Pandorah's Box

2011: A Year in Photographs

2012-01-26T18:35:00.000-05:00

I have been feeling under the weather lately (literally!) and have not been aware enough to post anything on this here blog. But since I am feeling better, I wanted to share my annual year in photographs. I am a little late, I know, but I always am with this kind of thing.

For 2009, click here.

For 2010, click here.

2011 saw:

-Dave's entering and being accepted into an Emerging Composer/ Director match up program. Where an orchestra played his music. And then being nervous to attend the screening (the very first of many!)

-our 6 year anniversary at the amazing Millcroft Inn. So much fun.

-hanging with my best friend John.

-hiking at the Forks of the Credit.

-the day Jess asked me to be her maid of honor.

-Dave and I doing the Goodlife Fitness 5k walk for MADD, in honor of a dear woman.

-Mine and Dave's many adventures, and many places we haunt to eat (VERY important!)

-VIDEO GAMES! Of course :)

-My sister visiting.

-SMORES!

-Dave's 29th birthday.

-Hula hooping in High Park with Jess.

-Di's birthday (and way too many tequila shots).

-screening for Android Re-enactment, a feature film that Dave composed the music for. And the after party!

-seeing my bet friend of life, Ciara.

-random adventures that land us in amazing places.

-drinking in random and amazing places.

-going with Jess to buy her wedding dress (she was in and out of there in no time! My kind of bride-to-be!)

-Downey's Farm for Halloween!!

-Felix R.I.P.

-Dave's first time on Toronto Island.

-Last Thanksgiving in my parents' old house.

-Jess's hotel/ high tea bachelorette party.

-Parent's new puppy/ new house.

-Jess's wedding day!!

-regular hospital visits

-Visiting the folks just before Christmas (so much fun!)

-My birthday

-Christmas at my parent's new house.

I hope that 2011 found everyone happy and healthy, and I hope that 2012 is even better then the last.

Enjoy life!!

God I Love Me Some Cake

2012-01-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

Our friend James came to visit yesterday. He was visiting another friend in the city that night, and he asked Dave if he wanted to hang out during the day. i had to work, but fortunately before he took off to meet his other friend, I got to hang out with him for a bit after I got home.

I have always loved this guy. I met him at a bar probably 8 or so years ago. He was introduced to me and I drunkenly challenged him to get up on stage and sing karaoke to Baby Got Back. I told him I would buy him TWO beers if he did it.

He didn't even blink an eye. He sang that damn song without even having to look at the lyrics once. I think I recall his butt being in the air for the duration of the song. Proudly.

I knew I had found a friend for life.

I hadn't seen him in 5 or 6 years (WHERE does the time go?) so it was cool to be able to catch up as if no time at all had passed.

Unfortunately the time came for him to leave. I hugged him tight and Dave walked him to his car. When Dave came back into the house, he was carrying a rather large tupperware container. He said, "James baked us a cake".

I thought, "AWWWW!!! What a frigging sweetheart!".

Dave opened the container and:

Look at Dave tucking into that nutsack. Delicious.

Friends for life.

Chilly Weekend

2012-01-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

I recently got rid of (donated) ten giant bags of clothing. TEN! Who the hell knew I had that much shit lying around? I only ever wear two pairs of pants, but that could be a throwback to my dirty hippie teenager days...sleeping in fields and whatever bit of floor you could find if you were lucky enough to be in a house. That's what partying and being high all night did to you you know, you didn't give a shit where you slept. I remember sleeping outside at a huge party, in the back of a field, IN THE RAIN. No tent. I didn't even care.

But I digress. Ten bags of clothing. Cleaning out my drawers made me realize how badly I needed a new dresser. So off to Ikea we went. This is about all that is left of the clothing that I own.

It was so cold on Saturday that on the walk to pick up our Zipcar, I had to pop in to a store I would never normally go into and buy a hat. But hey hey! Score for me because I found a little girls' Punkyfish hat. It was the only one there, it was like it was meant for me.

Ikea purchase = success! We spent all day out and about, grocery shopping since we had a car, and then wandering around Ikea. I knew exactly what dresser I wanted so really we just needed to write down where to find it. Mission complete. Now to lug it up the stairs into our apartment. Those boxes were stupid heavy. Good thing Dave has muscles. I do to though, so don't mess with this bitch.

We also bought this netting for our bed. I told my mom this and she said, "Do you have bugs or something?". NO MOTHER, it's a princess bed! Or as Dave NEEDS to call it because he is a man: a fort. FART BURP!

Fireplace space heater. The ONLY reason that is there is because it is keeping the space warm for the new t.v. we buy for the bedroom. It will be a while because you know, we ain't rich dicks yet, but when it happens it will be amazing. No more falling asleep with the laptop between us, only for one of us to wake up and have to get out of a warm bed to place it on the desk. Guess who that person always is? Sigh. Men and their passing out cold sleeping habits.

I LOVE OUR NEW FORT! BEER! SOAP ON A ROPE!

This is what my Sunday consisted of. It needed to happen. For my sanity. I woke up with all of these chores in my mind that needed to get done, but instead I said fuck it and played scary video games. Amen.

Tonight consists of reading, lying in the fort, and watching something to fall asleep to in the fort. Forts rule.

Getting Back Into Things

2012-01-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

For a while now, this blog has been all about pictures and such of my weekly going ons, but my roots do lie in just writing random blog posts about life. I am going to get back into things...back into just writing for the hell of it, whether it's shit or not. Because that's what I do, it's who I am. And when you work the kind of job I work (office monkey) it kills you inside everyday that you go home and glance at your computer and then turn away.

Sometimes life is overwhelming, and is, well, life. No one ever said it was easy right? Not that I am complaining. I have a pretty good one as far as they go...good parents, good siblings, a wonderful boyfriend, cats, books, a place to sit and write.

So this could be my way of saying eff you to the man? Because anyone who knows me knows I NEED to say fuck you to the man. It's a driving force in my life.

Thanks for that dad.

Hold the Phone! I'm Alive!

2012-01-14T00:45:00.000-05:00

Ha! As if everyone was concerned. It's ok...sometimes I am here, sometimes I am not. But I will ALWAYS come back. I can't stay away.

I guess it's been a while right? Let's get everyone caught up to speed via pictures shall we?

This was the night of my birthday. It was actually a pretty fantastic day as I took the day off of work and was L-A-Z-Y. Spent the day in my pjs, which was magical, and then we went out for a birthday dinner.

All I fucking wanted on my birthday was beer and nachos. So that's what the birthday princess had. Eating healthy and exercising actually does bad things to your brain...like make it understand the crap you are putting into your body. Once you really come to that understanding, you just can't do it anymore. So I had to tell myself it was ok, it was my birthday damn it! Nice hair by the way...

Oh right, I had cheesecake too. It was stupendous! I live for these rare food moments of crap. Gah.

I 'made' us a Christmas eve dinner. Meaning I put something in the oven, took it out, and cut it up. It was very time consuming. Oh and I put grapes into a bowl. I deserve a housewife of the year award. I even lit a few freaking candles too. Medals all around.

Wanted Christmas-y nails. This colour kept staining my nails an ugly yellow. It was pissing me off, as it made me look like I smoked a thousand cigarettes a day. I was silently fuming about them on the way to work one day and a woman who looked uhhh, a bit rough, stopped and asked me for directions and her nails were the same lovely shade of shit as mine. What the hell O.P.I? Then I learned all about a base coat. Thanks for leaving me in the dark for 32 years everyone.

Awwww! Christmas at the 'rents! Such a fun time. My sister and or Dave and I always get drunk and act like children at the kiddie end of the table but it's ok, everyone wants to sit with us because we are cool. Would you look at these two assholes? So effing cute!!! The dogs are pretty adorable too!

Good friends and family. And food. Christmas was special for me this year because my parents are drifters and moved far away from me, the jerk-offs. So it was nice to be able to celebrate the holiday with them in their new house. It was up in the air for a little while whether I could or not. Very thankful this year.

My mother outdid herself with this cheesecake. I am drooling for real right now.

Oh my god. Because my sister is a drunk (and blond! AHHH!!) she came up with a brilliant invention of using your mashed potatoes to get your corn into your mouth. Why does that sound so incredibly perverted to me? Say it out loud, you'll see. Anyway, it was pretty hilarious, she was excited about it and made me hold her life's work while she took a picture. Sisters right?

The next day at Dave's family Christmas dinner, Dave decided to one up Krista and use his TURNIP to get the corn into his mouth!! OOOOO, this could be a throw down of wit and intellect.

