Almost Back to Normal

It truly was an eye opener having computer issues

this past week. It made me feel very unsettled.

A little paranoid even.

The heat and smog on Tuesday didn't help much.

I had an appointment in the afternoon and had to do a fair

amount of walking. It was truly awful.

By the time I got home I felt like I'd jumped

into a pool of hot sweaty stink.

The odors on the bus that day still linger

like nightmares in my memory.

A super-duper sized lady, with not enough clothes to cover herself

 got on the bus and spent the time it

took to go 3 stops, pissing and moaning about the heat,

flapping her make shift fan & kissing the back of her teeth.

I got off the bus & waited for the next one.

I was in luck, it was half empty & so air conditioned

I needed to put my hoodie on.

Wednesday's weather was PERFECT.

It was sunny, not at all humid and really really windy.

I love when it's windy.

I like it when my hair blows in all directions.

I say almost back to normal, cause I'm just not quite there.

I have leaf and tree allergies that really only have caused

me slight issues and normally only in the Fall.

This week, I think it's something new.

I have the watery eyes, itchy throat and dry cough

to where you swear you're going to puke.

I woke up Thursday morning with a voice like Rita Crosby

or the current old Kathleen Turner.

I felt great, I just sounded awful.

There is a small hedge that runs in front of our bedroom and

kitchen windows.  In years past, it has been tended

to and trimmed down. This year, it's gone wild.

It grows more and more every day and now it is in full bloom.

We slept with the window open and I think these

hedges and their flowers are the reason for my voice.

These photos were taken looking out my kitchen window:

Looking to the right

Looking straight out the window

Looking to the left

Looking to the far left - to our bedroom windows.

Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful and we are

liking the added feel of privacy, but my word!

We can hardly even see the street!

My New Project

I have a new page here on my blog that I am really excited about.

Project 101 in 1,001.

Click on it above & take a look.

Fill In The Blanks Wednesday

Prompts from: The Little Things We Do.



Alot of Swearing and Birds

Since Saturday, I have been having some

rather disturbing computer issues.

Trojans, Rogues, Malware... Bastards!

I think it's all settled now, but I honestly

get anxious when I hit enter!

I did alot of Yosemite Sam mumbled swearing

and straightout cussing like a sailor.

Now, onto nicer things.

Birds.

Seagulls to be exact.

Today was a humid hazy day with a bit of a breeze.

There are a few corners in my neighbourhood that

seem to be wind tunnels.

The subway stop corner is one.

I was waiting for the bus home and I looked up

and noticed, higher than normal, a large

flock of seagulls flying and coasting on the wind.

(Too funny, I was trying to think what the correct

term was for alot of seagulls and, if you were a teenager

in the 80's, you understand why I got it!)

I was mesmerized.  They were slowly floating south and

I was hoping they'd be above my place when I got home.

I was lucky and they were.

I took a few shots and it looks like I have dirty specks on my

screen, but if you click on them to enlarge, you can see their wing spans.

The closer up ones were taken with the zoom lens but I

had a really difficult time finding them in the viewer once I'd

extended the lens.

Beginner!

It was really awesome to just stand there on the sidewalk

and look up and see them floating on the breeze so high up.

 Click on the above photo to enlarge - I count 22 Seagulls.

On the photo below, 19 Seagulls!

Harry Potter

This morning at 10:30am, I was at the movie theater watching

Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone.

I've already purchased my ticket for next Saturdays showing of

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

and the Saturday after that for

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

The theater is playing each film every Saturday at 10:30am

and Monday at 7:00pm in sequence weekly until the release of

the final Harry Potter film.

$5 a ticket. Not bad at all!

I'm excited to see the final film but also sad in the knowledge

that that'll be it.

At least I still have The Hobbit to look forward to.

Pardon Me? Um, no!

During summer hours, I need to take a different

bus home as the one that passes in front of my office

only runs during rush hours.

The other bus stop is only a few blocks away.

Well, today, I got mistaken for, yes, a hooker!!!!

There I was, standing waiting for the bus, next to a pole that
clearly has a bus stop sign on it.
I was just standing there next to it.
I wasn't twirling around it, leaning on it, or kissing it.

An Indian man in a green Honda Civic slows up, stares as me,
stops in front of the bus stop, rolls down his window and asks me,
" Do you want to party?"
Shocked, I say, "Pardon me? Um, no!"

I had my camera out as I was taking photos of pine cones on the
trees near the bus stop & captured this great "wtf" reaction shot as he drove away!

 Reviewing my surroundings, I went across the street to take a photo of
where I was standing waiting for the bus.
Was there a hooker-on-duty sign?
What gave this man the idea I was a party girl?
It certainly wasn't my wardrobe.
Coral sweat shirt, navy blue t-shirt, jeans & sneakers
and no make up!

If I was a lady of the evening and this was my corner, it would be very
sad and I don't think I would be successful or at the top of the profession.
It's not a very happening corner, although, there must be
a bakery nearby because the air smelled like fresh baked
chocolate chip cookies!

The sad thing is, the factory behind the bus stop in this photo is 
Pasta Quistini where the the fiance of the owners daughter
was killed in April when he got pulled into a pasta machine.

