Tuesday 31 March 2009

Topic-less

I am having a massive case of writers block right now. I am sitting here, staring at the blank screen and the blinking cursor is totally mocking me. I mostly wrote those two sentences just to stop the cursor from taunting me. And now, of course, I have to keep writing otherwise the cursor goes back to being a silent metronome, giving my frustration a visual rhythm. Blink, blink, blink, blink.

I need a topic. I have topics in my head but none of them are jumping to the forefront and volunteering to be written about. I could talk about Twitter. I joined about 3 weeks ago and find it quite entertaining. I could talk about moving and getting a roomie. I am so excited to have a new space to decorate and live in. I could talk about the Twilight series of books (I am halfway through the 4th book and loving it) . I could talk about I Love You, Man because it was so much fun and Paul Rudd is awesome.

Those are four solid topics and yet none of them are jumping up and saying 'Pick me! Pick me!' Instead what is begging to be written about is my complete lack of being able to pick a topic. That must be some kind of paradox, my topic is not having a topic. I just typed topicless into dictionary.com and it said 'Did you mean topic-less?' so I clicked on that and it took me to another page that said 'Did you mean topless?' Hmmm not quite, but thanks for giving me something else to write about.

Ok, I just googled 'little known facts' and the first thing that came up was - A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

Tuesday 24 March 2009

It's Spring! Can't you tell by the rain?

Time for spring cleaning! I am feeling very inspired and excited about cleaning and purging yet again. I have a little extra motivation this time around too...I am moving! I figure it'll make it easier to purge when I can put it in the context of 'do I really want to pack this, move it, unpack it and find a new home for it in my new place?'

I am also getting a roommate and so I will have less space to house my belongings. I am moving in with a friend of mine who is coming back to Vancouver after spending years away in the British Virgin Islands and more recently Victoria. I think it is going to be a great thing for both of us. I know I certainly need to shake up my life. (I just got a visual of a Boggle game - I've been sitting with the same letters for far too long and need to shake it up and get some new letters).

The move is happening in a couple months and so I have time to really go through my stuff and figure out what it worth keeping and taking with me and what will make it's way to Big Brothers or the Developmental Disabilities Association. I have been avoiding doing any kind of purging so far but this morning I woke up and I felt inspired. It's a good feeling!

Wish us luck for finding the perfect place. I am hoping for something spacious with lots of natural light and maybe even a little slice of outside, either in the form of a deck or maybe even a yard.
I am going to visualize my ideal place and hopefully call it into existence.

Tuesday 17 March 2009

I'll toast to that!

Happy, healthy positive thoughts. This is what I am working on these days. Just as I was about to kick this sickness in the rear, it exploded into a head cold. Now I am stuffed up, headachy, runny-nosed and tired. I might have to throw a party when this is all over. We can dance and sing and celebrate good health. I think that is something we can all raise a glass to!

Sunday 15 March 2009

Sleep over at Grandma's.

Stef and I had a sleepover at Grandma's last night. We went because her doctor and paramedics who saw her last Thursday have said that it is no longer safe for her to be alone. The upside is that we also got to spend some valuable time with her as well.

It seems she is having small strokes and there is no indication of when they will happen or how bad they will be. When she has them, she becomes confused and has symptoms that are similar to dementia.

The time we spent with her yesterday and today was precious. She was, for the most part, alert and coherent and we asked her questions all about her life and history. They were mostly stories we had heard before but it was good to hear them again, you pay so much more attention when you are aware that this could be the last time you hear it. Plus you ask different questions about the past when you realize that this could be the last time you will be able to ask those questions.

My grandma has been a blessing in my life and I love her dearly. I am sad that this process is happening and it has been hard to see her get weaker, smaller and more confused. I am very grateful for her and for my family who are all pitching in to take care of her, be with her, and support her this weekend while we figure out a long-term solution.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

Books, Books, Books!!

I have written so much about movies lately that I think I will switch over to another medium and talk about books.

I love books. Everything about them. The way they look, smell, and feel...the stories they tell, whether fiction or non-fiction. Wonderful tales of adventures, mysteries, romances, biographies, suspense, even horror. I would love to have a library in my home. With tall shelves set into the wall, full to the brim with books. I'd have the perfect comfy chair and a bay window with all the natural light in the world. I would drink tea and read all day.

I just finished reading a book that I was torn between wanting to devour in one sitting and savour for as long as I could make it last. I love books that do that for me.

My taste in books can be compared to my taste in movies. It only needs to be entertaining for me to give it a go but the better it is the more passionate I am about it. I can appreciate nearly any genre and style of writing.