My face: New Years Eve edition. We didn't do anything. Stayed home and drank and played board games. I don't really do New Years but if I did I would definitely wear something sparkly. Saw so many gorgeous sparkly girls walking around and it made me want to go out just a teeny tiny smidge.

We did have THE MOST delicious pizza ever from Vesuvios. My own creation of course. Man. Artichoke hearts, prosciutto, mushrooms and asiago cheese. Their crust is to die for!

So happy. Also, remind me never to take my glasses off again. Show's my age like crazy. I am 32 you guys! Ahhhh!!! It's not old, I know....but 32!!! I remember skipping down the street when I was 11, meeting my best friend for the first time...like it was yesterday. Life goes by way too fast.

I took my sister and Dave out to brunch the day after New Years...I do believe that brunch is my favourite meal of the day. I also think that sweater looks ridiculous on me.

A rare night of relaxation. I have been stressed to the max these days. Work and home. We haven't had heat for a month and a half, and my landlord is taking his time getting it fixed. It's not his fault, and he is a really great landlord (he is), it's just been taking a little longer than we all hoped to fix everything that is wrong and people are in and out of my apartment ALL THE TIME. Which makes me super crazy mental when all I want to do is sit in my pyjamas and let my gut hang out.

Which is what I did on this night. It was glorious. Can anyone guess what video game I am playing at the moment?

I had to get out of the house on this day as I was facing a serious meltdown about people being in my apartment again. Dave is a saint I tell you. He really is. So we walked around Bloor West Village and went to Chapters and I bought a board game. It was a gorgeous day out (this was a week ago), and now everything is covered in snow and it feels like -15C out there right now.

Oh yeah. So much fun. You must be a Harry Potter nerd to win this game! I won twice. Yay!

Even the cats are cold and seek warmth where ever they can find it.

And we have made it to today. We woke up to a winter wonderland and it made my heart sing! Although I do not like how cold it is, I love that it has finally snowed. Took you long enough Mother Nature!

Long post, but necessary. Tomorrow we go to Ikea to buy me a dresser. I am super excited about this as the one I have is a piece of shit garbage and broken.

Anyway, goodnight friends! May your weekends be lovely!

Birthday Girl

2011-12-21T23:54:00.000-05:00

I got this card in the mail. It is the best card I have ever received...hands down. Birthday is in 25 minutes!

It's been weird. It hasn't felt like Christmas to me this year, and I am the QUEEN of Christmas, the Martha Stewart of decking the halls, the Mrs. Claus of hot chocolate and cookies. And yet, doesn't feel like Christmas.

Maybe it's the fact that I am broke and no one is getting a present this year? I know that presents aren't what Christmas is about, but I love buying them...and I LOVE wrapping them. And there is none of that this year.

I am pretty happy that we get to see our families this year. Since we are all over the place these days it has been a bit of a struggle trying to figure out how we are going to get where and when, etc. So it will be nice to do that...excited to stuff my guts full of delicious food.

Oh look! Even though I haven't been feeling especially Christmas-y, I still made us go out and get a tree. We have had one every year since we have lived together (except for one year when Christmas didn't exist. I was sick, cat was sick, it sucked).

We turned on some Christmas music, tuned into the fire channel, and tipsily decorated our tree. it was great. There was Toffifee. Fuck I love that shit. I can't stop eating it.

Yay! Collesmas has started! Aren't we lame?

Indigo pointed out on facebook that one of us was leaning in this picture. I assure you, it was me. Remember I mentioned tipsyness. It was abundant on this night.

Merry Sexmas. Just kidding.

It's good that the pictures are blurry, as this only portrays how I was seeing the world that night.

Fucking cat has been playing in the tree ever since. My life now consists of sweeping up needles EVERY FIVE SECONDS.

I collect ornaments from around the world, and I get people to bring me back one when they go away too. This tree has seen more travel than I actually have, like, in reality. One day this will be rectified, and then I can be all, "HA! Screw you tree! I have been to ALL these places!".

Scotland.

Salem. And there is an Irish guy in there somewhere, and a bunch of tropical ones because my parents are cruise hags.

See? Toffifee. The next 800 pictures are of me enjoying this treat. You can continue scrolling, but just know that it is my birthday in 10 minutes and I gave up on this post 15 minutes ago. So there you are.

Mmmm....Toffifee.

Back up while I am chewing my delicious treat!

Awww sheeeit. I wish they were paying me for this. They aren't.

And then one night I walked home from work and came upon this monstrosity. The end.

Snow Watch 2011 Party

2011-12-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hey dudes and ladies! What's going on wit me you ask? Why not a whole lot, except that Snow Watch 2011 is ON. Check out last year's Snow Watch here.

Now I do have to say one thing here: this snow that I have captured on camera does not really count as snow watch 2011 being OVER. It only snowed for an hour and then melted right away. A for real snow watch has to stick on the ground for at least a day and has to be a certain amount. Like last year, when I knew that Snow Watch 2010 was over. So, it's not over yet, k?

I took these at work. Which by the way, has been an asshole lately. Oh, who am I kidding? Work is always an asshole. Not sure if I told you guys about THE GUY. He is honestly the most awful person I have ever come across in my entire life, and I am not sure how he gets himself dressed every morning, never mind how he holds down a job. At first I did everything I could to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he made it difficult. Now it seems like everyday someone else has something to say about how awful he is so it is no longer just me. If I was the only one to not like him then I would be the problem right? Turns out many people don't like him. I mean, that sucks for him, but he does it to himself and I can't feel too bad for him. He doesn't HAVE to act the way he does. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I was floating on air on this day. You guys have no idea how happy snow makes me. Especially the first snow. I was texting everyone I knew freaking out about it, and it was funny because everyone I knew was texting ME saying, "You must love it out there right now!". Haha! Do my friends and family know me or what?

It only stayed on the ground for an hour and then melted. It has been hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit this year. It has been too warm, and the ground too dry. I need cold and snow! That is why I live in this freaking country! It's okay, my annual hang with my best friend John will kick my ass into loving the season. He is even more of a nerd than I am about the holidays. This is why I love him.

I made a big snowball out of this snow and brought it inside and showed it to everyone as if it were a treasure. Every one was like, "Yeah....great.". Sigh.

This is the dress I wore to my work Christmas party, of which I took almost zero pictures of by the way. I was D-R-U-N-K, and also working. Since I am on the Christmas committee every year (lame I know), I was roped into being on the Christmas gala committee as well. So I had mucho work to do before the party started. And then after it ended. But boy oh boy, in between, I was WASTED!

The hotel we stayed at was really nice. Well, except for the $50 breakfast in bed the next morning. For fifty dollars it better have tasted like angels pissing on my tongue, only it didn't at all.

Pretty view. Before the work began I had an hour and a half to myself in the room. I ate chocolate and watched Jerry Springer while lying spread eagle on the huge bed. It was heaven. P.S- Jerry Springer is REALLY BAD.

I danced like a maniac all night. Which saved my ass I am sure, as I was working off the many beers I had a lot quicker. If I hadn't of been dancing I would have been a drunken idiot. Instead I was fine. Just a crazy dance machine. Oh but I was NOT FINE the next day. Hangover city. Needed to get home into my pajamas ASAP. It was a brutal one. Plus I was sore from all the dancing.

Tonight I am resting my weary bones. I tried a new exercise program tonight and it kicked my ass harder then the dancing did. I could barely get through it. And now I have the taste of a challenge on my lips. I will conquer the beast and do it even better. Getting fit and exercising turns you into a monster, as you are always hungry for more. You might take a few days off here and there, maybe even a week, but once the lifestyle change sticks, you are always raring to go. Especially after a little break. I love it.

I hope you are all warm and enjoying your Tuesday night! I prayed for cold and I am going to get it. Going to feel like -7 degrees Celsius (19F) with the windchill tonight! A good night to bundle up on the couch and watch Christmas movies. Sleep well my loves!

Up To No Good-Abandoned House Edition

2011-12-01T17:16:00.001-05:00

My sister and I have a hard on for abandoned houses. Why? No idea. Well maybe a little. Because we like to scare the shit out of ourselves! Walking into a house, especially one that still has people's belongings in it, always conjures up scary stories in my mind. Who would just leave their belongings like that? Why did no one want to buy the house? What happened here?

So when my sister and I saw this abandoned house on the way home from my parents house last weekend, we had to go in. And we can be pretty forceful. We WILL climb in windows and go through scary basements in order to get in. Thankfully, the third outside door that we tried opened up nicely for us at this creepy house.

Dave asked me afterwards, "How do you know if it's abandoned?". Well....I yelled pretty loudly in that broken window, "HEEEELLLLLOOOOOO?????". If no one answers me, that's their problem, right?

