Sweet dreams...

Last night I went to bed with slight discomfort... o.k.... so it was pain... I had pulled something, strained something... hurt something.... So I admit that the snow shovel wasn't the only thing that I overworked yesterday.  I tried all the tricks, all the positions, the stretches, but in the end settled for just keeping the body as warm as possible. It must have worked... I slept for almost four hours (yay!) and I dreamt.

Since my memory for most of my life sucks, I cannot with any absolute certainty say that I have never had any sweet dreams, however, I would hazard a guess that this is correct. Last year may have been the first "positive" feeling dream that I have ever had, but even that ended with a questionable outcome. However, that is the way dreams are isn't it? Last night, or this morning's dream was also open ended, but it was truly a sweet dream... literally.   I had found myself in a bakery.

I've had dreams before where I have been in a mall, or hospital, places with hallways, where I have been looking for someone or something, or some place, but this was different. I was looking, but this time, as I was walking I came across a bakery that almost felt like a jewelry store.... but with the aroma of sugar and spices, pastries, .... in glass cases under mood lighting.... the young woman at the counter looked like someone I know with blonde hair, cheery smile and rosey cheeks. We started talking and I enlisted her assistance in trying to determine what I should try. It seemed that their specialty, or one of them was cinnamon.... all things cinnamon...  Then the baker came out from the back with his white hat and big smile.. He reminded me of a mixture of Captain Kangaroo and Rip Taylor.  Other people came in to the shop and I stepped aside still trying to decide.   The end.

Well... when I woke up I had a taste for something... something like a churro. Haven't had one of those in ages, but damn they were good. Now... dancing in my head... cinnamon sugar Tom Thumb donuts, Danish pastries, old-fashioned glazed donuts, Apple Fritter, Honey Kruller.... arghhhhh....

So... I've had an old cartoon sitting in the back of my mind for a week or so, but had no introduction for it at all, until this morning.  The sweets, the girl behind the counter and the baker, reminded me of the kids in this one.

YouTube link.

Remember...

To honour the fallen since last time.

U.S. (Wis, Pa, Tenn, Fla, Ohio (3),

          Montana)

U.K. (5)

Germany (3)

France

Georgia

Australia

Pretty, white fluffiness...

I would say it has been snowing non-stop for over twelve hours now. I shovelled for two hours earlier, and by the time I got back to the beginning, more snow had already accumulated. I'm still hoping that I will be able to build something...(go out and play in it)....before it turns to rain again.

When I first went out, my fingers were freezing despite the fact that I had two pairs of gloves on. By the time I was done, I didn't realize that the gloves and my hands were soaking wet. I was soaking wet. But...  after all that, surprisingly I was not aching.

I am thankful that it decided to snow like this on Saturday night and into Sunday... This way, I knew ahead of time that I could shovel at my leisure and then come inside, sit down and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.  Can't beat that.

Update: 1AM... I went out to shovel four hours after writing the above. I was out there for over an hour again.... All I have to say about that is.... ow.

Living twice at once you learn...

This song spoke to me twenty years ago, but I think it has more meaning today... tonight..  now... at this time in my life.  Close your eyes and listen.

Shocked...

Sleep... or rather lack of it... has been an issue with me for the past year. Last night was no exception, but it was perhaps a little more pronounced than usual. I went to bed at an unusually reasonable time... around midnight. I know I did not fall asleep right away, but I believe I may have slept for about an hour and a half or close to two. Woke up at 3:42. Nothing.. nothing... nothing... At some point I came out from under the warm cozy duvet and perching on my knees, went to peek out the curtain to see if it had started snowing yet... As I put my hand on the metal headboard...  crackle... spark... a big spark, close to a centimeter, shot out in the dark from where my fingertip touched the metal... I was rather shocked... (heh)... I checked the time... 4:48... tried to sleep ... nothing, nothing, nothing... 5:37... 6:25....  After that, I can't remember... all I know is that I did fall asleep... and slept for two hours.  After all this time has passed, I started to ask myself how I could have generated that much static electricity just laying there in bed.