As much as I love books, I love book stores. Walking into a Chapters, Book Warehouse, Coles, or any used book store sends a little satisfied thrill down my spine. I could wander for hours running my hands along spines and jackets, picking books at random based on their covers or titles. It takes enormous amounts of will power for me to walk out without buying armloads of books let alone one single piece of literary work.

I am slowly learning to only buy what I already know I love. Books are great for borrowing, loaning, sharing, so I am able to read before buying and if it is something that I would read again or would want others to read, then I buy it. Most recently, I borrowed The Shack from my mom and the day after I finished reading it, I found my own copy at a used book store, ready to be read again or loaned out to a friend.

One day I will have that library. And all of my shelves will be full of books that I am passionate about, arranged lovingly and tenderly in some wonderfully random order that only I can decipher.

I have tried to come up with a list of some of my favourite books but it's hard, I love so many and for such different reasons. I want to qualify each pick and tell you why it made the cut and then defend why others didn't. Plus I am likely forgetting some of the best and would fear that my list is incomplete and not fully representative of my favourites.

The ones that come to mind while sitting in a very small and isolated classroom (no access to my bookshelves to pick and choose my favourites) are;
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Shack by William P. Young
Any number of novels by Jodi Picoult
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Cooptown by Karli Thomas :-)

ahhh books! I love them so!

Friday 6 March 2009

Nanoose Bay

Ahhhhhh.....I love getting away and I really don't do it often enough. My sisters and I are over visiting my dad and step mom in Nanoose Bay. They have a beautiful house that overlooks the ocean and the view is spectacular. The last time I was here, this was an entirely different house. They have been renovating for two years and the changes are drastic and amazing.

We arrived around 9 o'clock last night, got the grand tour of the house and then settled in with some wine and a visit. By midnight, I was done for and had to go to bed. I made may way to the room I'd be sharing with my sisters and sussed out the best place to sleep. I crawled into the cozy bed and just as I was drifting off to sleep I could hear Stef singing her best impersonation of Jennifer Hudson as Effie in Dreamgirls.

"No, no, no no way....I'm not living without yoooouu."

I smiled and snuggled deeper into my feather bed. Moments later, I heard the familiar Dreamworks intro and then the volume jumped up to a wall rattling decibel as the bass-filled beginning of Dreamgirls started. The smile faded and I groaned and rolled over as I thought 'how long can this last?'

Two hours, turned out to be the answer. Granted, the volume went down after about 5 minutes to a lovely not-going-to-keep-me-awake level. At 2am, Lisa and Stef snuck into the room all giggles and loud whispers. Stef came over, adjusted my blankets and tucked me in.

"We watched Dreamgirls." She whispered.

"I know." I deadpanned.

She laughed. "Was it loud? Susan made dad turn it down."

"Thank you Susan!"

Thank you to both dad and Susan for having us over here. It is a beautiful, perfect getaway!

I am going to go lounge and sip coffee while looking out at the ocean and get ready for my afternoon at the spa.

Like I said at the beginning of this post....
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Wednesday 4 March 2009

Jim Henson

I am sitting here listening to some old Bowie from the Labyrinth soundtrack and it's making me smile. I watched this movie again recently with a friend who had loved it as much as I did growing up (possibly even more since she could recite things from it that I had long forgotten). It is still a great movie. Granted, it's dated and doesn't hold the wonder that it did when I was 12 but like any Jim Henson project, it is magical, fun and timeless in it's own way. Plus you've got David Bowie in spectacular hair and make up (hair bad, makeup good) and a stunning 15 year old Jennifer Connelly rounding out the muppet-filled cast.

I watched another Muppet Movie recently. It was a post Jim Henson one and it just wasn't the same. It had it's moments but it was missing the Jim Henson touch. He just had it, whatever 'it' is, he had it. We were so lucky to have him and the legacy of muppetry he created and left to us. I think I am due for a Jim Henson-a-thon...I am feeling very nostalgic for the original muppets and the crazy shenanigans they got into.

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Stress

I am learning new things about myself all the time. One of the things I have learned so far this year is that I don't like stress. Seems like that would be obvious doesn't it? Although, I think some people use stress to fuel themselves. It propels them forward, motivates them, gets them to meet deadlines and maybe even excites them a little.

Not me.

I realize now that I have designed my life to have very little stress in it. There is always some of course, it's hard to avoid but I have done very well at keeping big stressors at bay. So far 2009 has been a stressful one and I don't think it's a coincidence that I have also been sick for much of the past two months.

I am very much looking forward to peace, harmony and wellness again. I am blessed to have supportive and wise people around me in these times.