dog hair, dog shit, itchy eyes - - a meal to die for

~title remotely provided by Uhu~

Day 2 here at camp Luxus. And man, did the girlz and I <dine> this eve.

Scampi, Scallops, Goats cheese and fresh basil in the salad (actually, my only grocery contribution) and one of our all time favorites, Spanokopita.

The company was equally as delicious. C & S (aka Becky, she of the Farmer Joe marrying kind) kindly joined me this evening for a dinnah fit for Queens. The three of us attended college together *gulp* 11 years ago, and have remained close over the years. One of the highlights of our bond saw both girls taking nannying jobs for a few months (of varying degrees of success) in the small town in Bavaria,Germany where was I living in the spring/summer of '95.

We usually go for either Indian or Greek, about once or twice a year, and have a good chat and chow down. Tonight was no exception, and I was glad to play hostess in this castle while we laughed, caught up and talked about making plans for a trip to either Vegas or NY before their respective families (and perhaps my own?) get underway.

I am thankful for good girlfriends tonight.

Not so much the allergies kicking up and creatures being naughty. But I'll deal.

Now 'scuse me, while I go jacuzz.

livin large in the lap of lux

I pull up to the house and swing around into my ususal parking spot. The key sticks a little in the lock and I have to jiggle it around a bit when the dogs start to bark. I pile in the door juggling my grocery bag of groceries, a bag of shoes and my purse in one hand and Kat's big blue bag over my other shoulder. Making sure I have all chewables up on the counter, I venture into the laundry room and let the little guys out of their kennels and open the back door so they can run and yap around the back yard. Then, of course, they get served their kibble.

I decide to take a look around all the rooms, taking my stuff upstairs to the guest room , finding a neatly stacked pile of towels on the bed. After ridding its surface of about a thousand ~useless~ throw pillows and a couple of evil feather filled ones, I unpack my own pillow. I take the taupe towels into the bathroom and line the counter with my 'essentials'. This is really starting to feel like a little vacation.

I take a stroll down to the walk out basement, where the home gym equipment and a computer with high speed internet await me. The dogs run around excitedly, and I have to stop for cuddles and allow them to sniff me fully (it has been a few months since my last stay).

I glance through the overfilled fridge/freezer/pantry and make a mental note for tomorrow's menu with S & C (and ideas for the rest of the week). Not to mention the fully stocked liquor cabinet...(the lady of the house just won a city-wide martini contest for which she apparently experimented like a mad/drunk scientist). The possibilities are endless, and the smile on my face spreads as I find the cheque made out to me on the counter (which will more or less bring me back into the black... thank goodness). My smile continues as I find the switch to the gas fireplace on the living room wall, and light a yummy smelling candle.

I spend the majority of the evening curled up on the rug in front of the fire, flipping through the patronizing stupidity that is television today (people swapping wives, Tommy going to college, Auditions for a new Michael Hutchence... now I know why I never turn the damn thing on). It thouroughly sucked me in, and truthfully it was nice to vegetate in little mindlessness as I settled into the first night of my stay at this beautiful mansion.

May I say something? Housesitting. Rocks. My. World.

It's Monday and I wish I were here:

heart·ache noun : anguish of mind : sorrow

Main Entry: in·teg·ri·ty
Function: noun
1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY
2 : an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS
synonym see HONESTY

I finally brought a matter of the heart to its painful but inevitable conclusion tonight. Looked cold hard facts in the eye and didn't look away. A staring contest with my weaker self so to say. I sure don't feel like a winner right now. More like a downtrodden, multiple wrings through the wringer, vulnerable pile of shaky mess.

Somewhere down deep the ever present wise calmness nods her head in silent approval. A long time coming, and a lot of unnecessary distress has lead me to these familiar crossroads, and the time had come to choose the path and keep marchin on. Forward. Solo. Strong. Being true to and honouring myself, at last.

Would someone please kindly tell my heart that it's gonna be ok?

mid weekend pause and reflect (otherwise known as procrastination)

This weekend's theme should be 'things don't always go according to plan'. Eh. Deal with it, right? Roll with those punches.

I'm halfway through a major turn-everything-on-its-head cleaning rampage, and I've taken a few (very deserved) breaks along the way...

I'm sifting through the many many internet radio stations at the wandering click of my mouse. So far today, we've hit some seriously old funk in Soulsville, one with the intriguing name of 'Shake Jugs, not Babies' from Nova Scotia promising blues, uk garage & downtempo, and right now we've got Soulgood/Streetlevel, Tribal & Funky House, UK Garage, from South Australia.

oh, how i *heart* djs.

Been wanting to write that for a couple days. 'nother story for 'nother time. :)

I was talking about plans that get distorted and now instead of option a) or b), c) came up as a possibility and then not. So, too late for a) I guess it's b) unless something more intruiging should arise. Oh, it kinda makes your head spin a little. Maybe option d) staying home and getting your shit done shoulda been the plan all along. Certainly the easiest plan, seeing as though my car had to stay and extra night in the repair shop due to a problem that was discovered during the test drive.

However, that situation has made any possible plans on Sunday that include *driving* to reach my destination (for example, visit my big sis & nephews who live a half hour south) pas possible.
That's where a spontanious nature comes in mighty handy. And the C-Train. I get to accomplish c) after all! Find a townhouse suitable for me ma who is in the process of downsizing. It happens I really enjoy open houses (and the chance to help her pick a new abode out).

Now, back to the regularly scheduled program... ridding the crib of dust bunnies!

a) attending Reggae fest. Also ruled out due to lack of funds :(
b) going for yet more b-day drinks with sis as she hands the baton over to B, the next bday gal
c) house shopping with the mama

Hump Day Revisited

My neighbourliest neighbour just got home, she'll be over in a minute. It seems there may be a wee crisis in her life, regarding work. I MSN'd her this aft to ask her how the chicken wings she 'aquired' off the new boy tasted. She was right in the middle of a rather serious phone conversation and asked me if I'd type some kind of statement for her tonight and we'd arranged to meet up after my yoga class.
...

L8tr, now a few hours have passed, much exchange of thought has been tossed around my living room and her garage turned poker salon (that reminds me, I have to set up a game with the boys soon). It's so good to have neighbours that you can have good exchanges of thought with. She's home in her home now, and me in mine, and I'm singing along to the dixie chicks and picking the fudge chunks out of a carton of Black Cherry Amaretto Frozen Yoghurt. YUM! I want to go for a swim in this container. It's just so awesome to discover a treat that deals with so many of my cravings at once. :)

So yes, it was a more direct route to my happy place today. Due partly to the fact that it's hump day. There's at least 10 points for you right there. The weather has been absolutely dismal, especially for August but let's not go there. Let's think hot, sunny, sizzling thoughts so we glow from the inside. I've made several trips on the green bike up and down the hill to work getting soggy and chilled (my baby is in the shop this week), not to mention the hour and a half romp on the field yesterday, just slaughtering the other team 8-1. Yeah, baby!

HNT ze German version

Ok, ok, so I still don't have my webcam functional at home... I have no connection to the internet at the moment, either (I'm hoping it has nothing to do with the gay sites my dearest Uhu has been visiting).

Anyway, this is my contribution this week. It's from last fall, when I had to go directly to the German Canadian Club to work straight from the office. This is my favorite Dirndl (I have about 3 or 4), given to me by my aunt Brunhilde. Yes, that's really her name. I used to wear it to work in at the cafe on Tegernsee, at the tender age of 18. Still fits! Heh.

Yes, that's a hula hoop in the bottom left hand corner :)

Moody much?

Your Mood Ring is Yellow

Imaginative Wondering Thoughts Peaceful

Mood Ring Generator

it flows

It took me a little while to reach my happy place tonight.

Could have been due to the soggy and freezing mess I was after getting off the soccer field.

That weird ass strange indigestion mixed with vertigo feeling I have been feeling for the past week.

My (where the hell have you been and you call yourself my FRIEND?) who finally showed up.

Whatever. As long as I found it. In a mug of dark hot chocolate, a fuzzy sweater, my flannel pooh pj bottoms, a little soul soothing music, and I've found Sassy again.

To sleep and sleep in as long as I want!

I got an email from my room/soul mate this morning (who is away being her goddess self touring around ze Germans) and thought I'd share our correspondance:

Hello Biene,

Was wondering if you were missing me at all? Well I am missing you a ton!

It's late and I just wanted to write a few lines to tell you that i am thinking of you and wondering if you have had yu . yet?? Just wondering......

I think that I could be ready to start a family.

Well lots to share but I have a really busy day tomorrow so I will have to tell you all later.

I love you and I am thinking of you all the time~!


to which I responded:


Hello Grasshopper!

Of course of course of course I'm thinking about you all the time and missing you like crazy. I was both gleeful and deeply moved as I read your email this morning. I feel in my heart that you are ok, that life is presenting its challenges, but that you are meeting them head on, like the true warrior princess that you are.