*****

It did start snowing this morning... big, fluffy snowflakes that looked fake, floating or flitting about on the light wind. An uneventful day, full of nothing, nothing, nothing... Big sis stopped by to borrow a movie, so I hitched a ride to grab something to eat at a local fast food establishment. It was a wonderful thing to sit and eat in a nice warm place for a change. But... I was still hungry... after eating...  I decided to take home a bacon-cheeseburger from the value pick menu to eat later.  I had spinach in the fridge, so added some to the burger for foliage. For some reason, today, even with ketchup oozing out the sides and on my fingers, and the tiny burger patty sliding around in the  bun, it was absolutely delicious. I do not know why, but even the pickles, which I don't normally like, tasted good.

*****
I was a little worried about part of the previous post I did, as it contains a line of lyrics from a song that would be deemed inapproriate for children, and that some people might find offensive and/or be shocked about.  I was going to change it, but thought to myself...  I listen to the music... I don't live it.

Kinda funny...

Early this afternoon I had a husband and wife Jehovah's Witness team come to my house. Mr JW gave the shpeel and handed me the info sheet (Would You Like to Know the Truth?), started chatting and... called me by my first name. I was ... surprised? Granted, over the years, a pleasant hello would be exchanged as I walked past them on the street corner, wherever they might have happened to be stationed, but my name? This then brought to mind the fact that a local drug dealer who wheels around on his old ten speed also knows me by my first name.  Oddly enough, a guy I went to school with, a recovering crackhead or methhead (or a damn lucky one) always very politely greets me by my first name as well, and we chat when we see each other at the cornerstore or wherever. For some reason, thinking of these people at once, brought a smile to my face... if only their worlds were to collide... I wonder.

Oh... and the other thing I had to laugh at was the song that just happened to be playing as I heard the knock on the door. As the line "This one's for the a**holes, this one's for the freaks" blared out, I had to quickly turn it off before going to the door. I'm actually still smiling about that one, as I know they would have heard it as they were standing there waiting.

Where did the time go?

It is hard to believe that the ten pound baby girl I used to take on walks and dance around with is now almost old enough to drive. I miss that "little" kid, she used to be so much fun... now not so much. So here I am throwing a Happy Birthday wish out into the universe and hope that the stars smile upon her.

Wisconsin Death Trip

OK... so if you are reading this post because of the Title, you might be having a "Wha?" kind of moment. To be honest, since I started this blog thing a mere eleven months ago, I have had a great many of those. I had no idea whatsoever what a blog was prior to this. Even though I had used a computer at work for twenty years. I had never thought of it as a social medium, and frankly, I still don't think I will fully integrate into it as such, with the exception of use for blogging and email correspondence. Needless to say, my  blogging and internet travels have, in taking me forward on a personal journey, somehow allowed me to reconnect with my past, or at least reconnect with what vague memories I do have.

Where am I going with this? Well.... for the most part, I have to have more than one reason to write something here, and oftentimes, I have found it necessary, as I have for most of my life, to justify the reason for doing things. That being said, when I first started reading other blogs, I would pretty much bloghop, much like using a tv remote... clicking onto the next one until I found something that caught  my eye. At some point I became comfortable enough to post comments, and that lead to linking to other blogs via comments. Some drew me in because of common interest or sentiment, some were simply visually stunning, some were personally moving...  and some simply made me laugh. I also gradually became more comfortable with sharing stuff here and decided just to write and post whatever the heck I wanted. The reason for this post is somewhat of a melding of the bloghopping aspect and my personal journey on this blog.

"Wisconsin Death Trip" happens to be the name of the first album by one of my favourite bands, which I had started listening to when their second album was released ten years ago. I didn't know that there was a prior album, nor did I know anything about them. I liked their sound, and... that was all I needed to know. There have been many twists and turns on my blog journey, some of which I have written about at rather great length. Finding out about this album was one of those turns, but I didn't think I would write about it until I found a rather quirky connection that made me laugh.

Anyways.... a while back, I had some fun creating my South Park Avatar, after this introduction, and the Little Evil Mini-Me then decided to create avatars for a couple of commenters here, whose blogs I had also visited and commented on.  I had a lot of fun creating the first one, especially with the "accessorizing".

And...  the song bearing the same name as this blogpost and the aforesaid album reminded me of the avatar I created.