Standard garbage crap all over the place. Did I mention that this house is out in the middle of nowhere? Even creepier.

I walked into this kitchen and almost had a heart attack. The floor was sagging in the middle and when I stepped onto it the house made a "mmmmrrrrhhaaaammmrrr" sound. Needless to say I was terrified to cross the kitchen floor. But I took a deep breath and stuck close to the wall. My sister said: "I'll know not to cross the floor when you fall through. I won't walk on it then". Sister love at it's finest.

People love burning shit in abandoned houses. WHO? This house is in a vortex of nothing. Who would hang out here and burn stuff?

I love the shelf of cobwebs by the window. Very nice corner unit little spiders. Keep decorating!

This floor sagged in the middle as well. I was crouched low like a ninja, hugging the perimeter of the room to cross the floor. It was still solid enough feeling underneath the sag, but you can never be too careful. Of course Krista made me go first.

What a ~~tacky~~ lovely fireplace you have there.

Weird white dress. Why? I wonder if it would fit me....just kidding! Yucky!

SICK. Surprisingly though, it wasn't stinky. It smelled like dust and many years of neglect, but anything that could rot did it a long time ago.

Ewww. Like that black bottle of ketchup.

Poor little unicorn. WHY DON'T YOU BREAK EVERYONE'S HOPES AND DREAMS? Punks.

Attic. We didn't go in there.

Dresser full of clothes. Nothing with ninja turtles on it though. I definitely would have taken those. Gross. No I wouldn't.

Didn't even see those when I took the picture.

This video is HILARIOUS. I sound SO. EFFING. SCARED. I wasn't...ok I was. Maybe a little teeny tiny bit, because we started hearing a very low droning buzz that sounded like electronic equipment. And as far as we knew, there was no juice in this here house, so where the hell was it possibly coming from? Also, it was dark.

Oh sorry, I made a mess in the bathroom.

Crazy fun house stairs.

Wish I got video of this. Krista decided to fairy-run-lightly across the saggy floor in hopes that her speed and petite feet wouldn't sway the house. It worked, but man it was funny. I still ninja frog walked around the perimeter.

Another set of stairs. Such a strange house.

Oh good. A kids playroom. Because abandoned houses and creepy ghost children go hand in hand. I was looking for chalk to write something like, "You will all die" for the next idiots who decided to go exploring.

I think you need to clean your kitchen. I don't want to eat over at your house until then.

Basement. LIKE FUCK I was going down there. It was pitch black down there, and pitch black in the hallway I was standing in. I stood at the top of the stairs and took pictures from there, thank you very much.

Ahhh....on our way out again where we breathed a sigh of relief. Even though stuff like that is fun, you don't realize how tense you are until you are out. Still though, doesn't it make you wonder why people leave all of their stuff and take off?

Goodbye little house. I am sure as we pass you by time and time again, we will see you change. You will either be bought and re-built, or you will crumble into the ground and nature will take over. Houses are always so interesting. Every house has secrets and many stories to tell.

And that's all folks. Christmas party tomorrow....stay tuned.

Family Fun Days

2011-11-29T22:37:00.000-05:00

Get ready for the cheesy lovey sister show. We took way too many pictures of the two of us this past weekend, but hey, I'll take it. She never wants her picture taken these days on account of being an 80-year-old woman.

So we went up to visit my folks again this weekend. I was starving by the time we got there and this was the first thing I saw. It was like seeing the light. I effing love Turkish Delight. Where am I from? Istanbul?

She is a little bugger. Such a sweet girl. Still bite-y though. Ask my face.

Hey look! My parents have already re-done a room in their house. For a couple of old folks, that's pretty good. It's a cozy room. Well, I wouldn't know. I always get the shit end of the stick when my sister is involved and I had to sleep on the floor. That's okay, it just further confirms my amazingness as a human being.

After:

Before:

Man, it had been years since I had a cup of soup.

Look at that 80-year-old beauty queen.

We took the furry brother and sister to the dog park. It was freezing, but they had a great time. Well, the puppy, Bailey, was a little bit scared of all the dogs and kept trying to sit on my shoes. I want to dog-nap her from my parents.

I am way taller, but I ignored the signage and went in anyway...

And this is the start of a long succession of this:

I think she thinks she is a Disney Princess. Where is your hand mirror fair maiden?

Man, it was honesty freezing. My parents live near a body of water, and I am from a big city. Therefore I didn't wear my winter jacket because it's always warmer in the city. Stupid Katherine.

The culprit, or WHY IT WAS SO COLD. I was all gung ho about playing by the water and I opened the car door and was like "OKKKKKKAAAAYYYY. All done here".

The stance of a person who is dying of hypothermia. At least I am smiling.

My parents took us to the Mandarin for dinner. I can no longer handle the buffet man. Twenty five dollars and I can barely eat one plate. Not worth it.

My holiday drink. God I love Christmas. Especially after consuming this baby. SO MUCH ALCOHOL.

Nice.

Even better.

Mama Kato.

I told you there were a lot of these. I love my sister!

We went to the Brick afterwards because my parents needed to inquire about a couch they bought. And OMG this couch...this couch...brings a tear to my eye.

Can someone buy this for me for Christmas? PAH-lease!!!

Haha! Sometimes he doesn't like it when she comes near him. But because he is the sweetest dog ever, all he can do is show her his best Elvis impersonation.

And then I had to say goodbye to this. It gets harder and harder every time. P.S- Marley and Me was on t.v. this past weekend. We all watched it together. That movie is EVIL and tugs on every heart string known to man. My dad had to 'go for a smoke' meaning he had to go outside and throw his arms around a post and wail into the night sky. Of course my mom and sister and I were open with our rivers of tears.

Meanwhile, back in the city...

I decorated my 'office' for Christmas. I had to work with what was there, which wasn't very much.

Walking home that night, I decided to see if the Christmas house had decorated yet. I love this street because everyone goes all out for the holidays but this house in particular is ridiculous. In a good way. I walked by all slowly, staring up at it with wide eyes and a stupid smile on my face.

I hope the inundation of holiday stuff isn't making you want to jump off a bridge yet. This Friday is my work Christmas party...we'll see how that one goes. I will make sure to take a lot of pictures.

Happy rainy cold night people!

Glimpses of My Life Lately

2011-11-22T17:10:00.000-05:00

Well dudes, I haven't been around lately. I have wanted to, believe me, but life got a little busy there and life is important. Life is meant to be lived, and that is most definitely what I was doing.

My parents moved, and they got another puppy. They already have a baby dog named Chivas (like the alcohol), but they wanted to add another little one to the pot, to make things interesting, you know. Let's move and get a puppy! Who's crazy? Anyway, her name is Bailey (like the alcohol) and she is just the most precious thing that ever walked this earth.

Look at those eyes...I fell in love with her instantly.

My parents live really close to the U.S. border now, and when my sister and I went to go and visit them for the first time in their new house, we went across to Niagara Falls, NY. A bit of a hole in the earth, but OMG I LOVE THE STATES! I got so much shit there it was unbelievable, ANNNNNDDDDDD I freaking LOVE Target. Oh boy, I could live there. I hadn't been across the border since I was like nine or ten, so it was pretty fantastic. Even though I almost shit myself coming back due to the border guards. CAN YOU SMILE PLEASE GUARD GUY? THANKS

TGIF bitches! It was Saturday though. Krista was trying to hide her wrinkles, even though she is as old as dirt and just needs to embrace it. Think about it, you can crush people with your knowledge and wisdom, you can make them cower before your years Krista. I am just a young little thing myself, and I have a lot to learn *ahem*.

OMG TOPS! Friendly markets!

The loot. I felt like I had stolen it all it was so cheap. Maybe that's why I was super nervous crossing back into Canada? Good thing I didn't tell the border guard my joke about all the cocaine I was carrying on my person. I told that one to my parents on the way in to the States and they didn't even bat an eyelash. Stupid used-to-my-insanity parents.

Oh my god she kills me with her cuteness. I honestly can't handle it.

Guuuhhh.....

As you can see, I spent a lot of time in this position. Just hanging out in my pajamas with a puppy sleeping on my lap. And boy does she ever nap. My mom has some competition with this one. See who can out-nap each other! ANNNDDDD GO!

Why don't you just shove a knife through my heart and get it over with already?

Oh yeah, and my parents house too. Right. Look a front door. Not as cute as a puppy.

Looking out into the backyard is the man cave. Where much television is watched and feets are put up on tables. I love all the windows in this room, so pretty. I mean manly. Sorry dad.