Life careens forward here at the urban crib. Feels like this summer is just zipping by, in a series of sun and rain filled days. Nonstop dashing from bed to office to penguin suited events, with some quality time with Uhu thrown in for good measure. He has fed me the past two nights, and showed up with Red Lobster leftovers tonight- garlic shrimp, mashed potatoes and those melt-in-your-mouth cheese scone things they make. YUM.

Speaking of nourishment, we now have the cleanest fridge in all of the northwest. In a spree (it was more like a tazmanian devil whirlwind) of domestic domesticatedness, it was cleared out and cleaned 'the german way' within an inch of its life. I didn't know there was black cherry jam in there! One has to wonder if possible impending motherhood inspired my wacky snacking/grazing on brie & crackers, pickled beets, picked herring, those melted chocolate cookies you left in there, blueberries, a few little carrots and yes, pickles (I 'merged' your three jars into one, btw).

I'm due my . tomorrow and will certainly keep you updated at its arrival or lack thereof. I feel ready whatever may happen. Que sera, sera, as they say.

Love you, so much, and can't wait till you're back and we can enjoy a natural gingerale on the front steps together.

I'm headed for my {freshly made} bed. Oh, how I rock!
Speaking of which, we'll have to get a rocking chair...

to sleep, perchance to dream?

I'm so wiped I feel like I have been hit by a truck. Got home, lay down on the couch for ... a few minutes and end up inadvertedly taking a (much needed) nap. Got up, looked at the clock, swore out loud cause I missed my yoga class. I could have really used it tonight, too. Crawled under the covers and slept another half hour.
Can we say TGIF tomorrow? Oh yeah baby. Gotta looove the short weeks. Declined working another wedding Sat. I have visions of reorganizing the kitchen this weekend. We'll see if it happens.

Woke up to the sweet knocking and offerings of food from Uhu downstairs. He's borrowed my bike and is off depositing paycheques and picking me up some soya milk. Darling, darling boy. I think I'll adopt him.

It has gotten nasty cold outside- I actually put a pair of socks on and turned the furnace up. Struggling with trying to find some motivation to clean or tidy the abode and the need to go right back under those covers for some more zzzzzs. Coin toss perhaps?

HNT

I have a confession to make (I can just hear the collective Oh No!)
It's not that bad. It's just that I haven't had time to figure out how the webcam works yet so alas, there's no new pic this week.

These are my toes. On the end of a dock on South Pender Island. Pre-Pedicure, as you can see. I can't remember whether it was later this day or sometime the next when I got them done. What a treat that was, staying at a beautiful brand new resort at a staff rate (thanks, Jacquie!)

I have had a lot of lovely trips this year. Hopefully I'll have the other pics by next week (and figure out the cam too).

I'm home

Apparently, my boobs have grown.
That's the greeting I got from Uhu when I walked in the door.
Oh good lord, I really really hope not!

I have many blessings, this evening.

A safe return (thank you, Jules, I'll never neglect you again)
A new friend (hey Mo, fist me Baby!)
A fridge full of Okanogan goodness (cherries, nectarines, blue & black berries)
A nice shrimp stir fry prepared for me by my house sitter (so he let the plans die, oh well)
A sweet tan and a golden glow inside too :)

re cap

The sun has gone down. But not before I had the time of my life. This has been a weekend CHOC full of FUN FUN FUN and oh so very necessary escapism. I just happen to have one of the best sisters, EVER, to party with (toss in assorted Stingers and a D-girrl and you're good to go anywhere). She actually out-puffed the Sass yesterday,which I'm still surprised and shocked about, but you couldn't wipe the smile off of my face if you tried right now.

I'm at a complete loss at how to go about the re cap.

There were several extremely yummy salads, one with crab/avacado, one with goats cheese and I forget what else and one with shrimp. I love salads when it's too hot for anything else, you're sitting on a patio and sippin on somethin that accompanies it perfectly (tonight it was Freddy's own Honey Lager... and we had 5 litres at a time delivered to our table, in a big long bong-like dispenser).

Mmm the accompaniments these past sun soaked days... Strongbow on the boat (to match the yellow leather seats, for sure), Gewuertztraminer with the birthday dinner yesterday, gin and tonics last night when "nichts gehts mehr" occured.

Enough with the food & bev reviews, how was the ~scenery~?? Well, at a world class downhill biking competition, what else can you possibly expect but the finest of the fine? Our eyes (all seven sets) were treated to an array of beautifully toned hard core downhillers. In fact, in a scene that I felt should have been included in a Matrix film, we sat, humbled the only way I can attempt to explain the sitting on the pavement at the base of the hill, transfixed by the what seemed to be slow motion moving passers-by. A constant stream of talented, sweat and dust covered young men (and women, let's not forget the women!). My inner people watching fanatic was having a heyday. Or is it hayday? Ach, have another drink, SG!

I also have to highly recommend the staying-at-a-friends-house route, especially if you are low on funds in the first place and then get bitch slapped upside the head with an $800 repair bill halfway through. I have to say thanks and invite said friends to come to cowtown so I can return the favours.

For now, I have to say nice to have been places I have never been before (including to the top of the hill after a hilarious hot gondola boxed ride with aforementioned birthday having sister and D Girrl). Mind blowing scenery, I *heart* bc fruit, sweet sweet friends I get to have a date with once a year, new music lasting through the speakers, an afternoon spent on a blanket in the shade enjoying the breeze... Life just don't get better than this.

Okanogan Sunset

2 (or 3) fingers Southern Comfort
equal parts:
orange pineapple banana juice
sprite

notice the lack of anything red? (indicating that the sun is setting?)
It's beause you never want the sun to go down!!

a girl named Mo

I'm having the time of my life this gorgeous summer night in Kelowna. What the hell am I doing in Kelowna, you ask? Well, not only did we get a little sidetracked by my favorite winery (Summerhill), but Jules decided she wanted a little break, a reverse piggy back ride on a BIG-ass tow truck and a new fuel pump, no less.

So Mo, my new totally-on-the-same-wavelength buddy/roadtrip partner extrordianaire and I spent the evening hooking ourselves up with our new ride (an amazing 2005 dark green blazer with 3,500 kms on it) and learning how to wakeboard out on the beautiful Okanogan lake, topped off by a delicious dinner with a group of her friends at a restaurant we ~get this~ drove the boat to. Life just couldn't possibly get any better than this, even if we had planned it!

So here's to fruit stands, sunsets, warm summer nights, the gentle waves that rock the boat, and a surprisingly nice change of plans.

vay cay shun :)

done! done! done!

it feels SOOOO good to be done at last!

Already enjoying my second mango (now I know why they call it hard!) and the birthday girl and I are readying ourselves for a night out. Starting on a patio, so we can still catch the last rays of sunshine.

Then tomorrow, wake up, leave town!
I love it.

See all you lovelies on the other side

mellow's not even the word

Ok, so the bath never happened. I still feel as though I am levitating, at least a foot and a half off the ground. I have a funny feeling I should have checked my horoscope today, it would most certainly have been full of good things. Although I read something recently about Mercury being in retrograde and how that affects communications of all kinds... Hmmm one to ponder.

Another time. Right now I'm revelling in
- a new *very cute* skirt, given to me this eve as a gift from housematey #1, Uhu
- potato & cheddar perogies and sour cream with fresh pepper for dinnah
- a marvelously delicious hot date on Sat that yes, I'm driving 12 hours for
- the brilliant idea of giving my sis a spa day for two on Friday as a b-day gift
- the after effects of yoga and inverted poses, mango extra cider and this beautiful night...

nightnight

tiny bubbles

Another day at the grind is coming to a close. One more and I’m off to mountain paradise by the sea (and many many mountain biking boys). That makes Sassy smile. And almost forget about all my aches and pains, which there are an abundance of right now. Am I getting old? Or just working too much?

Whichever it is, tonight’s Yoga class should bring some much needed relief. Maybe even a bubble bath afterwards. I have a fully stocked fridge of bevies to choose from (stopped by the liquor store on my way home from the function on Sunday night- it amuses me to go shopping in my tux shirt and bow tie, it really does), so I can sip while I soak my worries away. Cause I know that worry is partially causing these knots in my neck & shoulders. And life’s too short for that. I declare the bathroom an anxiety-free zone.

Secretive? Not so much. The rest? Bang on.

You are nurturing, kind, and lucky. Like mother nature, you want to help everyone. You are good at keeping secrets and tend to be secretive. A seeker of harmony, you are a natural peacemaker. You are good natured and people enjoy your company. You put people at ease and make them feel at home with you.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Ok, so I knew I wasn't going to be having a weekend (I even wrote those exact words a few days back), but here it is Sunday noon and I have a panic on that I'm not going to be able to get anything done. Since I don't know how late tonight's shift at the family reuinion will be (some of the prime people watching will be had, for sure), and tomorrow begins my 3 day work week with all three evenings booked, I'm wondering when *everything else* is going to find time to get done before my trip begins Thursday. Where did I leave that magic wand?