The second person I created an avatar for has not been active on his own blog for a while, but I did one anyways... the only trouble I had was with the colour of the clothes. I went with the blue outfit as there was no beige or khaki, which was the first impression I got. He hasn't commented here in a bit, so I doubt if he'll get to see this fabulous creation.

And, this is the avatar I had created for me:

The funny thing about this? I found out that the three of us are about the same age. 

What's up?

Because I generally have to wait to watch movies until they come out on DVD, I'm not always abreast of what's up and coming, however, every once in a while, I go and take a peek just to see.  I have rather eclectic tastes, and that may be apparent (or not) when looking at the movies that piqued my interest.

First, there is "The Eagle" which has been on my radar for a while, but the hitching point was whether or not the cutie Channing Tatum (GI Joe, She's the One, Step Up...) could hold up in a lead role in such an epic tale. This also stars Jamie Bell (Jumper...) with his unconventional rough look and moody presence, who first danced his way into our hearts in the movie "Billy Elliot".

Interestly enough, Jamie Bell also has a role in the upcoming drama "Jane Eyre", which from what I've seen thusfar has the makings to be a wonderful adaptation.

Another movie that caught my eye appears to be of a grand scale, however after watching a couple more trailers, it may be more bark than bite.  Will have to wait and see...  "Battle: LA"

Next, there is "Just Go For It", a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, which looks to be hilarious, with Ms. Aniston  hopefully providing some comedic class to Sandler's usual.

And, lastly, the one that I just found out about... "Paul"... starring ...  perhaps my favourite duo... Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, of "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" fame. Basically, these two guys, with really bad hair, and an AWOL alien. Can't wait.

Oops...

Something was clearly amiss last night... It would appear that what I wrote underneath the photo in the last post I did was perhaps not supposed to be put on my blog...  Uncharacteristic of me. I have to remember to not write blogposts when I am actually on the brink of sleep... or... in a brainfog.

Snowline...

This photo is from back in December. I've got nothing tonight. For once in a blue moon, I actually feel sleepy... at night! Wahoo! Of course, as luck would have it I also have a rumbling, upset tummy, but I'll take the sleep whenever I can get it... and just ignore the gurgling.

When's the last time you went wahoo?

The other day I had popped over to the Adventures of Tartanscot, a blog that I check out regularly, and he had a post that mentioned Joe vs the Volcano, a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie from several years back. Um... not just "several" years.... it was from 1990 .. egads! Anyways, there was a comment that wasn't just the usual, so of course I linked over to check it out. Reading that blog lead me to post a comment affirming a few of my favourite movies, which included a Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins film called IQ. This is one of those movies from the 90s that I have on VHS... but don't yet have on DVD. It is not your average, everyday romantic comedy, and... I had forgotten how much I liked it.

A fresh faced Tim Robbins and effervescent Meg Ryan are the main characters along with Walter Mathau brilliantly playing Uncle Albert... Albert Einstein. The show, however, is stolen by Einstein's three goofball genius friends, their antics and dialogue as well as by the way their scenes  were shot and edited.

Here's a few lines for a taste:

When's the last time you went wahoo?

Where were you?  Thinking.  I was worried about you... That I was thinking?

Zis is what we miss in physics.... screaming.

To atoms... those sexy little kinkies.

Don’t let your brain interfere with your heart.

Everything affects everything.

Because I'd rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.

What else can I say... this is a great movie. 

It was a dark and snowy night...

The weather forecast called for snow four days ago, so go figure it didn't start until this morning. Big, fluffy snowflakes soon changed to small wet ones, then to rain, and back to snow intermittently throughout the day.

I hadn't slept much again last night so I was having a hard time staying awake today. Even so, tonight I trudged to my obligatory sporting activity and after playing a little too hard, ended up with arms that felt like spaghetti.  Thankfully I was offered a ride home, which was nice, but a little worrisome as his truck kept spinning out. The snow was thick and compact by that time. When I was dropped off,  I decided to shovel as much as I could with my rather feeble feeling arms. It was like pushing five inches of slightly damp icing sugar. I could hear the shovel groaning in protest.