Evidence of feet up and television viewing.

My favourite part of the house, the front window looking out onto the street. I could sit here all day and read a book, there is just something about this room that I love. It's funny because the house my parents (and me!) lived in in Orangeville for 15 years had no hold over me. I had zero attachment to that house. With a single visit to this one, I love it so much. I don't love that they are 2 hours away from me now, but hey, such is life.

Backyard.

Front.

Their street is disgustingly adorable. You know, the kind of street where everyone waves at you and is super sweet, when you know that behind closed doors there has to be some sort of devil worship going on. It's just too cute. Everyone has a dog or two, and everyone knows their neighbours dogs' names. Crazy devil worshippers.

The other baby. I miss my boy.

From the porch, looking out onto the street.

I love the columns.

Ok, enough of the Leave it to Beaver street. Looky here, I made stuffed peppers for the first time ever! And oh man were they ever delicious. I haven't been a lover of onions or any kind of pepper my whole life, but this has since changed. I guess your taste buds get duller as you get older or something, because I love both now.

Walking home from work one night...do you see what I see? Christmas trees are already appearing in people's front windows, and I haven't even felt a tick in my Christmas countdown clock yet. What's wrong with me? Too busy, too stressed? Bullshit, I don't like that. I am the Christmas Queen!

It still looks like this, and as of recently, it has been 10+ degrees (Celsius) here. I can't get into the Christmas spirit until it's cold and I see some snow. Today is cold, so this is a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, over in Jessica's neck of the woods, they have been dealing with this all week. This is an actual picture of her actual backyard. Yeah, for real. NOT that I am ready for that amount of snow, no thank you. Not yet. But a snowFLAKE or two would be nice.

Dave was gone for four days last week, helping to renovate his sister's new house. I sent him this picture on Sunday morning with a 'Wish you were here!' attached. What a pathetic breakfast.

And then Jessica decided to get married. So I had to find a dress to wear. My LEAST favourite thing in the world to do. Tried on three that a friend leant to me, chose one from the three. Well, one of the dresses was flowy and white, so that one was out, even though it was my favourite. Psshhh...rules. This is the one I did not choose. Pretty though, isn't it?

This past Saturday, the big day arrived. Jess' hair is so long, that only the ends would curl. She looked so beautiful I thought I would cry right there. The Roots sweat pants pushed me over the teary edge.

And they got married! I was the maid of honour and I stood proud for my little Jessi. I thought I was going to shit myself a few times from nerves, but I did good. Besides, you have to pay for that, and I ain't cheap.

This is the dress I DID choose.

Fucking hippies got married. God aren't they the sweetest looking husband and wife you have ever seen? She is wearing white converse with bright pink shoelaces and bright blue socks under that dress.

Fast forward to today. I had an appointment at the hospital for my phlebotomy, and while we were waiting for that to happen, we explored a bit. I happen to love hospitals....weird I know. I have spent so much time in them over my life that they feel like home to me. We happened upon this lovely view on the 13th floor.

The thing in my back pocket is a pager. So that you don't have to wait in a waiting room. You can wander the hospital and your pager vibrates when a bed or a chair has opened up. Sweet. I hate waiting rooms, they are depressing. Especially the one where I would have to wait.

And with every post I have that involves Toronto in some way, I have to say it: MAN I LOVE THIS CITY. I say it every time...

Treatment is over, just getting some fluids. Which makes me have to piss like a horse by the way, and you are pretty much stuck there. Trying not to pee your pants.

I am concentrating here so that I don't take a leak all over the chair. Huzzah!

It's a beautiful thing, modern medicine. Oh wait, what they do to me is ancient, and barbaric. Just kidding about the barbaric part, although I have had some interesting nurses in my time...

And that's it that's all folks. I am currently resting up at home, in my pjs, waiting for a big storm to hit tonight. Lots of rain, at times heavy, and possibly freezing. Thank god there is some wine already in the fridge and I don't have to go out and get some.

Happy Tuesday!

Life Has Just Begun

2011-11-20T21:57:00.000-05:00

Oh hello there. Welcome to the I didn't feel like doing my hair show. This is what happens when I wash and go. Cool hair Katherine. And I know what you are going to say: "What's wrong with it?". Well, nothing, RIGHT NOW. Let the joy of the day take you on a soon to be limp dick hair journey.

On this here day of days, I got up at the crack of dawn to get to work early so that I could drive a hundred years away to Jess's new house. I had not yet been there, and had only seen a few grainy pictures, so it was time. Time to visit the place where my sweet Jess will build her life. A different life. One filled with a gorgeous house and a (they went to the chapel and got married!) husband, and hopefully one day, kidlets.

But what a house people. Two hundred years old, out in the middle of nowhere, quiet, serene. Guess who has a new vacation spot? That's right, me. When the craziness of the city gets to be too much for me, this is where I will retreat. HEY JESS, GET A POOL WOULD YOU?

We drank a beer and she took me around her amazing house. It took a long time to show me around.

Holy wallpaper. The entire house is covered in it. THAT'S going to be a bitch to get off. I'll make sure not to answer the phone that week when they call for my help. Just kidding!

I bet Jess loves the brass on the fireplace, after all, she is Italian.

Creepy stairs. I think there are ghosties on these stairs. If I remember correctly, these are the original stairs from 200 years ago, and they gave me a chill to walk up them. Does anyone else think about how much history a house has? Who walked up those stairs before I did? Were they nice, did they live long, what did they wear? Maybe since the stairs turn a sharp corner, we can meet them on the other side as they greet us in their rotting death robes.

Looking into the bedroom. Such a cozy bedroom it is too.

WHOA HOLY SHIT! I walked into this room and my guts felt instant relief for some reason. If this room doesn't make a person happy, then that person probably drowns puppies in ponds.

I like the wallpaper in this room.

They have another full kitchen on the second floor. Weird old houses! I think that's pretty cool, although if it was easier for me to eat ice cream all night long I probably would with a kitchen right down the hall.

Original front door that no one uses anymore. Yeah, it's one of those houses. The kind that is so big that it has a few different doors to the outside. I have one. If that doorway was on fire, I would be toast. Literally.

Sweet little Romeo and Juliet porch. I love it.

Ahhhh....and this is what you see for miles around. Gorgeous isn't it? I bet that corn sounds amazing blowing in the cold wind. They have already had tons of snow. I don't envy them THAT, but hey, they get to roll out of bed, continue rolling down the stairs and into their office chairs. Kind of like Homer Simpson when he was trying to wreck Moe's car by driving it off a cliff. So I do envy them THAT.

SEE THE HAIR?

More bedroom. Where the magic happens. I just barfed.

This was another creepy room, but I loved it. I love the whole house.

Gah scary backyard!

Part of their land is church land, as their house used to be a church. And a post office, and a school I think. So every once in a while the church people come and fix the flowers and water their little patch of grass, and they leave. For some reason, this creeps me out. CHURCH PEOPLE, COMING BACK TO THEIR LAND, ooohhaaaaahhhh.

Barn.

EEEEEEE!!! Jawbone of something found by the barn. Anyone know what the hell this belongs to?

Make sure to brace yourself because you get more of THE HAIR in the next few pictures.

Oh, and that.

BAHAHAHAHA! And then something actually scared me. I was sitting outside by myself, creeped out because of 'church people', and 'jawbones'.

Nice high school sweater Jessica. I burned all of mine. And then peed on them.

What? I am trying to see my breath. What did you think I was doing?

Happy Sunday night folks! Be back soon!

Marriage is What Brings Us Together.....Today.

2011-10-30T18:31:00.000-04:00

When I said my life has been busy? I wasn't lying. I have been stressed to the max and it had me feeling overwhelmed and crazy and on the brink of a nervous breakdown....but I have calmed the fuck down in the last week. Thank god, because I am not sure how much more my brain could take. Stress overload mang, it DOES NOT do a body good.

BUUUTTTT, this post is not about stress. This post is about one of my best friends getting married and celebrating her soon to be nuptials with some girl time!

Me and the other beautiful bridesmaid decided to throw Jess a very classy bachelorette. Since none of us are about strippers and craziness, Sarah and I came up with the idea of an overnight stay at a fancy hotel, a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant, followed by high tea the next day. The hotel and dinner were for just the three of us, and the high tea was for the rest of the family...moms and nonas and aunts and cousins.

Since we had to leave work early to check into the hotel, I made sure to get to work before the sun came up, and in turn ended up looking like this at my desk all day:

I was pretty effing tired. But it worked in my favour later as I ended up passing out at the end of the night and sleeping the whole way through. Normally I don't get any sleep at these things on account of not liking sleeping with other people (that I don't usually sleep with) and I end up tossing and turning and remaining awake for the majority of the night. Not this night, I was done by the end of it.