Just called in to give myself a couple of extra hours. 'K, prioritize... should I tackle the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom? So far I have had some playtime, a cuppa green tea (with lemongrass), a shower, and I rolled down Jules' windows & opened the sunroof. Baby, it's HOT outside!!

Granted, I keep myself busy on purpose, and for valid reasons. But you do need balance. Good thing I can combine work with fun quite easily. Yesterday was a 100 person wedding reception in the backyard of the middle aged couple's home in a nearby town. Nice & laid back, these people were a pleasure to serve. Despite the heatwave we sweated through, it was a 'great event' in several ways: hangin out with E & Lee, enough extra nibblies, high praise AND cash tips!

Better continue gettin' my checklist checked before I have to leave. Uh oh, I think the plants need watering too...

in another life we were both cats

I attended a birthday party (one of a rash of thirtieths that have been breaking out recently) this lovely Summer's eve. Allie is a girl I came to know and share a happy symbiotic relationship with the year before last. A very old aquaintance (our moms were friends when we were wee) mentioned A's plight with finding someone to sublet her *very cool* Mission apartment (half of the bottom of an old, funky house) for a few months and possibly take over some furniture, real cheap. I was a girl desparate to get outta her mom's basement in the 'burbs with not a whole lot of baggage, furniture wise (I had moved back to Canada from Germany and started from scratch a few years prior). So me and Allie struck a deal.

She has since returned from her traipsing around the US, South America, Montreal, oh, I've plumb lost track... and has reintegrated herself nicely into the ever fascinating Ramsay/Inglewood community. I loved each and every one of the colourful cast of characters I encountered tonight, and quite enjoyed the diversity of the entity gathered in her petite back yard. Teelights in stained glass holders, a fire going in the pit, it was at once lively and mellow, celebratory and familiar.

Another strange cosmic connection that A & I unknowingly share are mutual friends ~ at her last get-together I ran into my first crush from grade 3 (the infamous DJ who consequensly ended up rocking my housewarming partee back in March). Tonight it was an old flame, and as it turns out, one who used to stoke her fire as well. The universe sometimes works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? Small world indeed...

Calling all Lurkers!

Well hello there!

According to my handy dandy tracking device, there were 28 of y'all who stopped by yesterday (a personal record here in the Kingdom of Sass ~ Yay!)

But I'm just so curious about who you are and where you're from...
Would you mind leaving a little comment for little 'ol me? Pretty please with chocolate sprinkles on top? Thanks! (and thanks, T, for the use of your beautiful pic).

Happy Weekend!

Waxing 101

If you dare try it at home

You'll need

- a waxing kit
- a well lit room
- the right room temperature
- a towel to sit on
- a damp towel nearby
- a microwave
- enough liquid courage (I highly recommend a natural root beer with a double shot o' vodka)
- a treat/reward at the end (what I wanted: a sexy man's neck to wrap my smooth-as-a-baby's-butt calves around, what I got: a fat free fudgescicle)
- music helps

1. lay out your towel to sit on, wet the other towel with warm water
2. warm wax up in microwave according to directions on box
3. take deep breaths throughout
4. stir wax with wooden stick, check for right consistency/temperature
5. apply in a downward motion, not too thickly
6. rub fabric strip against waxed area
7. rip off in an upward motion
8. are you still breathing deeply?
9. didn't think so
10. repeat as necessary
11. wash rest of wax off with warm water
12. apply oil/lotion provided
13. treat time!

That *other* area I'm leaving up to a professional!

HNT take 2

Here we have.... My nails after a weekend camping trip. I did not break one!

Kat made fun of me constantly, starting the night before we left when she came home to find me painting them. But hey- who has the last laugh now?

Going to experiment with the webcam camera next week and hopefully bring you somethin' a little more... risque?

Ready for Me

Halfway done putting the groceries away. Is that anything like sitting halfway up the stairs? It happens to be halfway through the week, too. How peculiar. What a stellar day, though. Seriously. Once the sitting at my desk answering calls and emails part was over, that is. :)

I think my subconscious (thanks, subconscious!) knows that things are going to shift just a bit this upcoming week and is making the necessary adjustments on my behalf. I agreed to two catering shifts this week, which a) leaves me with no weekend but b) oh yeah, I'm taking a 5 day weekend next week!! Yee Haw, I'm headed to the coast to celebrate my superstar sista's 30th in style. Drunken style, but still, it's a style. (Not to mention Doggie! Hee hee). So the extra shifts will come in handy what with the feeding of my beamer's hungry tank to get me out there and back.

The perfect yoga class (how does she just *know* I need the hip openers? this woman is incredible) was followed by a trip that filled my empty fridge and pantry accompanied by my oh so tired Uhu. Plus, I managed to sneak in laundering my sheets in between so I now have a freshly made bed to crawl into... Shortly. Very shortly.

I am still enjoying the quiet, peaceful cool night that has unfolded around me. Kat's 'the beauty of recovery' is playing, my post yoga mellow mood meshing well with this glass of italian white. All is in order in my little corner of the world. Sweet dreams.

it's Tuesday

and we won our game. 3-0, my sister is an absolute superstar. I couldn't catch up to #11, the bitch - she outran me every time. Time to start up again with the morning jogging/stairs routine. This was the summer for kicking ASS, remember? Oh, how easily we forget. Tempted by *special* brownies and lazy days filled live music. Sucker!

I think I finally came down proper sometime this morning at work. I was experiencing an upper plane of emotions this morning seldom visited. I think that's when I do my best writing, express what's down deep in there. I was tired of the fence sitting so I stirred it up a little last night after practise. Summarized in four paragraphs today, hit send and voila! Attitude adjustment complete.

I'm okay with being a hopeless romantic, by the by. It suits me. Look, I'm wearing a floral flowy dress, for god sakes! You'll often see me describe myself as a hippie, in this place, the Almighty Kingdom of Sass. And you know what? That's perfectly ok with me too. So there.

Just got of the phone with my Kat, she's up in ze mountains with her germans. I both envy and pity her. Funny, that. I'll be making a trip of my own through ze mountains soon, with the *added bonus* of going places I have never been before. In all the variations that might bring. Hmmm. Let's go ponder that one, shall we? Or, we could just call it a night. 'night.

It was like a dream

I did not rise from my bed this morning until a quarter past the hour.
By some miracle, I managed to be here three minutes before I had to sign in (at half past). It’s a hair-in-the-ponytail-no-makeup kinda day. It’s a Monday, of course.

Visions of the folk fest just past floating around my semi-conscious brain. Had a lovely time, soaking it all up. Many a time, laying back on the blanket spread out on the space we had claimed as our own in the middle of the field in front of the main stage, I glanced up at the clouds in the sky, and thought “this is exactly where I want to be”.

The familiar faces were nice to see, very reassuring that some traditions never die. People will continue to go back, year after year, to take in the music, the atmosphere, all that this place has come to represent. It struck me that so many families & generations were in attendance. All peacefully coexisting on the island, caught up in its festivities, barely noticing the rest of the world going by. It was like we too were suspended in this alternate place and time. Our Island, for the duration. Thanks to the city, for rebuilding the road. And see you all next year, Folkies!

Half-Nekked Thursday {excuse the folkfest detained lateness}

And here we have it. My first ever HNT. Woo Hoo! May I present a calf, ladies & gents. The other two hiking booted feet belong to Kat, my partner in crime on the White Swan camping trip. I'm not entirely sure what prompted me to take this shot, but here it is and here you have it.

This really is a fun concept. Although I must confess, it was partly Hot mama Blaze and partly Kristy's naked courage (and breezy elegance) who have inspired me to disclothe myself on the www. Now if you could please excuse me, I'm going to get Nekkid and to bed.

*update on the festivities* yay! It's only Friday. Two whole glorious days lie ahead, as I hang like wallpaper and mix with the folk on the island. I realized tonight during my emotional singalong with the indigo girls' Power of Two just how many memories I have of this place, and how much I enjoy the whole experience of the weekend. A lot of people enjoying the music, themselves and eachother. I just mentioned having the premonition that I was going to see familiar faces. Lots of lovely people, I think the count is at about a dozen. Really a Happy Shiny People type of gathering. Such a beautiful night that I walked home ~ that moon is reaking havoc. Good thing it's of the peaceful Shiva (I know, that's a contradiction) kind of havoc. I am a walking contradiction these days, have decided to embrace it in its entirety.

devil in the blue dress

Found the most perfect replacement for my poor long lost folkfestdress… it’s blue, batik, and has fishies all over it. I’m ready for a weekend of wonderful music and people watching. Of course I’m wearing my Birks, did you even have to ask?

Have the feeling I’m going to run into a lot of people I know there… and will probably meet some new ones! Knowing my mom (who showed up to our soccer game yesterday completely dressed in yellow, with the exception of a pink hat with the most humongous rim I have EVER seen) she’ll have half the audience chatted up before the first act even starts. Gotta love the Mama! Go with the flow, and enjoy the show.

"When they float, they're done, right?"