As I was making my way shovelling down the sidewalk, my neighbour was having a smoke outside her house, so we talked rather loudly above the din of the snow and she said "It's beautiful." I said "Yes.... and heavy." Usually I do her part of the sidewalk too, but tonight my body crapped out on me. The thing is... in addition to not having enough energy to do her sidewalk, it was perfect snow man snow, but by the time I finished what I could, I didn't even have the energy nor inclination to play in it either. My body too, was groaning in protest, creaking and cold.

Tonight I feel ... old.

Brainfog...

What comes to mind when you barely slept, it's cold outside, your brain is foggy, it's cold inside, and your eyes are cloudy?... Not much.

Waning...

What light shall shine

or inspired thought arise

from an unambitious soul

whose life, grounded in patience

reeks of contentment

No journey, no desired end

no distant goal to which to extend

one‘s yearning hand

No wondrous scheme

No hopes and dreams

For such idle things

fade with Patient time

and nothing remains

cki Sep 25 2009

Underwear?

It is rather strange that in the last couple months, the word "underwear" has come up in conversations, on my blog, as well as in my slightly twisted "humour" horoscope. Oddly enough, I very recently came across a photo on a blog of a guy wearing underwear on his head. So, when I found this "quiz", I just had to do it.  What does your underwear say about you?

Your Underwear Says You're Confident

When you're bad, you're very bad. And when you're good, you're still trouble! You're comfortable in your own skin - and don't care to impress anyone.

The Underwear Oracle

Blogthings: Take a Quiz. Annoy Your Friends.

Ice Cream...

Twas a quick road trip on a cloudy day last week with not many photo options passing by the car window as we headed out on the highway west, nor were there many on the way home either, although I did try a number of times to get something worthwhile.

The first pic reminded me of an ice cream sundae, but in reverse. Heading home later in the afternoon, I was hoping to capture a waterfall off the mountainside, but vehicle speed didn't allow those shots to work. The sun was just starting to peek through the clouds nearing home and although nothing really stood out, I just liked the faded tone of the second photo, which is in such contrast to the first.

Big Hairy Orange Monster

So maybe in the last little while I had been Feeling Nostalgic  or maybe just remembering things that made me laugh when I was younger. After managing maybe an hour and a half of sleep in the subdued early morning light, there was a loud banging on the front door... a sound I recognized, so I ignored it. I knew that the phone would ring any second... and it did.  Big Sister was in the car and it was Gremlin 1 knocking on the door. As usual, Gremlin 1 had his standard grumpy pants face on, but as soon as I opened the door and he saw that I looked like total crap, he actually grinned. So... I made someone smile because I looked like sh**. Sweet.

Anyways, the big hairy orange monster came to mind the other day and earlier this morning I had a chance to go searching for him.  There were a few clips posted, but this was the only complete cartoon that I could find. I know for sure that the evil scientist in this one would have creeped me out when I was a kid... still does.

YouTube link.

Priceless...

I have to say that the stars may not have been shining brightly upon me this week, but for whatever reason I was granted a reprieve, and today, which started off with a sweet, solid two hour sleep, turned out pretty damn good. For starters, it was sunny and beautiful, instead of snowing, like the forecast said. My oldest and bestest bud called and said she was on her way into town, so I very hastily got up, had a shower and brushed my teeth. Have you ever stood dripping wet in a room that is about 15c (59F) brushing your teeth? Invigorating is not quite the right word. I cleaned the bathroom sink, as it would seem that dust had somehow collected behind the tap, and picked up the laundry off the floor (from the hallway as well). The kitchen was a mess, so I re-arranged a couple things that were sitting on the stove to make it presentable, and left the rest. At some point I got dressed and when I looked out the kitchen window, they were here.

So my friend had brought her oldest daughter who had a day off from school, and ... they brought their slippers so their feet would at least be warm in my rather cold and drafty house.... And... I received my Christmas gift, which had a pair of slippers for me sitting on top! It was a bag full of things, which is always an extra special treat. As I lifted each present out, I took a guess as to what it was and each time I unwrapped one, her daughter was amazed that I had guessed correctly. Now that was fun. We visited an old school chum who is newly engaged (second marriage for both), and then went to lunch where I finally satisfied my desire for bacon. Had a visit with another old friend and then they were off.