 Here I waited for my chauffeur (bus).

 Looking to the left.

 Looking to the right.

See??  Not really a high traffic hooker friendly corner.
The funny thing was when I told Adam the story, he asked me if I was flattered.
Twice in one day, I had the same reaction, " Pardon me? Um, no!"

Here is a photo of the pine cone buds I was taking of the trees by the bus stop.
The tree was giving off a really strong pine scent.
With the pine scent & chocolate chip cookie smell in the air,
it reminded me of Christmas!

I finally got on my bus & met Adam to see another
Friday afternoon matinee.
We saw The Hangover Part II.
It was funny. Bradley Cooper didn't disappoint but they
really did give every funny thing away in the trailers.
I'd still advise folks, for 90 minutes of pure laughter & escapism,
it is a good film.

Check out my Project 365 shot for today.
The theater had a huge Thor display & I got
a great shot of Adam with Thor's Hammer!

Je suis très fatigué.

I really am today, I don't know what it is.

Almost everyone I speak with feels the same.

I have no umph, not get up and go.

I even feel as though I'm thinking slower.

Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to the weekend so

I can be sedentary?

I know what would probably make me feel 100 times

better is if I moved. Increased my heart rate, perhaps sweat a little.

Short weeks are also killer.

The long weekends are lovely, but there is a trade off.

Today felt like Friday.

I got 4 days of work done in 3 days.

Short day tomorrow.

If I were another species today, I feel I would be this:

Source

Aren't Sloths just the cutest?

I love them.

Fill In The Blanks Wednesday

Prompts from: The Little Things We Do.



50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind

I do not know who the original source is

for these questions or whom to credit.

This list of questions is one task of 101 tasks on a list that I have created for

another "project".   This new project is something I

am going to start on June 1, 2011 and it is called 101 in 1001.

I got this idea from www.dayzeroproject.com

Again, I don't know if they are the original source, but I've seen it on many a blog.

More explanation on that to come....

This list of 50 questions really made me think.

It's not the kind of questions either that I will post my answers here.

These are questions I think I need to ask myself & really think

about the answers for myself, for my own growth.

I will spend as long as I need to answer them honestly.

Here are the questions:

 1. How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?

 2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

 3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don't like and like so many things we don't do?

 4. When it's all said and done, will you have said more than you've done?

 5. What is the one thing you'd most like to change about the world?

 6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

 7. Are you doing what you believe in, or are you settling for what you're doing?

 8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

 9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

11. You're having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing he/she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

12. If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

14. Have you ever seen insanity where you later saw creativity?

15. What's something you know you do differently than most people?

16. How come the things that make you happy don't make everyone happy?

17. What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? What's holding you back?

18. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

19. If you had to move to a province or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

22. Why are you, you?

23. Have you been the kind of friend you want as a friend?

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

25. What are you most grateful for?

26. Would you rather lose all your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

27. Is it possible to know the truth without challenging it first?

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

29. Do you remember that time 5 years ago when you were extremely upset? Does it really matter now?

30. What is your happiest childhood memory? What makes it so special?

31. At what time in your most recent past have you felt most passionate and alive?

32. If not now, then when?

33. If you haven't achieved it yet, what do you have to lose?

34. Have you ever been with someone, said nothing, and walked away feeling like you just had the best conversation ever?

35. Why do religions that support love cause so many wars?

36. Is it possible to know, without a doubt, what is good and what is evil?

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

39. Do you feel like you've lived this day a hundred times before?

40. When was the last time you marched into he dark with only the soft glow of an idea you strongly believed in?

41. If you knew that everyone you know was going to die tomorrow, who would you visit today?

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

43. What is the difference between being alive and truly living?

44. When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards, and just go ahead and do what you know is right?

45. If we learn from our mistakes, why are we always afraid to make a mistake?

46. What would you do differently if you knew no one would judge you?

47. When was the last time you noticed the sound of your own breathing?

48. What do you love? Have any of your recent actions openly expressed this love?

49. In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?



Get Off My Lawn You Hooligans!

My Mother called me this morning at 10:00am.

I wasn't asleep, I was just in bed with my eyes closed.

My plan was to get up bright and early but the

Hooligans last night at 1:00am with the fireworks

and firecrackers in the street and resulting lack of sleep

derailed my good intentions.

I really am an old fuddy-duddy.

Where I grew up, we would go down to the lake

where the City would put on a fireworks display.

That is how it is meant to be.

I don't understand kids shooting these things off in the street.

Especially at 1:00am.

I don't think they are at all celebrating Queen Victoria

or Queen Elizabeth's birthdays.

In fact, if asked, sadly, I would wager that they don't

even know what the Holiday today represents.

Here is how the fireworks and smoke bombs made

the street look last night.

I actually had to close our windows for a bit as it did smell

like something was burning.

My Mom told me to get outside before the rain, so

I took Crockett for a stroll.

It was perfect Pug Walking weather.

I am now inside trying to decide how to fill the rest of my day

so that I don't just end up sitting here in front of my laptop

reading blogs and wasting time.

The rain is about to begin.

The wind is swirling in all directions and there is

that pre-rain smell in the air.

Keep calm & carry on!

Happy Birthday Vicky & Lizzy!