I made Gnocchi tonight. For the first time since I moved back from Germany, wow, now more than 4 years ago. And oh my god was it ever delicious! The sauce, a delightful mix of spicy olives, capers, tuna in a tomato base. A little parmesan on top. Mmmm the audible sigh of enjoyment as I took the first bite. A sure sign that I'm in store for a food orgasm and at the beginning of a very wonderful meal. Others I know do the happy food dance. I moan.

But it was a pure act of Shedonism tonight and I acted alone. Putting in the effort to concoct dinner for my sassy self after my extremely low key yoga class (I swear, we were on the floor covered in blankets for three quarters of it! So needed). Now I have dined, and shall feast at lunch tomorrow. Well done.

It was the second time I was at the yoga studio today, actually. I have joined the twice weekly morning chant/meditation class as of yesterday. And although I have just begun (with baby steps) along my path to enlightment, I already feel calmer and more centered for having gone.

Here is the "theme of the week" mantra, as my adorable yet so wise instructor L says in her eastern european accent.

the gayatri mantra

Om bhur, bhuvah, svah
tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

translation:

Om. In each of the three planes of existence. We recollect in ourselves and meditate upon that wondrous Spirit of the Divine Solar Being: may he guide our inner vision.

"Yes, Virginia, when they're done they DO float"

The most beautiful blue babies... I mean berries

"Shedonism" has been born.
Just so you know.
I invented it this weekend.

I got down. I came clean. I remembered what it was like to play, mess around, just be.

I took calculated risks. I tripped over an old habit. I shared one (or two) with my sister. And plenty of laughs. A floor around a sushi table with our dad.