To top off the day, I had a mom and daughter stop in at my shop which was great... and... I received an unexpected email to boot, one that wasn't spam, nor a comment notification. The icing on today's cake is that my Christmas presents consisted mostly of food, which I now get to enjoy.

So... thanks to good friends, old friends, new friends, delayed holiday get-togethers, sunny days, being able to make people laugh or smile, and having things to laugh about. This day was priceless.

And... speaking of priceless, when I saw this video today, my comment was "That video, or should I say that Marine, is PRICELESS."  Here's to sleep deprivation, a few good men and laughter.


YouTube link.

Curtsy to T1G.

How are you today?

It has only been four days since the Little Evil Mini-Me came out to play, but considering that my wonderful week began with finding out that a dear lady I know has lung cancer and then culminated in stepping in dog poop, I felt it appropriate for a lovely Friday, that should anyone ask me the platitudinous question "How are you today?", I just might be inclined to answer in a rather uncharacteristic fashion.

Have a nice day everybody! And I mean it!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's....

All I could think of was: Squirrel death match.

You've got to be kidding me...

So... things being rather mired in cloud lately, I figured I would check out those silly quizzes again, which I haven't done in a while. I wasn't sure which one to choose, but then I came across a very simple one that said "What's Your Word?" Fairly innocuous... right? The result? What can I say... it made me laugh... big time. If you know me, or if you read the caption under the image on my Valentine's Day post you will understand why. Bwahahahaha!!!

Your Word is "Love"

You see life as possibility to form deep connections with a few people. Relationships are the center of your world, and you always take time to bond with those you love. You are caring and giving. You enjoy helping those you love. And when it comes to romantic love, you feel passionately ... even in a very long term relationship.

What's Your Word?

Blogthings

So... humour me... try this one.... I'm rather curious now to see what other words come up. I was actually tempted to do the damn quiz again.

Don't ask stupid questions...

So.... in the previous post, I posed an open ended question. Nay... I threw a question into the abyss. The abyss spewed forth an answer. "Don't ask stupid questions."  Perhaps though, the abyss meant to say "Please be more specific with your queries." My question simply was one word "Why?". 

I had gone to the Post Office and stopped in at one of the flower shops to talk with the owner, who for some reason was closed yesterday, the day after Valentine's Day... I figured she was worn out from the busiest day of the year... and I was correct. We talked about business and some other matters, and somehow came to the subject of when she started hers and when I started mine, and that she had given up a long-time job to start and I had lost a long-time job.  She said "things happen for a reason, whether good or bad." I agreed. I left her shop feeling surprisingly upbeat. I crossed the street and onto the sidewalk.. and.... squish...  dog shit.  I stepped in dog shit.  Please pardon my language.... All I could do was look at the bottom of my boot and say the word "shit".. quietly to myself. Then..  I said, "yes, that is what it is." Thankfully, there was a mudpuddle near the curb, so I was able to get most of it off.  Thankfully as I walked further, there was a patch of grass on which I was able to get the rest of it off.

The funny thing about this whole story? What would my more specific question have been instead of "Why?".... "Why does shit happen?"  or "Why does shit happen to people I know?"

So... thank you to the great abyss for the sage advice, and for letting me step in it instead of throwing it in my face.

Why?

Worlds Away...

Tonight I was dealing with an issue close to my heart, such as it is, and began to reminisce about music again. I went a Googling for Tears for Fears and Madness, and for some reason I then remembered the song called "Worlds Away", by a Canadian band, Strange Advance. I found a couple videos, but the one I have decided to post is the one that made me cry.

Every once in a while, when I check the time during the day, the numbers stick out in my mind. This morning, I happened to look at the clock at 9:11AM and tonight, I happened to look at the clock at 9:11PM. So, when I found this video of the song I was thinking about, I knew that I had to post it. WARNING: Some pictures are graphic in nature and may be offensive. I apologize if you find it to be so, however, that day must NEVER be forgotten, and never be remembered for anything less than what it was.

YouTube link. (935 views)

Remember... always.

Gotta love this one...

The hospital may become a familiar place over the coming two weeks, although for what reason the mystics are surprisingly opaque. God is very much a vengeful god, so watch out for falling pianos. (God is also a 'Laurel and Hardy' fan.) You claim that no-one is able to see the future, and yet I foresee that you will understand this never to be not untrue in your own destiny.

