Houswife". :-)