I think the three of us needed this night. It was pretty low key and relaxing, and a lot of time was spent in this position. Do we seem boring to you on account of this being a bachelorette? Believe me, we were all pretty content to sit on our asses and move like slow-mo from one spot to the other.

The snack table! Ah yes...notice all the WATER. That's right. Not too much alcohol was consumed. We did have a high tea to attend the next day and being hungover most likely would have sucked.

I love the King Edward Hotel. I stayed here for my 30th birthday almost two years ago and I made it up to the infamous abandoned crystal ballroom. I took a ton of pics on that visit and if you have not yet read that blog post, do it here. It's one of my best.

Anyway, the inevitable bathroom mirror shot. I have not yet grown out of the myspace picture phase of my life, clearly.

Two half baths. Yup. We are living in the lap of luxury. A place to take a dump and a place to wash your hair. Now that's elegance right there.

And because this was to be a classy weekend overall, we had to make sure to capture some of that class on video. Be prepared to be delighted with our whimsical going-ons.

I throughly enjoyed drinking water out of a tumbler glass, with just one ice cube floating in it. It added to the elegance of the evening, and I sure needed to quench my thirst after all that jumping on the bed.

This is what lazing around all evening makes you look like. A bit like a deflated lizard.

On our way to dinner. These two ladies got dressed up and pretty. i stayed in my regular clothes on account of knowing I was dressing up for tea the next day. Dressing up twice in a 24 hour time span is asking too much of me, I just can't commit to something that drastic.

These hallways will forever remind me of the Shining.

Love this elevator picture. I was really just trying to capture Sarah's ample cleavage, but came out with a PG shot instead.

Sometimes I really love downtown Toronto. I know I complain about it and carry on about how crowded and busy it always is, but every once in a while it's fun to be a part of all that crazy action. I like that businesses downtown are getting into the Halloween spirit too.

And then we walked through St. James Park to see all the Occupy Toronto protesters. It was a bit of a strange vibe there, and I didn't feel completely safe. Especially since I was taking pictures. I don't know...it was just weird.

There were tents everywhere. And people screaming things out, but at the same time it was super quiet. So it would be a random person yelling something out and I thought they were yelling at us and just wanted to go.

We walked by a rally taking place where everyone was gathered around a gazebo and a guy was pumping everyone up by shouting things through a megaphone. I think the march took place the next day, so they were prepping for that, maybe? Anyway, I don't mean to sound like I am not supportive of it, because I AM supportive of people's rights for a peaceful protest, but like I said, it was a strange vibe. A hostile one.

How true is this though? Except that Guiness hurts my tummy because it is dark and bitter and cuts a hole right through me. How come bitter beer in the UK doesn't do that to me?

After putting our names in at an Italian restaurant where the wait was long, we decided to go back to the hotel bar and have a glass of wine there. Thank god, because I was really looking forward to that glass. It had been a long week.

The restaurant was delicious. Tons of thirty something hipster types dining there. I told the girls that if I ever become single, I would have to look for dates there if you know what I mean. Ha! The place was called Mercatto for those of you out there searching for the gay looking hipster type guy. The Toronto street location! Just saying.

The night ended with us all getting into our pjs and crawling into bed to watch t.v. EARLY. We were all very much asleep by 12:30AM, and it was so fucking beautiful I may just cry right now. I had a great sleep is what I am trying to say.

And then the next day I got dressed up for high tea. This deserves it's own blog post. For real.

High tea was awesome. Everyone should experience it once in their lives! The tea cups were one of the best parts for me... very Lady Gaga. I love fancy things.

My tea choice was Golden Assam. It was delicious.

I had the ploughman's tea. Lovely. That egg in the corner is a scotch egg. I had never even heard of one before this. This too, was consumed in utter delight. It was a magical egg I tell you. I am serious.

And this ends the beginning of Jessica's wedding festivities. Soon she will be a Mrs. and will pop out a couple of kids and be all, like, GROWN UP.

And I couldn't be happier for her. I hope you had a wonderful weekend Jessi! xoxoxo

This is Just Gorgeous

2011-10-24T13:50:00.000-04:00

Wow. A super awesome perspective of Toronto by Ryan Emond. Pay particular attention to 1:22 (Skydome!! My dad's old company made the equipment that opens and closes the roof!). Also to 2:35, and you will know why I DO NOT live right downtown.

Enjoy!

Toronto Tempo from Ryan Emond on Vimeo.

I have been MIA for a while because life has exploded in a great big BLAM! of confetti and streamers and craziness and GAH!

So I apologize for that.

Mental Health Day; 2

2011-10-17T12:58:00.000-04:00

Well aren't I a giant asshole? I took my sweet ass time getting this part two out! Life has pretty much blown up in my face, in a good way...super busy these days, although I am starting to feel the pull to slow down. Sometimes if I do too much and take on too much (ok all the time) I start getting stressed out and then all my yes's turn to big fat NO'S.

These pictures are actually making me a bit sad because the weather has turned to Fall for good. And although I love Autumn and Winter, they don't love me. My SAD has been kicking my ass lately (already) and to think that I have another 6 months of this is exhausting me. Time to vitamin things up and get tons of sleep.

It was such a gorgeous day that day. Today is the first sunny day we have had in an entire week. If you looked at the weather forecast for Toronto all last week it said hours of sun: 0. This is unacceptable. The weather this past Saturday was B-R-U-T-A-L. Man.

We saw this little guy trying to cross the walkway from one stretch of grass to the other. There were tons of people walking and biking that day and we didn't want it to get squished. So Dave and I stood like two beefy cops around it, escorting it to where it needed to go. Eventually I helped it along with a stick. Those things are pretty slow. Seriously so cute. Reminds me of Oscar the grouch's friend Slimey. I mean, even though he is a worm. Same diff.

Keep moving solider.

Dave is saving it further and placing it in this tree.

I like that the trees have little placards so you know which type of tree it is.

Honestly.

Dave and I kept getting lost in staring at the waves. One of us would have to tear the other away. I am completely and utterly drawn to water and everything about it. I love the mystery of what lies beneath, and I love when it is angry. This past Saturday Lake Ontario looked VERY angry indeed. Kind of like this:


http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecourson/4590104907/ Imagine sitting high up in your condo overlooking the water, watching the lake when it is this stormy? It's my freaking dream to be able to do that one day. Anyway, back to pretty days, warm days.

The Island is a treat. We are so lucky to have a place like this in Toronto. To escape the craziness that is the city and just retreat into nature and beauty. Only costs $6.50, return trip!

Of course I had to get to the end of this and stare into the water. It is all crumbly and falling apart and a bit hard to navigate, but with a helping hand from Dave (and me to him) we made it to the end. No one was on this the whole time we were hanging around this area, and then as soon as we walked on to it, everyone wants a turn. Sigh.

If it had been warmer, I would have stuck my feet in the water. And possibly grown extra toes. Lake Ontario is mad polluted. Which sucks.

Ah yes, the whole reason we wanted to come to the Island, to see the super old lighthouse. I knew that it wouldn't be open to the public to go inside (it's haunted!), but I was holding out a tiny bit of hope that someone would have left it unlocked by accident.

Of course it was locked. Sigh.

I gave it the old college try. Believe me, I did.

Stinky locked lighthouse.

Aww. All is forgiven.

We didn't want to leave. But the sun was starting to go down and I wanted a burger. We had been walking ALL day and I was starving like a man.

On the ferry, on the way back.

City skylines are more beautiful to me than nature. Just my opinion.

Oh, and you best believe I devoured a delicious burger. We walked for another hour to get to a really yummy joint, and they did not disappoint. Signs of a good one: dirty burger hands. I have been dreaming of this burger ever since. Big Smoke Burger all the way! I recommend the Spicy Burger. Gaahhhhh.....

And that was the end of our island adventure. Until next year.

Mental Health Day

2011-10-12T19:51:00.000-04:00

Now that looks like a girl who needs coffee. Last Friday I took the day off of work so that I could gallivant around the city with Dave. He had never been to Toronto Island before, so seeing that it was a GORGEOUS day out there, it was the destination of choice for the day.

Am I looking at you, or at the corner of the ceiling? Who knows?

April O' Neil, Channel 3 Eyewitness News. Want to know my secret desire? To be the leader of the Foot Clan. I would kick ass, don't EVEN deny it.

Dave trying to 'teach' me how to aim a camera. My face says it all. What's with guys? Please teach me how to use that electronic device! I don't know how, as I am a girl and scared.