My "humour" horoscope from Laughsend.

Interesting thing to note: This is the third reference to falling pianos on my blog.

Little Evil Mini-Me Valentine version

 "Love is a four letter word. And never spoken here."

Metallica

Valentine's Day has never been my thing. Hearts, flowers, chocolates and all that sappy romantic crap on one day of the year just seems "overkill". Don't get me wrong... I think it is sweet and nice and warm and fluffy... but on other people... It's just not me.  Personally I like flowers and chocolates, but there is just something too "sticky" having one day set aside for the whole shpeel.

Anyways, this is what you get when you mix the sentiments of Valentine's Day with "Little Evil Mini-Me"..  A love song of sorts.

  I doubt if anyone will understand the song choice, so you'll just have to believe me when I say that I was laughing whilst writing this. And... you should be glad I didn't have the guts to post the other song I was thinking of. 

 

Cautionary tales...

Definitely worth a read:

Internet Hookups: What happens when the truth (or lies) catches up with you?

Ebay: What are your kids doing online? OR how retarded are some parents?

What about the dangers of that webcam? Read the links.

Southern sunrise...

We have had major rain and heavy winds gusting up to 70 kmh, so for a bright Sunday morning I have chosen a picture I took four days ago of our mid-winter southern sunrise.

When I was trying to come up with a title for this photo, I was struck with something rather interesting. At certain times of the year, this place can have more than one sunrise. How is this possible? Well... I'm not talking about the official darkness to dawn sunrise, I was thinking about the mere act of the sun rising over the yonder horizon. Being surrounded by mountains creates a unique path for the sun. It may rise over the mountains in the East, but then sets behind the mountains in the South, to rise again before travelling West where it may rise once more and set twice. 

I had to think about that last sentence for a minute before concluding it was correct.

Our eyes they burn...

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it would be music once again that has unlocked another memory, this time another from what I have deemed my lost decade. I was switching out my "music to try to fall asleep to" and popped in "Machine" by Static X.. This CD is from 2001. Hard to believe it has been that long. "Burn to Burn", one of my favourites, is on this CD. What I did NOT remember is that it is a great album in its entirety, and that I used to listen to it almost every day, together with Korn. That... is what I just remembered tonight.  I may not have memories of my life, but it seems I know what music I was listening to to get me through whatever I was going through. Or... perhaps, the music was just more memorable or valuable to me than the daily events of my life. Could very well be.

Oddly enough, listening to Burn to Burn tonight, the words seem to resonate with the way life is right now. 

"We give to take
Our eyes

They burn
Sensing the feel
Feeling the real
Burn to burn
The seed we sow
Burn to flow
Into the sorrow
Burn to burn
The seed we sow
Burn to grow
Into the sorrow
I'm staring deep
I'm staring bleak
I search in vain "

The Wind...

As I sit here in this house, I can hear the wind thrashing through the trees, and the rain tapping its fingers against the window. The house voices its protest to the relentless onslaught of Nature's fury, and I shiver in the cold night.

So... as the wind rages, I do something I have not done before, and that is... share a poem I wrote when I was.... a teenager...  (Please bear in mind I never shared because I thought they sucked, and at this point in my life, I don't really care anymore if they do.)

Thou art an icy flame that sears the cloth of Earth

Thou art a blade that slices the grain

Thou art the hand that slaps the face

Thou singest and scream

Thou makest the earth dance and her children dream

Thee spread life, change it and are it

Thou art a breath, storm, a whisper, wail

Thou art strong, sometimes weak, but never will thee fail

For thou are Nature's Child,

to be there, quiet, bold, free, wild.

cki1986

Journey...

Wow, did I ever take a trip just now. The other day the song "Open Arms" drifted into my mind. Yeah, it's a sappy song, but it was one of those songs that I could play on the piano when I was younger, much like Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". Anyways, here's where it starts getting trippy.