I discovered how liberating truth is.
Especially when it is your own self you're talking to.

~~~~~~~~

This week is shaping up to be most intriguing. Something's in the air, I tell ya. Has to be related to the full moon on Thursday (start of the Folk Fest... Coincidence? I think not).

So far, my mom has quit her job and a dear friend confided in me that she might be with child.

And it's only Monday!!

Hedonism Part 1

*or, how to make Sassy's Saturday Morning truly great*

- Just say NO! when asked to work a plated dinner for 500 (even if it IS a wedding)
- Stay in bed till noon
- Make sure you have *fresh* batteries
- When, and only when you're truly ready, get up and wander about in robe & slippers
- Give yourself a face mask with that mud that heats up
- Have a whole little pot of coffee to yourself with dark hot chocolate mixed in
- Prepeare and enjoy a goats cheese/cheddar turkey bacon & tomato omelette
- This is important: DON'T LEAVE ANY LEFTOVERS
- Keep the beats coming, change station according to mood
- Don't forget to take your vitamins!
- Purrrrrrrrrr

:) Happy Hedonistic Weekend!

Truth

I am not being true to myself and I know it.
There.
Get a grip, would ya?

Does this sound like negative self talk to you?
Um, yeah.
Do I need to hear it AND receive a smack upside the head?
Um, yeah.
Working on it...

Don't ring, phone. I double dog dare ya.

one more time

Exhale. Don't forget to inhale.

It's been one of those days, thank goodness it's almost over and I have freshly laundered sheets to put on the bed. Does anyone else think it utterly shocking and ridiculous that a 31 year old woman should only have one set of sheets to her name? Whatever.

Had quite the surprisingly productive work day and evening, considering my hungover state. Lost the write-a-rap contest for the Black Eyed Peas tickets. Terribly disappointing , I tell ya. Lunched with a colleague who is hiring me for her reception set up (my first freelance job!). Went for my yoga class tonight and found it cancelled due to the fact that nobody else showed up. Oh well, had a nice chat with the teacher and came home and practiced in the living room to the tape with the strange south african accented man on it. Aforementioned laundry, some much needed art therapy (with a brand new box of Crayolas, no less - maybe I'll figure out how to post my masterpiece) and dinner. If you count putting a soya dog on a bun with a slice of cheese any considerable amount of effort.

How could I forget the trip the grocery store on my way home, where the water incident* took place. (*possibly my second rant in a week, watch out)...

Really not up to getting into details there, so I'll say goodnight. Sleep tight.

ps the picture above is one I just found in the shared folder. It is titled "Sankatra Happy Place". Indeed.


miss you,
grasshopper

deine biene

Loose translation:

The today's day lends wings to your soul. Not only do head and heart harmonise joyfully, you could experience an emotional lift, which lets you take off into seventh heaven. Use the opportunity, in order to bring things in order, with which both fantasy and understanding are asked for.


So I'm playing around on the net this eve, sitting here in my yoga clothes (similar scene yesterday, but it was my sports bra & soccer shorts) eating nachos & salsa, drinking the second to last beer in the fridge. Freaking myself out. Why do I do this? Wish I knew. Guess I feel I need a little celestial assistance with my current 'issues'. The most I'll ever do is draw a runestone- I abhor the thought of going to a fortune teller or reader of palms. Not my thing. So why this sudden outburst in cravings to know what the future is going to bring?

Maybe with my sudden assertiveness and decision to LIVE life instead of being a spectator (albeit, one with really nice pom poms!), I have stumbled on a very important question.
Now what?

I believe there's a grand plan and so to a certain extent, there's not much we as mere mortals can do to alter its course. But personal destiny? Hell, yeah! I'm in charge of getting myself up on the right side of bed every (ok, most) mornings, of deciding to face life with a smile on my face (and a song in my heart)... Ok, let's not get carried away here. Can you tell I'm still exhausted and delirious from the weekend? Nah.

Speaking of which, it's time to get my sassy self into bed so I can get some quality zzz time to be able wake up and smile at the world tomorrow come morn.

Tageskarte:

Ritter der Kelche

Der heutige Tag verleiht Ihrer Seele Flügel. Nicht nur, dass Kopf und Herz erfreulich gut miteinander harmonieren, Sie könnten darüber hinaus einen emotionalen Auftrieb erleben, der Sie in den siebten Himmel abheben lässt. Nutzen Sie die Gelegenheit, um Dinge in Ordnung zu bringen, bei denen sowohl Phantasie als auch Verstand gefordert sind.

Orakel

Dies war die Frage:"werden D und ich wieder zusammen kommen?"

Das Yahoo! Orakel sprach:"Niemals, niemals, niemals."

Horoskop

Vorname: Sass
Geburtsdatum: 24.05.1974

Ihr persönliches Horoskop für den 13. Juli 2005 Ganz unverhofft können sich heute neue berufliche Perspektiven auftun, die Sie auf Erfolgskurs bringen. Da sollten Sie nicht lange fackeln, sondern schnell überlegen und entscheiden, bevor die Konkurrenz es tut. Hören Sie dabei nicht nur auf Ihren gesunden Menschenverstand, sondern auch auf Ihre Intuition. Beides wird nämlich von den Sternen gestärkt.

[I am] Unlimited Potential

Don't you love a cursor blinking on a white background? How it beckons, calls to you. To put fingers to keys, to fill the void. With whatever you wish. Unlimited Potential. Funny, that's what this summer's motto was to be. Going to wash the whiteboard of:

"Hoere die Musik, erlebe und erkenne dich selbt, Werde, der du bist!"
(Listen to the music, live and learn to recognize yourself, Be who you are)

and replace it with a fresh new mantra.

The time has come to put this dreaming into action. Play the music, be the music, don't just sit back listening to it. Start those baby steps towards the cliff. Oh, wait, maybe we should be checking to see if the parachute is packed properly first... That may just have been my mistake the past few times I have jumped off that ledge, freefalling and then splat! You get the picture.

My Kat would say I'm being too hard on myself again. That those weren't really crashes, just little stumbles along the way, bound to happen to anyone merrily tripping along the road of life. Which brings me directly (in a round about way) to my next bit 'o wisdom: if that road's not working for you, choose a different one. You know, the one without the big gaping hole in the middle of it. Patience, Grasshopper! And you too, Biene Babbling Brook.

We came. We served. We kicked ass.

Despite the beyond sore feet and lack of social life this weekend, I am still quite pleased that in 2 1/2 days, I covered the rent for next month. Or, earned 1/3 of my January trip to the Carribean...

Excuse me while I kick back with my fishbowl-like glass of Merlot and partake in a bath of bubbles. Later.

SG: 3 World: 0

My Goodness. Already halfway through my big ass slurpee (they were out of small cups, what's a girl to do?). It's a rainbow of sugary goodness, blue, pink & green on top, to celebrate our 8-0 WIN over the girls in green. YAY!! It was so nice to be out on the field with my sista again, with her huge grin and even huger kicks. We lost the battle over the mosquitos though (I think we must have gone through 6 or 7 cans of spray). Luckily the little buggers don't have a very long life span, and it's about to get HOT here for awhile... Right Mother Nature?

Tomorrow sees the beginning of our fair city's greatest outdoor show on earth. What fucking ever... I'm seriously thinking of boycotting the whole kit and caboodle after the tragic and so unnecessary death of nine wild horses. Why those stupid people couldn't get their heads out of their asses and realize that to bring 200 of them into a city of almost a million, alongside highway, river AND Traintracks is not a good idea is beyond my comprehension. There you have it, my rant for the month.

My sudden assertiveness has brought me rich rewards, however. A window on the world in two months, for one. Second, the satisfaction of telling the video store off. That really got my adrenalin pumping! Go Sass Go!

Finishing off the rest of my slush as I try to work off the buzz from ingesting it by folding Uhu's mountain of laundry. He really is my brotha from anotha motha! He's even listed under my 'family' contacts, right next to my Kat. I can't wait for all the fun we're going to have this weekend, kicking some VIP lounge ass! (Almost as much fun as I had with my girls in yella tonight, fighting the mosquitos AND the lime avalanche).

Sassy's feeling: Pretty Kick ASS! :)

Welcome to the newest member of the urban crib

Kaa, the 4 and a half foot long boa.

I am NOT impressed.

Adventures in Lawnmowing

Apparently I have earned a new nickname from Uhu. Saucy. Nice variation on the sassafrass theme, actually.

Nice, gentle start to the week. My walking buddy cancelled last minute and although I *should* have gotten up and walked/jogged anyway, I rolled over and dozed for another hour. Could be due to the slight stiffness I was feeling after my shift last night. Oh well, tomorrow's another morning and we meet at 7!

Probably would a teensy bit more with it had I gotten my lazy butt up, but the day began and I drank my tea and woke up eventually. Enough to do today to make me feel competent as well as help the time pass till my early departure.

Loved having an extra few hours in the afternoon to putz around (read= surf, laundry, I always need a few projects on the go at once), clean up the yard in preparation for mowing it. And I had every intention! Alas, the powers that be were not cooperating cause when I went to the garage to get the lawnmower, it was nowhere to be seen!

Alas indeed. Upon returning from soccer practice and smelling that sweet sweet smell wafting from the garage next door, I of course followed my nose (it always knows) and found a gaggle of neighbourly neighbours in the midsts of a friendly game of poker in said garage.

Not only did I find the mower, but a friendly (might just have discovered a new elf!) soul who volunteered to show me how to use the damn thing. Yes, the very one who does her nails on the eve of going camping has never mowed a lawn. Shocked? I didn't think so.

Now THAT was fun. And quite a good workout. May just have burned more calories than I did during soccer practice. Plus, I have the funkiest looking lawn on the block ~ somehow ended up doing a triangular pattern...Hee hee. Feeling quite satisfied and competent (have to share moods verbally as poor unky doesn't seem to be operational at the moment) and quenched after my two ciders. I'm perhaps ready to head to bed sometime soon. Mmm. Bed. Like now? G'night.

Two weddings and a magic carpet ride

Don't you hate it when you have brushed your teeth and then have uncontrollable chocolate/ice cream cravings? I said to hell with it and had myself a handful of chocolate chips and a vanilla pudding pop. Currently munching my way through a bowl of strawberries, garnish I lifted from dessert trays at the wedding tonight. Oh well, I can always brush them again!

It has been a fucking awesome long weekend. Kat & I got the party started Thursday night out on the town. Unfortunately the line & cover they were still charging after midnight at my friends show discouraged us from hanging out there. We took a leap and landed on a magic carpet ride of an adventure, flirting on the verge of caution being thrown to the wind. How I love this woman, still up with me at 6 am, giggling, eating chinese food.

Friday was my internet radio oddesey, as chronicled in the last post. Then began my weekend wedding extravaganza. I actually got to be a guest at one yesterday, then worked one tonight. The difference between the two was like night & day. Becky (nickname) and her farmer tied the knot in a small country church, with about 50 people in attendance. They caught a ride in a big red firetruck to the hall, where the Lion's Club catered us our Hawaiian themed feast and cheerfully served home mixed mai tais (so strong the little umbrellas practically stood up by themselves). I cried twice, the moment I saw her come into the church (and intermittedly thoughout the ceremony) then at the reception as one of her bridesmaids toasted her. She does deserve to be toasted, and celebrated and loved and cherished and all of those good things. After seing her glow with pure joy all day long and the meeting of her ~gulp~ husband for the first time yesterday, I believe firmly that this exactly the man for the job.