And then I burst out laughing at the absurdity of it all.

I am aiming here, is it ok?

What an awesome day. We could not have asked for more beautiful weather to enjoy the Island. Look at dem crows feet! Smile eyes is my new PC term for eye wrinkles. I also have a PC term for gray hair: BRIGHT HAIR. Isn't that brilliant? Even better is my sister's best friend's term: ARCTIC HIGHLIGHTS. OMG!! I bust a gut every time. Also I am an idiot. PC terms for wrinkles and hair?

Teeny tiny amongst the green. Soon enough it will be all white.

Shit. Can I look any more Macedonian? Fresh off the boat.

I love the streetcar. WAY more than the subway. It looks dark because we were underground (on the streetcar) at that moment. So there you have it, the most uninteresting thing I have ever said. Right there, on paper.

Love my lemon tea. It is very rare to see me without one.

China town! I love exploring this place. Actually, I need some lemon balm, or kava kava. Fights against anxiety and stress. Also, helps in concentration. I need these. Most likely I will find them here.

The Harbourfront. I am not changing the 'U' in harbour even though I am getting the squiggly lines. You can walk for miles along the harbour front and there are always awesome things to do in the Summer: free concerts, boat cruises, delicious restaurants, art exhibits...you name it. Love it here.

I would love to travel and work on deck on this thing for a while. I think since I want to join a circus, this would satisfy that itch for a bit.

Look at how freaking high. You know you can do a CN Tower EdgeWalk these days right? Yeah ok. I would barf up my soul, die, do a little jig, and then die again.

On the way to the ferry. It's the best part of the Island. Worth it just to ride the ferry there and back.

This little area right before you go into the loading zone on the ferry docks will always remind me of concerts past. I have been to many shows on the island and the shuffle step of hundreds of people piling out of here at once is all too familiar.

Me, at 50. It's ok, it's the squinting. Speaking of me in the future and/ or past, I received an email from 'No Sender' dated December 31, 1969 and I told Dave it was me from the future, where I traveled back to the past, trying to send myself a message in the future. Turns out it was just a weird iPhone glitch. Sure. So they SAY.

Yay the ferry! Life jackets galore! This is good. Very good. Dave can't swim.

Have I said this before? I effing love this city. If I linked back to every blog post where I said that, it would be a lot of links. The city of Toronto should pay me to be their spokesperson. I think there are two types of people who live in this city: the type that live here and never leave their homes and therefore hate it, and then the type to explore it and really get out of it what it has to offer. I happen to love it because I know what's out there, already discovered and yet to discover.

Ahhh, the tranquility and nature of the island. Damn. There is a waiting list to live here you know. For a reason, as you can see.

We sat down to enjoy a picnic lunch by the water but the wasps were out of control. It's October already! Go to sleep! The warm weather we have been experiencing has tricked them into staying awake longer. They are all dopey and therefore desperate. Which scares me a little bit. I have been stung a gazillion times before, and I think I might be getting more allergic. Does that make sense?

Autumn has barely touched the trees here.

Why do I look so awkward here?

There, that's better. Much more natural.

Be back with part deux lickety split!

The Giving of the Thanks

2011-10-10T00:24:00.001-04:00

Phew! Busy weekend. Busy, busy! But a good one all the same. Started it with a day off of work on Friday (mental health day), where Dave and I went to Toronto Island. But that's for another post! This is the Thanksgiving post!

Uhh, even though my nails are Halloween-y.

I spent most of Saturday at my sister's place, and look! It's mostly all set up. Remember the post I did of us painting our asses off in one day to make the place a little more liveable? Well, here are the end results! Beautiful!

She literally had the couch delivered five minutes before this picture was taken. And the fat cat has already made himself at home on it. I guess he likes it. The delivery guys shamelessly flirted with us too. Haha! One of them was using an allen key to screw the legs on and he all cowboy looks up at me and says, "Wanna try this out yourself?". Like I have never touched a piece of furniture in my life before. UM, I SHOP AT IKEA. And who do you think put everything else together in her apartment? Sigh...men.

Gorgeous! I love that bedspread. Jealous!

Oooh ooh! A mirror!

Fast forward to Sunday, and we drove to my parent's for one last holiday dinner in that house. A friend asked me if I was going to miss it (my parents lived there for 15 years) and I replied with, "Not really. Although, I did have some good boyfriends in that house. I will miss that late night knock on my bedroom window". Ahh young love...in case you were wondering, Dave was one of those boys. The BEST of the boys.

Visiting the Orangeville Wal-Mart. My sister needed scrubs for work. I hadn't been there in what seems like forever. Nothing has changed.

I fell IN LOVE with this jean jacket at Mark's Work Warehouse. It was $100 dollars. Yeah right.

Cool farmer tan.

Yup, you get this. Enjoy.

I was effing starving and just wanted to eat. But no, we had to wait for everyone. I guess that IS the nice thing to do. I decided to sit at the table, in hopes of food coming to my mouth faster. Never happened.

My brother is awesome. Our relationship consists of talking about video games and beating each other up. God I love him. Right before this picture he jammed his finger into my arm muscle. Asshole.

My cousin's little boy. Man I love this kid like you wouldn't believe. He is the bees knees!

Can this please just go on a Hallmark card already because I am tearing up here. So freaking cute. Ugh!

We couldn't have asked for better weather this Thanksgiving weekend. It was hot, and it was so, so nice. There won't be many, if any, days like this for a long time.

All they think about are treats. I wish my life was that simple.

Hey mom, you need to wash the mirror!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian friends. I hope it was full of family, and good food and love.

P.S- Don't be an idiot and offer to do all the dishes like I did.

This is the Truth

2011-10-04T23:28:00.001-04:00

Seriously. Who else is with me on this one?

Lately at work, I need something to distract me from blowing people away. I don't normally complain about work too much on this here blog, but I have to tell you...lately....I want to have one of these at my desk.

And I want to do this whenever someone comes to my desk to ask another stupid question:

Yes, I do work in an office, but it is not a corporate office. I don't DO corporate. It is very relaxed and chill (for the most part). Well, at least it used to be. Some newbies were hired, and they came from corporate places. So the second they walked in the door, it's been corporate mentality around here and it has sucked for everyone. SUCKED. What is WITH people like that who blow into a place and think they can change everything all at once to the way THEY want it? Does the word corporate actually stand for DOUCHE because this is what I am beginning to realize. Complaints have been made on my part (and many others') and I feel like if we aren't taken seriously, I may have to peace on out of here.

Anyway, that my shit that's going on. Life and blah blah shit shit.

Guess what's going on with my nails SOON? These babies!

I love them. Tim Burton is brilliant in merging Halloween with Christmas. Need to watch that movie again now...

Also, just as a woohoo to me, I made my weight loss goal. I lost 23 pounds, bringing me from 158 to 135. And that's it, I don't need to lose any more weight or I will look like a waif. I am 5'6, so any more will be too much. Now I just need to work on toning. Which means more strength training. I hate strength training, but I will do it. It's another challenge I will set for myself and meet my goal!

Jeggings Sam! Jeggings!

Please excuse my fucking face, this was pre-coffee. And morning. Hate morning. Also, please excuse my language.

And never mind the ever present cats. Speaking of cats...I met a goal, therefore a reward may be coming my way. A reward that is painful yet worth it. Did you guess tattoo? Well then you would be correct.

My friends, it's time for another.

And it might be big.

Wait!...CRAP!

2011-10-04T17:29:00.000-04:00

I did something pretty freaking hilariously stupid today.

I was talking to some coworkers about the one and only date I went on when I was 15-years-old, and how the guy was a skeaze who kept calling me 'Scully' the whole time.

I asked the guy why he kept calling me that and well, I had to mime his answer to my coworkers on account of managers being right there and whatnot. So I um...used the universal symbol for blow job. We all know what that is, right?

Ok....for those who don't:

Yeah, like I WASN'T going to include it. Do you even know me?

So apparently calling a girl 'Scully' or, a scully means that you are a girl who gives a beej on the first date. Of course my 15-year-old self was mortified.

But let's fast forward to today. I was walking back to my dungeon after my awesome story, and I was continuing to mime the hand gesture while walking down the stairs (by myself I might add) and giggling about how stupid my stories are sometimes.

So I am blow job miming the entire way, only to come face to face with some dude staring in the window at me.

Great.

I am an idiot.

Note to everyone: don't ever mime a blow job when you are by yourself.

Because that's weird.

Who Let the Sickness In?

2011-10-02T02:41:00.000-04:00

Guess what I did on Friday night?