So, thinking about "Open Arms"

sent me a Googling... THEN it all came flooding back... Good lord! Heavy Metal... the movie, the soundtrack... I can't really remember the movie... but... I think somewhere I might have the actual LP! No... that can't be! I wonder where it is. I know that Open Arms was on the soundtrack... but when I looked at the list of songs...  egads... .
"Veteran of the Psychic Wars" by Blue Oyster Cult...  One of my favourites. It's all coming back to me now...  "Working in a Coal Mine" by DEVO!!! Good grief! "I Must be Dreamin" by Cheap Trick. Now I know... I  have this thing for soundtracks, especially soundtracks with mixed genres of music... that is probably when it all started.  Wow. All that from lying in the dark thinking about one little song from thirty years ago.

Closer to 50...

Happy Birthday to my bagpipe playing, kilt-wearing, paramedic, gun-toting, camo-wearing, motorcycle riding big bro. Geez, did I forget anything? Oh yeah, he's a dad too...

YouTube link.

Hard to believe it's been almost thirty-four (34!!!) years since Star Wars first played in theatres. 1977, I have no idea whatsoever why I remember that. Happy Birthday bro, may the Force be with you.

Curtsy to Harvey at Bad Example for the vid.

A Politician with balls...

When you think of a Canadian, what is your impression? Easy-going, unassuming, perhaps wishy-washy, apologetic... "I'm sorry" type of person. I would have to agree... but underneath that... there is hidden strength. We're just quiet about it. So what does this have to do with anything? A few days ago, I read an article about a documentary that was set to be shown in our nation's capital, but the Iranian Embassy protested, and the showing was cancelled, not once, but twice. I doubt if anyone actually said the words "We're sorry, we don't want to offend anyone.", but that is what the cancellation(s) implied. Apparently, however, there were also threats made to the venue. Anyways, the film did end up being shown where it was originally scheduled to play, thanks to a politician who has a backbone. Read the article and watch the related video(s) here.

And... watch this.

I like this guy...  

The host however... leaves a little to be desired.

As for Iran... I remember from when I was a kid ... reading about or seeing on the news...  a scary looking old man named the Ayatollah Khomeini. I also vaguely remember the message he was preaching over thirty years ago.... Has it been that long? I know that his message did not fade and that it has been festering and growing all these years, even though the face of it has changed. Today we see a smiling face holding out a hand saying "friend", and I cringe for what the future holds in store for the world.

Quiet, hushed tone... steak...

I finally bought groceries the other day. I think it had been about three weeks since the last time I did. One of the items I picked up was a package of two small thick cut marinating steaks, for $3.65. It is, I believe, the cheapest cut, and as the butcher said, the toughest, but I tenderize the heck out of them, so it works out fine in the end. I was going to do my usual lemon oregano marinade, but when I started to put it together, I realized that I had used up the oregano! It is one of the spices that I keep in a shaker, but did not know that there wasn't any left in the spice cupboard either. So.. I had to wing it, and went with a lemon peppercorn marinade instead, which consisted of fresh squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce, lemon-thyme sea salt, fresh ground black peppercorns, and hot pepper flakes. Anyhow... I had the smaller steak yesterday, but I had overcooked it, which I have a tendency to do for fear of the issues that could arise with an undercooked piece of beef. It wasn't that bad, but the one I cooked today... was considerably better.

At the last minute I decided on baked potato to accompany the steak. I preheated the oven, and while the pan for the steak was heating up, I scrubbed the potato, poked holes in it, wrapped it in a papertowel and popped it into the microwave. The steak went into the pan and sizzled away. The potato came out of the microwave, I cut a section off the top and scooped out the innards into a bowl with some becel, a wee bit of whipped cream, a little milk and Italiano cheese. I smashed it together... took a taste... oh my god it was good... creamy... good. I spooned the mixture back into the potato skin/shell, put a little more cheese on top, plopped it on a glass baking dish coated with becel, and popped it in the oven. It was supposed to be baked for 20 minutes, but I only did it for 10 as I knew the steak would be ready sooner.

I let the steak cook a little longer in the pan after I turned the stove off, then transferred it to a plate to rest. The buzzer went for the potato and I noticed that the cheese had turned a nice golden brown on top. I was tempted to just jump in there, but didn't. I threw some spinach on the plate with bacon ranch dressing, topped with some of the same cheese as in the potato, and figured I would take a picture and see how it looked.