Today's affair was a plated dinner for 150, the party after the party they held yesterday at the bride's parents mansion. The sup. worded it best, mentioning that most of the guests were just hanging around out of politeness. A big show to impress what appeared to be business associates of the older generation. More concerned with the asthetics, they missed the point completely, that a wedding is supposed to be a celebration of love.

There, I have said my piece. Missed the cake (it probably tasted like plastic, anyway). I much preferred the macadamia nut brownie torte baked with much love by my dear friend's brand new father-in-law. And man, can he cut a rug!

I'm surrounded by holidayness

Happy happy holiday weekend to both sides of the border! I'm sure I could find out with what frequency that happens fairly easily but I'm too lazy to google.

Had a fantastically lazy day (with the exception of the bike ride to & from sistas to suck more water out of her basement for a few hours). A 3 hour nap when I got home! Still a little groggy, I have been having me some lounging/surfing fun, uploading more of the camping pics to Flickr, and exploring the wickedness of world wide radio broadcasts. SO nice to have some new music to listen to (internet love) and I'm excited about ~eventually~ setting up my itunes situation here at the crib.

Some of the stations I hit tonight on live365.com:

the bassment.com ~ Underground Hip Hop Radio, New Songs, Classics, Unreleased, Live Mixshows, Move
WA electronic ~ dancefloor orientated DnB from an Australian perspective
Utopia Vibes ~ Downbeat, Jazz, Trip-Hop, Lounge lovers
Creation Steppin ~ classic and modern roots reggae
Soulgood / Streetlevel ~ Tribal & Funky House. UK Garage. From South Australia.

Quite the mix!

As my wishlist grows, I'm anticipating a nice beats filled Summer...

Do me a favor and go out and shake your booties for me? At least once in the next 3 days. For me ;)

What we are coming to know

The Invitation

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living, I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dreams, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring with your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals, or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain, mine or your own without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it. I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or even your own; if you can dance with the wilderness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning your self to be careful, be realistic, or to remember the limitations of being a human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you’re telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. I want to know if you can be faithful and therefore trustworthy. I want to know if you can see beauty even if every day is not pretty, and if you can source you life from its presence. I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of a lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, ‘YES!!’
It doesn’t interest me where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after a night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done for the children. It doesn’t matter to me who you are or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back. It doesn’t interest me where or with whom you studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away. I want to know if you can be alone with yourself, and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Oriah Mountain Dreamer,
Native American Elder

switched to the Chard

just as the White Rabbit paid us a visit!

How kind of him to sit and chat for a spell, as his size 12 shoes waited paitiently for his departure.

Coincidentally, "Off with their heads!" was not to be heard.

Alice picks up her flamingo, and continues her game of croquet.

Shot # 2

Is going down much smoother, thanks to a little apple juice & cran raspberry fizzyness. :) :)

Why, Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum, welcome to the tea party!

Ziiiing

That may just have been my first AND last ever shot of Absinthe. I think my esophagus is on fire...

Glenda the Good Witch came home!

Feels a little bit like fairy tale fantasy magic kingdoms and secret passages around here lately. I feel like the Cheshire Cat. And I haven't even tried any of the Absinthe Uhu brought home. It seems the poor kids were in a bit of a fender bender this aft.

Back to the title (and kind of the point) of this post: she has blown in on the fresh mountain breeze and instantly brought joy and energy into this home again.

And, she brought me a piece of the most heavenly home *home* made kaesekuchen (like, he even made the quark himself)baked by no other than her father. Love love!

by Lewis Caroll

Jabberwocky

'Twas brilling, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite the jaws that cach!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious bandersnach!"

He took his vorpal sword in hand
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the tumtum tree,
And stood a while in thought.

And in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame
Came whiffling through the tulgy wood,
And burbled as it came.

One,two! One,two! And through and through
The vorpal blade whent sniker-snack
He left it dead and with it's head
He went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the jabberwock?
Come to my arms my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brilling, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogroves
And the mome raths outgrabe.

guten abend, liebe zimmergenossen (ich vermisse dich!)

Hi Honey,

Not sure when you'll get a chance to check your mail, but I just wanted to say hi and let you know how much you ARE MISSED!!!

We have very very very good news and reason to celebrate LOTS, it appears that (finally) a one Gil Gilbertson has left the building. YIPEE YAI KAI EH!! Fuckin eh. :) ~ I just heard you may know this interesting tidbit of information through a txt msg from Uhu and kitten (newly anointed nickname for Whit) ;P ~


I hope you are having a fabulous time on your camping adventure, that you somehow fixed your air mattress or found someone soft (yet firm in the right places *wink wink nudge nudge*) to sleep on.

Gosh, I'm funny on a hangover and paint fumes. This afternoon was spent helping Kim paint the bedrooms of the house she and her family are moving into this week. We spent some time at the paint store (where much inspiration is to be had!) and picked a lovely sunny yellow for the playroom called 'Afternoon Delight'. 'Spiced Rum' is going in their bedroom- she wanted one called Nutmeg but her other paint store was closed today and that was the closest match. The hardwood is all getting redone tomorrow; it's going to look fantastic when it's done.

*In other news* Jeez you've missed a lot in 3 days!! We lost our soccer game 1-0. Oh well, we tried hard, had fun, it didn't rain. Worked a steak/lobster thingie for 350, my what a pain in the ass to clear. Did reap (or shall we say 'harvest'?) some benefit- some nice material for eine kleine geschmacksprobe vom feinsten. Proesterchen, meine Grasshopper.

Love you, so much, hope you are taking care of yourself. I am taking good care of our pad (all plants got watered and floors swept/mopped today) in your absence. Off to deal with that mountain (the situation has escalated) of clothes taking over my bedroom floor.

Big kisses and hugs,

Sass aka deine Biene

Wii=ne tasting timmme!

Hey hi hello it's me!
I've gotten a little giggly/bleary eyed after my function tonight/ :)
Done a right good job & 'aquired' me some open bottle 'o vino and so all the better to conduct our first official urban wine tasting with. Cheers!

The first candidate is an old Emerald favorite. 2003 Hawthorne Mountain Gewuertztraminer. This, my dear IIF, is one of my favorites. I have a fondness for both Okanogan AND Gewuertztraminer wines, so it's kind of a no-brainer here. Love the Double Whammies. A surprising twinge of butter on top of that lovely sweet spicy tendency. Mmm. A very summery patio type of drinkage action.

Next we have a 2002 Glazebrook Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I found this one to be a tantalizing tropical delight, making my taste buds dance (along with tunes that the very cute dj was spinning).

The final representant of the whites, a Louis Latour Chardonnay. Never one to dissapoint, Louis brings forth a solid effort in his candidacy (although I must admit, Chards are not among my favs). Pleasing to my palate, it would be a nice accompaniment to a chicken dish, perhaps with a cream based sauce.

Sauce, did someone say Saucy??. (this obviously refering to the term used by the security guy as I surreptitiously load up a case of six bottles to take home).

Ahem. Back to the *VRY SCIENTIFIC* wine tasting currently taking place. Hic!

A red. To finish us off (and quite literally, too).
Wynns Coonawarra Estate, Cabernet Shiraz Merlot, 2002. Never one to judge a blend, find this one a little bit on the tart side. However, am still persuaded to enjoy the nice mix of the triple treat. Definitely enjoyable.

And thus we come to the end of this, our first ever online wine tasting experience. Goodnight!

TGIF (already/what took so long?)

Ahhhhhh.

That's the sound of the sassafrass exhaling after a super crazy busy rollercoaster yet oddly entertaining week. I embrace the weekend with arms wide open. I knew I was in trouble when I started talking to insects. My kitty Kat has only been gone 1 night and already I'm losing it.

To my defense, it was a Biene (english=bee), which just happens to be my new nickname. Hers is Grasshopper. But you'll find this out soon, as soon as I get her sweetcheek-german-tour-guide-ass to submit her guest post (this one's worth waiting for, folks). I was speaking to the little creature as I ushered him out of the living room, held temporarily captive in a pint glass with an envelope accross the bottom.

Luckily, Uhu sprung to the rescue. We're gonna cook us some salmon and drink us some wine (I'm in charge of the salad). Let the weeks events and adventures settle a little, like those little flakes in a snowglobe.

Meanwhile, for your viewing pleasure, my newly created slide show (over at Flickr). Quite proud of myself for figuring this one out so quick (pats on back). Not bad for someone who took a couple months of programming 5 years back. Not quite as proud as I am of myself for going for a jog before work 4 mornings this week. I may be able to keep up with those little *&ckers on the other team out on the field before this summer is through!

three things

Three msn names you have had:
sass*weekeffingend*
sass*not your darling*
justsass

Three things you like about yourself:
Calm under pressure
Give good hugs
Spontaneous

Three things you don’t like about yourself:
Don’t take criticism well
Sugar binges
Always broke

Three things that scare you:
Deep water
Fish
That’s about it!

Three of your daily essentials:
Vitamins
Hugs
Chocolate

Three things you are wearing right now:
Kat’s rose quartz necklace
The blue lace panties she gave me
Flip flops

Three of your favorite songs:
Any Blue Rodeo Tune
‘Feels like home’ Chantal Kreviazuk
‘Eyes wide open’ Hothouse Flowers

Three new things you would like to try in the next 12 months:
A girl
Size 10 clothes
Paragliding

Three things you want in a relationship:
Besides respect, trust and honesty?
Spontaneity
Earth shaking sex
A best friend

Three things you can’t do without:
Chocolate
The internet
My pillow

Three places you would like to go on vacation:
Australia & New Zealand
Hawaii
New York

Three kids names:
Laila
Benjamin
Jake

Three things you just can’t do:
Hook up electronic equipment
Speak Japanese
My own nails (with colour)

Three things you want to do before you die:
Wow, this one took me by surprise. Have to think more about it...
Travel more (see 2 questions back, add the entire Mediterranean)
Learn Spanish
Climb more mountains

Three celebrity crushes:
Robert Downey, Jr. (I know!)
Johnny Depp
Taye Diggs

Now you!

SUMMER MUSIC LOVE MADNESS