I went bowling. It was Jess's birthday on Wednesday (Happy Birthday Jessi!) and she wanted to go bowling. So we saved it for Friday and off we went. It was good too, because the week I had had made me want to throw things into other things and knock everything down.

There just might be a few people at my work place who drive me insane. Not going to go into why, just know that if you took everything that irritates you in the world and times'd it by a million, that's how much these people irritate me. I ran out of there at 6PM like my ass was on fire because I needed to down the biggest beer I could find. Did that, and felt much better.

I won at losing. I choose to see the glass half full, thank you.

I love people watching at bowling alleys. You get all kinds. Apparently Friday night is date night. There was an older couple beside us that kept full on making out EVERY SINGLE TIME THEY HIT A PIN. Hey, I am not one to poo poo a cute love fest, but when you are practically taking each other's clothes off, it's time to leave and move on to the next part of the date man.

And then a young couple took their place once the older couple left to go bowling in bed, and you could tell it was the first date for them. SO AWKWARD. She kept doing this weird little dance every time she hit a few pins and he kept ignoring her and texting someone else. HE WILL DO THAT TO YOU FOR THE ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP, SO GET OUT NOW. Aren't I just a dear Abby tonight?

Crazy face! I was drunk here. I was drowning my work woes, along with the fact that I was starting to feel crappy (and the full on sick hit me when the beer wore off), and the fact that it was FREEZING outside. Raining and windy and really, really cold. I felt winter in my bones people. Tonight is going to feel like -1 degree Celsius (30F). Brrr....so what do you guys say? Snow Watch 2011? Is it on?

These lights kept tripping me out. I kept seeing them out of the corner of my eye and I kept thinking that bowling balls were flying at my head. I kept ducking. A cool combo of the beer and my sick, spaced out brain was causing me to be delusional.

This is awesome, I know.

And then we stole someone else's bowling thingy. I was Betty. That means I am hot.

On the way home, we decided to stop into a convenience store and pick up some 'food'. I had to take a picture of this box of Cornflakes that was on the shelf because it is CREEPY. That kid is less cutesy and more Gage from Pet Semetary. How old is this box? Or is Kellogg's (my nickname in high school) doing a throwback to the 60's?

This hot dog was the only thing I wanted today. And then it made me want to barf.

I woke up today feeling like ass. Thanks people in the office who all got sick! I thought I would be able to fight this one off, but nope. My sore throat kept waking me up in the middle of the night. That only happens when I am really sick. I won't go down easily though...vitamin C, echinacea, garlic pills and lots of herbal tea are my soldiers.

Sometimes when I am sick and delirious, I wear a bag on my head. Because that is how awesome I feel.

Look at this freaking cat. Cool way to sit. Her paws could punch you out.

I went and helped my sister at her new place today. I was supposed to help her move and it didn't happen. She told me not to worry about it and just come by to help her later, so I did. Well, I didn't so much help as stare at things and breath deep overwhelmed sighs all evening long. I would open a box, sort of shuffle the contents with my finger and decide it was too hard to sort through. This is what being sick does to me, I can't deal. Normally I plow through shit until it's done.

So tonight is all about my fuzzy slippers and video games. That is pumpkin beer you see there as well. I tried to drink it and just couldn't stomach it.

I look like an old person who has never played video games before. "Oh ok, like this deah?".

Sunday's agenda consists of coffee, bacon and eggs, a new book and pajamas all day. It's going to be cold and rainy...a perfect day to stay inside.

Happy rest of your weekend!

Changes

2011-09-27T00:13:00.000-04:00

Do you guys remember the feeling when your life changed? Not in a bad way or anything, but in a big way. For instance, my sister is moving to the city, and my parents are moving away. Not too far, only two hours or so, but they will be gone...off doing their own thing and having fun in their retirement years (thank god! It's about time). I guess it's just weird because my entire family will be spread out now. We are all going our own ways in life, and although we will see each other often, it just feels...strange. Maybe it's the fact that I will never visit Orangeville again after Thanksgiving (my parents move afterwards) and I have lived/ gone back there since I was 11-years-old. So yeah, changes. Good ones, but changes nonetheless.

So, moving means helping with things. Things like painting and lifting. When my sister found her place here in the city, of course I offered to help her paint before she moved in. So that is what my Saturday consisted of...painting like a machine.

Before pictures: awesome white walls. My sister is going to kill me when she sees I posted this picture of her. I don't know why...she looks great. Ready to paint!

I love how bright it is. It reminds me of mine and Dave's old apartment. We miss that place like crazy!

My mouth is full of crackers. That is all we ate. We painted for 6 hours non-stop and all we ate was a mouthful of crackers. We barely drank a thing either, too busy to think about it I guess. Painting takes a lot out of you man. By the time we called it quits for the day we were tired, sore and covered in layers of paint. We decided on the easiest option when it came to food: McDonalds. I was getting all aggravated that EVERYONE was staring at us when we walked in there, and then I was like 'oh right, we are sweaty and covered from head to toe in paint'. Sexy.

Look at that awesome neutral tan colour! It looks gorgeous!

Grey for the bedroom. I love this colour for a bedroom.

It was fucking HOT. So much for Fall weather, it was stifling that day. My hair was dripping wet (yeah, awesome) with sweat. It was brutal. I kept looking longingly outside, wishing I was out there with a cold lemonade, watching OTHER people paint my sister's place.

I had to get as much window time as I could. I needed to cool down for a few minutes before tackling the next wall.

Look at my hair. It was curling and starting to frizz from the heat and my sweatiness. Are you guys grossed out yet that I keep talking about how sweaty I was?

After a long, hard day of just getting it all done, no talking, no complaining, my sister ~~whined at~~ convinced me to go back to Orangeville with her to party with her friends that night.

We got to my parents house at around 8:30 that evening, moaned a whole lot about our different aches and pains, and then decided to just go to bed. HA! We are such party animals. I crashed. HARD.

So the next day at my folks' house, I was looking around and thinking that I would only ever come back here one more time when we all gather for Thanksgiving, and then that's it. But I want to let you guys in on a secret: THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

I hated Orangeville when we first moved there when I was a kid. And the hate NEVER WENT AWAY. Now, I hope that my Orangeville friends who read this don't get offended, but it just never grew on me. We moved there from a much bigger city (it's a really small town) and I was always an outsider. I was glad to leave it myself, first for university, and then for good when I moved to Toronto 6 years ago. I have always said that I thought Orangeville was built over a giant Indian burial ground, and if any of you watch horror movies, you know what that means.

Anyway, my point is that I decided to take some pictures of my parents disorganized and in the middle of a move house. Cool?

So my father is obsessed with plants.

He also built this fireplace and mantel himself. Well, the fireplace was already there, he just made it pretty all around.

I love my parents bedroom. It has windows like this on every wall. I used to wait at this window for my ex boyfriend to pick me up to go out and I would sigh impatiently and be incredibly annoyed because he was always late. Yeah, that went on for years. Now I am always late.

Jacuzzi bathtub in the middle of the room. I am definitely going to miss that.

The drive. Ha! As if we are dignitaries.

Oh look! It's my parents pooch Chivas. Yeah, after the scotch. Love this little guy.

Oh and look! It's the lawn where...yeah, I never did anything on this lawn ever. Nary a cartwheel or a hill roll.

This guy is the love of my life. His name is Felix, and he is a hundred years old (if you couldn't tell). He is the sweetest guy and he own my heart...he has lived a long, eventful life and I think time for him has slowed down as much as it will. He is living out the rest of his days in patches of sunshine, eating the dog's food. No one shoos him away from it because, well, look at him. You can almost see Death grinning on his shoulder.

My dad built this ramp for our potbelly pig, Priscilla. She was really big and fat and couldn't walk down stairs so he built her a ramp into the backyard where she could dig up the grass as much as she wanted to. She lived in the house and so would whine to go out, just like a dog. Pigs are smart. I miss that fat piggy, she was a funny girl. I was telling a story today about how she ate the pepper spray out of my purse. Just chomped right on down and busted the canister and ate it. That was AFTER she sprinkled it on my books, bedspread and whatever else was on the floor in my bedroom. Because she ate all those things too. No we didn't eat her, but that day I wanted to!

My sweet old guy.

Peekaboo!

Sunday we went back to Krista's new place and did it all again. Needless to say, I was pretty wiped by Sunday night. As you can tell by the amazing picture below. At least I am clean in it. Wait, no, I'm not.

This Saturday, it's moving day! Guess who got suckered into helping?

100 Things I Love: 5

2011-09-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do a countdown of 100 things that make me happy. Things that are ever present in my life, whether I am using them, wanting them, or remembering them. These are all things that make me happy, and that I love.