When I sliced into the steak it was a touch pink, and I knew that it wasn't done as well as I thought it should be, but there was no way whatsoever I was going to reheat the pan just to cook it for one more minute. It was just barely tender enough for the soul to whisper in a quiet, hushed tone....  steak... 

Needless to say, it was pretty darn good. As for the rest, the cheese on top of the potato was crisped and toasty, the potato filling creamy and slightly salty just from the added cheese... the potato skin was not quite crisp, but it was good as it was.  The spinach with ranch dressing and Italiano cheese was perfect company for the baked potato. I don't know how many times tonight I said the words "Oh my God this is good."  The amazing thing is that this probably cost less than $5.00.

Prep and meat tenderizing music: Static X
Start a War - Perfect for attacking a piece of meat.

Cooking music:  Static X
Cult of Static - Perfect for stabbing a potato with a fork.

Eating steak music: Diana Krall
The Look of Love

 

Cat v Dog

No intro...  Found this the other day... made me smile.


YouTube link.

The Man in the Moon...

Twas a crescent moon tonight,

but this was the best I could get.

Western sky...

From frontyard, August 28 2010

From backyard, December 3 2010

It was beautiful and sunny today, but a little chilly. I did get out earlier for a short walk but I think I only got one picture that actually turned out.  So... I figured I would put these older ones up now and check out the new photos for a separate post. 

Hmm.... interesting...

It seems astrologers are having a little too much fun with their interpretations of the Aries stars, or planets, or whatever the heck they do. 3 of the last 4 days, my "humour" horoscope has been pretty much like today's:

"The future holds many fantastic and wonderful things. However, many of them, if not all, exclude you in their plans."

Nice.

Oddly enough, yesterday's wasn't anything especially cynical or noteworthy, and it was not too bad of a day.

Fading Sun...

Go here.

The fallen since last time.

U.S. (NY, Ohio, NJ, Col, Va, Iowa, Tex, Alaska)

England (2)

Northern Ireland

Australia

Poland

What a new day brings....

This one struck me as odd for some reason.

This one reminds me of pudding.

Early this morning I found out that I had made someone's day with a song. Twelve hours later, I made someone else's day because I took the time to listen and not judge, and I made her smile. She talked for two hours about everything running the gamut from siblings, children, money, fraud, computer hacking, God, the Bible, church, alcoholics, and much, much more... A substantial, if not strange conversation to say the least, with a rather eccentric woman. We laughed at some things, agreed on some others, and on occasion she went off course, but I was fine with that. She said that I was refreshing to talk to, that she could tell I had a good heart. I thanked her and we continued talking. At some point, she handed me a twenty dollar bill and said "this is for you". She would not accept it back.  We talked for another half hour and she still wouldn't allow me to return it, even as the conversation came to a close and we were standing on the front porch saying farewell.

So I made three people happy today just being me. And... the twenty dollars? That was an unexpected act of kindness from a complete stranger.

Hot Tub Time Machine

Movie Review:

I had held off watching Hot Tub Time Machine primarily because I knew what decade the guys ended up back in.  Everything that makes me shudder now at the thought of that time, is very well represented.  Everything...  the hair, bright colours, legwarmers, etc..., but it provided major laughs because of this. John Cusack... one of my favourite dudes from those days... still one of my favourites today after all these years, is not quite as totally charming as Lloyd Dobler in this one though. He seems to just chill beside the most unlikeable character in the mix, Lou, well-played by Rob Corddry, who has the best lines of the lot.  This was directed by Steve Pink, who, interestingly enough, wrote the screenplays for two other Cusack movies, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. It brought to mind an earlier film, from 1985, "Better Off Dead", which also involved skiing and Cusack's character being dumped by a girl named Jenny.
Yahoo link.

I have to say that my favourite lines are actually included in the trailer, and that the horror of the 80s was a smidge easier to swallow with little bits like this added:

A snippet from one of my guilty pleasures: The Safety Dance

An homage shot to Sixteen Candles

"Maybe the universe will bring us back together again. "

I am glad that I rented this to watch after "The Warlords", but I highly doubt I would watch it again. And... I found the ending to be a little... I don't know... lame? But... then again... isn't that what the end result of the 80s was?