Anyone in or around Cowtown for this brief but precious season, come check it out! I’ll be there, dancing in my birks ;)

June 30th: Canada Day celebration with my fav DJ
(and if you buy your ticket before Sunday and win the VIP package, I expect an invite!!)

July 16th : The Hi Fi Club, 219 10th Ave. SW A super wonderful guy I work with is in a band, releasing their new CD

July 21 – 24th : Folk Fest

Aug 15 – 20th : Reggae all the way!!

unedited ttd June 2005

-> all those things that I was supposed to do before my 31st B day
-> Get german passport renewed
-> Get class (whatever it is) to drive one of those 15 passenger vans
-> Sell speakers and receiver (barganfinder?)

Hmmm...... I just happened to (yeah right) open up to this page. It's June 21st and well, I better get my ass in gear if I want to accomplish even a portion of the above listed things. Oh well, wash one plate at a time, right?

I am currently laying on my bankie (Shut Up! You have one too!) under the shade of a beautiful tree (sorry, can't name it) with my 'essentials' laid out before me. Half a bottle of my dad's finest homemade red (I told you he gave great doggy bags!), water, rye crisp bread, discman, a few good CD's, a journal and a pen. With a picture of some real estate lady I have never heard of on it. Hm. More drunken lapses, perhaps? Nevermind. All toted here in a green cotton reusable bag, with a butterfly and flowers on the side. That beside my discarded Birks (more on them later) - sometimes I truly believe I was meant to be a hippie. Or was one in a past life, maybe?

Beautiful evening, this evening. And the Solstice. It would seem Mother Nature has blessed us. Given us a reprieve after the torrential rain (like none we've seen in oh, 1 or 2 hundred years) which continuously poured down on us over the past two and a half weeks. It's so wonderful to finally enjoy a beautiful summer day. And I'm exactly where I want to be. How lucky is that?

I am going to pack up soon and enjoy a bike ride around the park. The people (which succumbed to butterfly and then to bunny) watching has been a real treat. Especially the bunny- brown with a white peter cotton tail, munch munch munching on the green green grass. I managed to slow down the spinning axis of my globe for awhile to simply breathe, and be. But I will not leave you without this:

Ode to my Birkenstocks

How fitting on the first day of summer to don my absolute favorite pair of Sandals. Have them fit like a second skin, the green leather worn so soft, the bottoms walked bare. How many miles have I journeyed in these German wundershoes? If these babies could talk, the stories they'd tell, of Italy, Turkey, Paris and Prague! Over here as well- through rivers, lakes, folk fests and countless dog walks.

I did not get one blister wearing them all day. In fact, I think they may have healed a few of the other ones I have received by trying to wear unfortunate unmentionable others. Well, I think I have fully expressed my point here. I LOVE THESE SHOES. Like a child.

Thanks for your attention! You may now carry on with your summers.

S*&^ F$#(

Don't tell me I just did that.

Wrote for oh, about 45 minutes and then...

BAM!

It's gone.

Be back after my cold shower.

Here, go listen to this

Weekend Observations

Angelina and Brad have the most amazing onscreen chemistry since… the black and white days. Uhu is great fun to go to the movies with (complaining loudly right after it was over “I want my money back, there wasn’t enough naked Brad!!”).

It is entirely worth the effort to make oneself an egg-turkeybacon-cheese-and-tomato on whole grain for breakfast (Saturday).

It’s much more fun to go sit on a sunny patio and have it made and served to you (Sunday).

My dad is the best cook ever (but we knew this already). Just don’t try and reheat the escargots in the microwave- they tend to explode and make a really big mess.

Your roommate DOES worry about you if you don’t come home (and no, honey, I wasn’t trying to punish you or teach you a lesson. I will call from now on!)

5 grown woman and one medium sized dog WILL fit into a king sized bed (and sleep comfortably) when enough alcohol has been consumed.

The worst sound to have to endure while hung over is a shop vac. My poor sister’s basement flooded and we spent most of Sunday afternoon mopping and sucking the water up.

Calling your (recent) ex bf and wishing him happy father’s day may induce shock/panic. Ooops! Didn’t mean it THAT way. Hee hee.

view ridge (Top of the World) 

River Maidens (Avocado hair treatment) 

kat on top 

visionary 

sass laughing 

overheard at the Urban Crib

K: (Going to change the song) and this is where the song gets gnarly...
It's really great at first, but the end is just plain bad.

S: Sounds like most of my relationships

The Straight 

Sunset Chesterman Beach 

End of little Pender looking south 

What I did on spring vacation by SG

Campbell River View

I reached three 'corners' of the island on my recent trip there (surfin' safari). It was an absolutely incredible trip, and sometimes feels like a dream that *maybe* didn't even happen. There were 24 girls, mostly from my soccer team (go, Stingers! We won 5-4 tonight. NO rain!), a gaggle of gorgeous flight attendants, and friends of the two women in the group turning 30. We had an absolute blast (how can you not when you get that much estrogen flowing AND have to get in and out of head to toe wetsuits?) taking over a beautiful (normally quieter, I'm sure) lodge right on the ocean. I had forgotten what a powerful force that mindboggingly humungous body of water the Pacific is to reckon with. How quickly I remembered, when I wigged out at Horseshoe Bay just as we were to be getting on the Ferry (don't like big boats and water I can't see the bottom of). However, by the third Ferry trip I was at ease again- just don't make me look over the side, please!

It works!

KatSanBirch

Be forewarned, kiddies. It's like a kid with a new toy!!
Well, this is me and my Kat at mom's neighbours. It's funny that I'm hugging her and the tree- we spoke about a week later about the special powers of birches. Holdin' on for dear life! But we'll get through it, I guarantee nobody's gonna drown. :) :)

Guess who?

The singing lawyer came for dinner tonight. It was a reunion of sorts, as Kat was there too. Us, six months later, wow! It was also an introduction of sorts, as Uhu joined our urban clan as of yesterday. How *handy* that we had a bottle of bubbly on hand to celebrate the occasion. When you are moving in the right direction you have the all of the energy of the universe behind you.

Each contributed to the feast in his or her own special way. I picked the groceries up and got to show off my rusty hausfrau cooking skills, SL brought the wine (How he knew it was our favorite kind-Masi- I will never know). K picked up berries and J brought the whip (So HOT), mmmmm - Perfection. How lucky am I to be surrounded with so much love.

An evening filled with good eats, a special premiere viewing of *The White Swan Adventure*, and a little ball handling practice with my brand spankin new orange and silver soccer ball in the living room... Life is good.

got a secret?

check this out. No, really.

raindrops on roses

One of my favorite Jazz songs is I've got the world on a string My favorite beer is Krieg (Belgian Cherry)My favorite game ok, I'll admit it. I really don't care for 'em. I'd rather jump on a trampoline or swing on a swing My favorite sex toy: My new purple hummingbird My favorite sexual position: on Top! Hello? Are you new? My favorite color is blue, green and purple all swirled together (this was actually the person from whom I stole this quiz from's answer but I liked it too). My favorite sweater: all from Kat, all fuzzy, the white, the blue, the purple, the black My favorite place is it's a tie between the mountains and the ocean. BC, I guess ;) My favorite friend is: oh, way too hard to choose just one. I am blessed with three very special K's My favorite word to say out loud is (shut your ears & eyes here, kids) ~ SHITFUCK ~ inducted into the Sankatra languare on the camping *trip* last week My favorite word of all is flabbergasted My favorite places to be kissed (NOT bitten!) are my neck, the small of my back, the insides of my thighs My favorite extra special treat is sleeping in, *breakfast* in bed My favorite place to think about stuff is in my car going very fast on the highway My favorite shoes? green birks My favorite painting is that Monet of the bridge umm not an art critic, either My favorite guilty treat is Dairy Queen Blizzard with oreo, brownie pieces AND hot fudge My favorite non-guilty treat is yoga and selbstpflege/pampering (nails, toes, long bubble baths) My favorite man’s name is Joshua My favorite woman’s name is
Maia My favorite jeans: haven't found them yet My favorite lipstick: Burt's Bees My favorite vacation was out to Tofino and all around the island + Pender What are some of your favorites?

ouch my heart?

ouch ouch ouch my ... oh, don't even go there. That's what advil and massage therapists named Butt are for. I'm officially, done, finished, completed my first tournament of the year. With 500 buckeroos in my pocket, it's *almost* worth the effort. My body's none too pleased with me, but ~insert 2nd sentence here~ . 1 down, 4 to go!

Just wondering, has anyone had the experience of being uninvited to an event? I wonder. Because I just have been. It's a rather awkward thing, really. But then perhaps (and in accordance with my 'everything happens for a reason' belief') it's less awkward than attending said event. Understandable, when one considers the circumstances that have been altered in recent weeks. Hmm. One to ponder.

Wow- the night has just flown by. Off to bed, little one. Let the night's wings envelop you and take you to super rejuvinating sleepland (with a few good dreams thrown in there for good measure). Guten nacht. Montag morgen kommt viel zu frueh!

Ouch my feet. It's just after midnight and I have *just* managed to finally put my fleecy boxer robe and slippers on. Long day, and tomorrow will be more of the same. Welcome to my summer! 1002 stairs again (I really like that number!) this morning, then half a day in my office life and the other half as a penguin. Don't get me wrong, I really do love my catering gig. Especially the bonuses a couple of years seniority will bring you (treats galore- tonight it was seashells and little blue and orange flowers from dismantled lai's - it was a grade 9 grad with a Hawaiian theme). How I appreciate being fed and catching up with old friends (this will be my 5th year helping out). And tonight brought the added gift of my favorite companion in all things fun, Kat. Who, coincidentally is currently composing a guest post all about our camping *trip* last weekend. I truly am blessed to have this goddess of a woman in my life, to be my mirror (as well as my reed- see last post) AND roomie. Swoon.

Bed is calling (yes, I hear you bed, just a sec!) Nighty night.

on the good ship Friendship

“To be today friendly and tomorrow unfriendly cannot for one moment be called friendship; the value of friendship is in its constancy. Forbearance, patience, and tolerance are the only conditions which keep two individual hearts united. There is a saying in Hindustani, by Seman, on friendship, 'Stand by your friend in his time of need, like the reed on the bank of the river.' When a man is sinking in the water and catches hold of a reed, it will save him if it is strong; and if not, it will sink along with him.”

- Hazrat Inayat Khan

jeckyll/hyde

A hump day, in a galaxy far far away. It's Wednesday and I'm in a very dark place. My mood started to take a downward spiral sometime after lunch. Sure, it was partly due to the hangover which nastily crept up on me from behind (and to which the double dose of ibuprofin barely made a dent). But this is something sadly familiar to me. Recurring state of hopelessness and despair. A negative, big black cloud over my head kind of place where I don't like anything or anybody. Why would anyone choose to feel this way? Asks the wise one. And proceeds to diagnose a classic case of chemical imbalance- take a pill, make it better. Yeah, 'cept been there done that shit. Don't wanna go there again. But I sure as hell don't want to stay here either. Hm. Dilemma.