NAIL ART

When did I become such a girl? I don't know exactly when this change took place, but I am glad it did. I will never lose my tomboy-ness (EVER) but I think that as you get older there are things a girl needs to do to make herself feel good (how pervy). Cute, sparkly nails happen to be the things that makes me feel great!

I feel put together when my nails are done. And I do them all myself. You can have so much fun thinking about the next design you want to do. One day (VERY SOON!) I am actually going to pay someone to do my nails for me.

They look really good when I am playing video games too.

Right now my nails are bare and I am having fun dreaming up what I am going to do next.

What do you like to do to pamper yourself? It doesn't have to be a girly thing!

Another Slice of Amazing via One Ninety Three

2011-09-23T13:41:00.000-04:00

I am so lucky to have such talented people in my life. Dave's brother Steve, (who I have written about many times before) happens to be an incredibly talented artist. What's with these Coleman boys and their amazingness? Anyway, back in July Steve gave Dave a painting of Frank Black for his birthday and has since finished a short, pretty frigging cool video that follows his progress on the painting. He asked Dave to compose some music for it, and voila!, you have a masterpiece.

Check it out here!

Oh Hey, What's Up Again?

2011-09-22T17:29:00.000-04:00

The interior of Downey's Farm. It's a lot of country bumpkin type stuff, but oh so cute and when you see it you WANT IT. Even if you never thought you needed it before, you do. Believe me.

Ugh. Cute, but sad. My cat Sonic was hit by a car back in 1999. I went looking for him and found him in a ditch a few days before my birthday. He was MY cat...I looked after him, I paid his vet bills (there were many, he was a scrappy young man). I was absolutely devastated and it took forever to put behind me. For my birthday, my mom (sounds morbid, but it was sweet) bought me a little headstone for his grave. It was touching to me that she did that. A lot of people don't think animals are important enough to be devastated over, but she knew how I felt.

Ok on to happier things....JAM!! Lots of yummy jams and stuff in jars that looked delicious.

Candles. Can't eat these. Bummer. Did you guys know I have PICA? Not as bad as I used to, and I never put anything disgusting in my mouth. Light bulbs still make me salivate though. So strange.

This is what we were after. All the scrumptious freshly made pies. They have every kind you can think of, so it was hard to choose. We eventually settled on a pumpkin pie, and two different kinds of wine. Perfect. And let me tell you guys: IT WAS SO GOOD. Great choice.

Halloween is right around the corner! I might actually hand out candy this year to the kiddies. Although really, I just want to carve a pumpkin. It's been years.

I would invite Frankenstein's monster into my house if he looked like this.

Yummy seasonal fruits and veggies too. You just can't go wrong in this place.

OH LORDY. They had a machine that spewed out fresh, piping hot pumpkin donuts. While still hot they tossed them in a bit of sugar. I am drooling right now...all over my keyboard. Food porn at it's finest.

We were seriously mesmerized. We were both waiting patiently for them to fall into the bowl. And then we could move on.

Fall is almost here. Tomorrow, actually.

Look at that sky. Sigh.

We didn't end up going to the fair. We were both beat from only going on four or five hours of sleep.

My bag is full of crap. It starting to do some damage to my shoulder I think. It hurts all the time now. I love this purse, so that blows. Notice how emptying my purse a little is not an option.

Heading back to the home front. I love my freaking city. All 2.5 million insane peoples.

I want to buy a condo here one day. My dream when I was a kid was to never be married and live in a high rise condo. I am not making this shit up. I wanted to have a 'forever boyfriend' who would visit me every once in a while in my beautiful condo overlooking the water. Well, I got half of that at least. I have my forever boyfriend, but I have to see him everyday. It's ok, I happen to like him a little bit. Maybe we can still buy a condo overlooking the water and he can knock on the door everyday when he comes home from wherever so I think he is a visitor. Too weird? Maybe...

Love the weekends, love this city. Did I say that already?

This picture cracks me up every time I see it. Earlier in the day while having our family lunch my cousins were totally making fun of me for owning Justin Bieber nail polish. One of them asked if I had read that drugstores were kicking out young girls for wanting to take pictures beside his cardboard cutout because it was a madhouse of insanity and teen-aged hormones running rampant. I hadn't heard this, but lo and behold, later that day at Shopper's Drugmart....

What a babe. I mean me, of course. UGH, we are wearing the same pants.

Because the weather has been getting colder (although not this week, it has been freaking hot) I have been keeping socks tucked away in my purse for when I may need them. I tell you, I am the smartest person I know. Every time I notice my feet getting cold, I have a eureka moment and pull out my socks and look expectantly at Dave to congratulate me on my brilliant ideas.

We ended the evening with this: a piece of pumpkin pie, a scoop of ice cream and a pumpkin doughnut. Heaven. A perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

Please excuse the utter crappiness of these pictures. I just wanted to eat it. All I could concentrate on was getting that shit into my mouth STAT. Yeah yeah, cue the 'I eat shit' jokes.

I am excited for more Fall adventures. Happy first day of Autumn tomorrow!

The ABC's of Death

2011-09-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Want to watch another totally awesome and super horrific short film by the very talented and insane minded Darryl Shaw?

T is for Testosterone Replacement Therapy is the latest addition to director/ writer Darryl Shaw's cool resume of films. He has entered this short into a pretty neat contest called the The ABCs of Death. Check out the site by clicking above. Don't forget to vote for Darryl's film!

Dudes: you will like this one A LOT. I promise.

Dave did the score for this one as well!! So we know it's good. The dream team of Darryl and Dave can't ever go wrong!

Good job boys, and everyone else involved!

Oh Hey, What's Up?

2011-09-19T21:38:00.001-04:00

This weekend was crazy busy. But it was awesome...went by WAY too fast. While driving home on Sunday from our various adventures, and the sun was starting to set a little, making the shadows long, I remembered that I had to work the next morning. Such a bummer.

So part of my busy weekend was to pick a wedding dress.

FOR MY BEST FRIEND! HAHA! My best friend Jess is getting married in two months (AHHHH!) and I was one of the lucky few who got to go with her to pick her dress. She is going to be a stunning, stunning bride. Seems like last week she was calling me and telling me that Rob asked her to marry him, and I stood in the middle of a busy downtown street with people streaming past me, bawling my face off and smiling from ear to ear. So happy.

That was Saturday. Busy, but awesome day.

Fast-forward to Sunday. Dave and I rented a zipcar (I think it's about time they sponsored me on this here site no?), and drove to Brampton to attend a family lunch for my uncle's 60th birthday. It was a gorgeous day for a drive and some good times with the fam.

Cool hair.

Honestly...look at that blue sky. It made me so happy I thought I was going to burst. Fall is almost here folks, but not quite. We still have (maybe) some days left like this one. Where it's cool enough to wear a sweater, but the sun is warming you just enough that you can take it off for a while. Sigh.

Ha! And then I saw my aunt and cousins pull up. Apparently, that is my 'they have arrived' face.

The scenery is so Canadian. Field's of corn and soy and yellow flowers.

I wanted to add this video because it makes me laugh and cringe at the same time. I told Dave to be quiet because I was recording but then I see a ferris wheel off in the distance and as soon as I spot it my head and the camera whip around at warp speed. Makes me chuckle. I am a sucker for Fall fairs. Cover your ears for the part where I whine that I want to go on the ferris wheel. Teenager Katherine in all her glory.

We skipped the fair grounds because we were headed somewhere cooler anyway. Downey's Farm! I feel like a hick saying it, but I love it there. The plan was to buy some homemade pie and some wine. I was very, very excited about this endeavour.

I really like that my eyes are closed in this picture. Good timing to blink.

And then come the jumping pictures. Let me tell you guys something. I cannot jump into the air. I can't go from standing upright to floating standing upright. There is cement in my feet or something. I don't know why I can't, I just can't do it. So here are the outtakes.

I mostly just love my face in this one. In all of them really. Pretty hilarious, especially when you zoom. But alas, feet not really off the ground.

Another cool face, and my feet are off the ground more! I like that unbeknownst to me my arms were framing the mouth of the pumpkin man quite nicely. So there's that.

Screw you Dave! WHY DON'T YOU JUMP A LITTLE HIGHER? Thunder stealer.

Oh my god a pumpkin patch. Squueeee! I am the epitome of Charlie Brown. LOVED him when I was a kid and love him now. I still watch A Charlie Brown Christmas every year, and I own the picture book complete with record read a-long turn the pages thing. I was pumped to venture towards it!

See? Idiotically happy. Sublimely so.

Part two, coming up!