I want to believe the studies that have been done linking exercise to a good, stable, sunny disposition. That IS who I am 'normally'. I am definitely not feeling normal, and the people closest to me are suffering greatly (so sorry, J) because of it. The wise one gave me a name and # to call, to pursue a little one on one. I'm willing to give it a shot. I'm willing to go the excersise route as well. Double Whammy. My depression won't know what hit it. Time to feel better, sassy girl. Take that curly haired little girl and hug her tight. Don't let go. Ever.

Update: (focus on 'UP')... 1002 stairs later, I am feeling marginally better. The sun is *trying* to shine, the birds are singing. Prospects on the horizon. Hanging in there.

traffic / escape

Well, thanks Therese, for all the traffic! (And sorry that I'm too lazy to put in your accents...)

I finally attached one of those blog counter things, and it's quite amusing to see who stops by and from where! Once I have a longer list of search results that lead people here, I'll post it. My favorite so far is "Helmut Sass"- whatever the heck that is. Anyone know? I also recently re-organized and updated my links to other blogs on the sidebar... and found a few more I plan to re-visit:

Kristy, Zoe & Rhonda, thanks for the giggles/inspiration!

My Kat and I are off camping/soul searching the next couple of days. It will be so good to escape the city and get some hard core hiking in. Little does my poor roomie know, I 'm a soft core camper... Wish us luck!

tip of the day

don't watch a movie like 'sweet november' when you're feeling down already

Interview Questions for Therese

Questions for Therese:

1. What was your first kiss like?
2. If a hobby could make you money, what would you be doing?
3. If you had to choose only 5 foods to eat for a year (don’t worry about maintaining a balanced diet) what would you choose?
4. If you decided to live abroad, which country would you choose?
5. How would you title your memoirs?


Raspberry and Brea, I'm still waiting for your answers chickies!

partee in the garden, yo!

e-vite is such a fun way to plan a party. People write their RSVPs, and everyone else can read them. I had one friend call me to say she recognized a name on the list and was that the same girl who stayed with her cousins in Australia last year? Why yes, it is! Small world.
I had a fairly successful shopping trip Friday night in preparation for Saturday’s events. My favorite item was a stack of paper plates that all looked like heads different animals. There were monkeys, lions, pandas, elephants, …And I had a couple of angels come to my rescue as I was quickly running out of time (and patience) Sat morning- they returned all the empty bottles and came back with all of the things on the shopping list I had forgotten. And then some! We have enough s’more making materials to last us till Summer 2007!! Another fun thing about e-vite is that you can suggest to people what to bring. Since my party had a garden theme, I put all things garden related on it (sprinkler, hose, shears, birdhouse, fertilizer, supersoaker). My sister signed up to bring the Hoe (of course), and I got all kinds of little plants and seeds, as well as some very cute gardening gloves. Which I promptly put to good use on Sunday to start digging. No, my garden had not yet been dug. That’s this week’s after work project. Until it rains, then we’re having mud wrestling competitions.

Good Hump Day to You

The day after my birthday always feels a little like Boxing Day. Recovering from certain overindulgences, always a little let down after the anticipation leading up to the Big Day. But since my party is on Saturday, I have even more to look forward to before this whole birthday thing is over for this year. Plus, I had an absolutely wonderful day with my mommy dearest showing up to take me out for lunch AND bring a deliciously sinful chocolate cake, as well as a beautiful bouquet of flowers being delivered to my desk. A tied soccer game and a perfectly prepared cheesy omelet completed the day.

Wednesdays have always been all right, in my books. Over the hump and slide tackling towards the weekend. I have an acupuncture appointment later on (yet another attempt to quell the allergic reactions which have plagued me over the past few weeks). And then a quiet hour or two with a new book? Unless my roommate returns home from her long weekend camping extravaganza. Then we’ll be having us some wine drinkin’ leg waxin’ catching up to do.

31 things

I was thinking about trying out 28 again, staying there for awhile, but eh- with age comes wisdom, right?

By accepting my age with grace, I also get to add three things to my list: 31 things about me.

Here goes:

1. I lived on a farm in Quebec till age 5, and according to pictures (and some hilarious home movies) spent the majority of the time roaming around naked with sister Barb and cousin Carina. Hardly ever saw/knew about traffic, airplanes, etc.

2. I visited that very farm for the first time since moving away two Septembers ago, as part of a cross country odyssey with Louise, my partner in crime. Just about smack in the middle of 5 and 6,000 kms we drove the beast to that beautiful potato laden red isle out east.

3. I got to visit the absolute furthest possible point west in Canada from there just a few weeks ago on a surfing trip.

4. I believe in trying things you have never done before (especially if it scares you) every once in awhile. Take surfing, for example. Well, body surfing in my case ;)

5. I have one big unexplainable irrational fear: deep water that I can’t see the bottom of. Nope, can’t say I like boats much and if I ever won a cruise, I’d have to send my mom instead.

6. I have never been to Vegas

7. I have been in love 2.5 times (if you don’t count the at-first-sight infatuation with one Sean Robinson at age 12 ½).

8. I love to bake and cook, although I rarely follow a recipe accurately and tend to throw in anything and everything I can find around the kitchen (new taste sensations!). I also will hardly ever try a soup/sauce until I’m done making it.

9. Wine is a big passion that I intend to follow through with a Sommelier course in early 2006.

10. I have experienced a handful of nights where a few hours ‘go missing’ as the after effects of consuming too much of the red in too short a time period.

11. I absolutely love fresh flowers. If I could afford it, I would have a bunch around my home & desk at work at all times.

12. Amsterdam is my favorite city in the whole world. I think everyone should have the chance to visit it once in their lifetimes.

13. I am only superstitious about black cats and walking under ladders.

14. I love hip hop (and reggae) and used to ride my bike through a shady part of Munich to go dance to it by myself at a nightclub that played it on Friday nights. One night when I resurfaced to go home, I found that said bike had been stolen. By some miracle, I had enough change to catch a cab back home.

15. The only time I have ever thought about killing myself was on a trip to Turkey in 1996.

16. My mom and I were visiting Malta at the same time as ‘Gladiator’ was being filmed there.

17. J’ai passé tout mes années a l’école dans un programme bilingue. J’aimerai bien etre capable de parler comme avant.

18. My most memorable ‘trip’ to a museum was in Paris to see Monet and co. I twisted my ankle walking in (too busy reading the brochure to look down, missed a step). Ended up getting callused thumbs rolling myself around in a wheelchair, all for the sake of Art!

19. Volunteered in the following races:
Cross Calgary Marathon
24 hours of Adrenaline in Canmore
Parkinsons Super Walk, Fish Creek Park

20. I have never bungee jumped, parachuted, been tattooed or pierced anything other than my earlobes.

21. I had my first orgasm at age 24. Have been playing catch up ever since!

22. As a teenager, I adored George Michael, River Phoenix, Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp (who remembers 21 Jump Street?)

23. I am a Gemini Tiger and believe I match a few of the qualities of each.

24. I believe in the power of crystals.

25. I tend to have bad dreams if I watch anything violent on tv just before going to bed.

26. I haven’t watched more than an hour or two if tv a month in the past 3 or 4 years.

27. I met my best friend in Grade 6 while we were both attending Westgate Elementary. She and her husband have very recently purchased a home right down the block from it.

28. I stopped eating red meat 17 years ago. The only exception I make is at my dad’s house two or three times a year (especially for his moose sauerbraten mmmmm)

29. Ich habe fast neun Jahre lang in Deutschland gelebt, verheiratet und alleine (manchmal sogar gleichseitig!)

30. The mountains, my hammock, the movie theater, the highway, the hot springs and the beach are a few of my favorite places to frequent.

31. Every year I get wiser and a little closer to figuring out (and achieving) my goals to live out the ideal life for myself…

yes, I know there's one extra line in the bday song

it's cause I'm *eeek* 31 now...

note to self:

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday dear Sassafrass
Happy Birthday to me

That is all.

also interesting (if I were american)

>

American Cities That Best Fit You:

65% Denver

65% San Francisco

65% Seattle

60% Austin

60% Portland

Which American Cities Best Fit You?

interesting

Your Political Profile

Overall: 20% Conservative, 80% Liberal

Social Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Interview Questions

OK, I’m lazy and I copied questions from 2 Hot Chicks
But they’re really good questions! Here you go, girls:


For Brea :

1. Describe yourself using one word for each letter of the alphabet.

2. What’s the most fun you’ve ever had with your clothes on?

3. Describe what’s on tonight’s dinner menu if food is you and your personality.

4. A mad billionaire scientist offers you $500,000 if you will gain 25 pounds. The only catch … not only do you have to gain the weight, you also have to hang on to it for at least 5 years. If you fail, you have to give all the money back (with interest). What would you do?

5. What do you want for breakfast, and how do you take your coffee?


For Raspberry :

1. you’ve been transformed into a man. You will only stay this way for 24 hours. What do you plan to do? What do you hope to learn?

2. What’s the most generous thing someone has ever done for you? What about it was meaningful?

3. You notice three people standing before you. One is your son when he’s a 21-year old man. The second is your mother when she was pregnant with you. The third is yourself when you were 12 years old. You are allowed to say a few words to each of them before they vanish. What do you say?

4. How long do you have to know a guy before you feel okay about farting around him? Explain.

5. You see before you three unusual cocktails.~ The first is a Potion of Love. If you drink it, you will meet your perfect match, fall blissfully in love, and live happily ever after.~ The second is a Potion of Success. If you drink it, you will be extremely successful in your chosen vocation and earn the admiration, respect, and sometimes envy, of your colleagues.~ The third is a Potion of Wisdom. If you drink it, you will feel at peace throughout your life, regardless of the difficulties you face. Irrational feelings of doubt and fear will be a thing of the past.Which potion will you drink? Why?

It's interview time!

Blog-A-Thon Instructions:
It will be my pleasure to interview the next however many people respond to this post who want to be interviewed.

Here’s how it works:

1. Leave a comment saying "interview me" if you’d like to be interviewed.
2. I’ll respond by asking you 5 questions here. They’ll be different than the ones I was asked.
3. Update your blog with your answers to the questions.
4. When you do so, include this same explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same manner.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you’ll ask them five new questions.

Welcome to the World, David Andrew!

Born at 12:05 a.m. on 05/05/05, 5 lbs, 11 oz.

Horray!

#1

I have to agree with Omni on this one, definitely the artist gift.
I love to create and be creative, and it would be cool to be able to do it well.
I kind of hesitated at the beginning when I read this question, as none of the fame of the other occupations really appealed to me. I would like to live somewhere close to nature and just do my thing. And leave the novel writing up to DJW. *wink*
Simple as that.