Lethargic

It is how we both feel today, lethargic.

Even Crockett hasn't moved too much today.

We were out of the house early to run a few errands and take Crockett for a walk.

I came home with a To Do list in my head and the best of intentions

of taking a walk in the neighbourhood tonight to see all the Ghosts and Goblins.

Instead, we spent the afternoon on the couch watching movies.

I fell asleep during Zombieland.  Adam fell asleep during Sherlock Holmes.

I was even too lazy to make dinner.

Adam threw a couple of Jamaican Patties (gross) in the oven.

I've had a cup of coffee.

I think maybe a late night bowl of Porridge is in order.

A sleepy Pug.

Our Saturday Walk in Pictures



The sky wasn't sure what to do today.
It was nice enough that I had to unzip my sweater
and take off my scarf.




All these lovely colors still in the park.
Great textures.
I don't know anything about flowers, just that they are pretty
and really interesting when you look at them close up.



A Pug on a path.

I was almost certain I was going to trip on these stairs.
I did not, nor did Crockett.

Then we came upon a Frenchie.
He was playful, jumped all over me and had a smooth soft coat.

There was alot of loud breathing and back-side sniffing going on.
Crockett had just been on a long walk so he was too tired to run around.

My Love of Cards, Paper, Pens & Maps.

I love cards, stationary, note books, journals, fancy paper and pens.

I've been told I have good penmanship.

I love trying to copy all the different fonts that are available now.

I even took a shot at learning the Tolkien Tengwar Fonts, but they were tough.

I think a basic Calligraphy course first would be helpful with that.

I could spend hours in small book shops, card shops or anywhere

funky cool stationary is sold.

There are even stores now that have wrapping paper

that is art-like enough to frame & hang on the wall.

I have framed on my desk this card I bought a few years ago at a cute shop
at Yonge & St. Clair called The Papery.
Art for $4.99, how great is that.



Gerhard Gluck "Cats and Dogs Raining"

I also love maps.

I love maps how Adam loves music.

Maps of the World, the Solar System, the Circulatory System, any map.

I bought a National Geograhic Maps Special Edition 8 CD-ROM set, but

it's not the same as sitting in a library at an big old wooden desk with

a huge Atlas in front of you, touching the pages and smelling that old musty book smell.

Halloween Costumes

Um ya....we wish!! 

If you want to paste your face on a Super Hero,

a Sports Star or even a Super Model,

go HERE & have fun!

Rainy Dark Fall Evening

Although I don't like waking up and leaving home in the dark in the morning,

I like it in the Fall when it gets dark earlier in the evening.

It makes me feel like eating a hearty soup and wearing flannel jammies.

I took this photo from my kitchen window tonight at 7:00pm.

The cars passing by are louder than usual due to the wet road and low sky.

It is foggy and damp.

Perfect sit on the couch under a cozy blanket weather.

I went to the living room to sit with Adam & he's already made himself

comfortable - prone, remote in hand resting against his chin.

The only other place the remote usually is if not there is between the cushions.

Toronto Mayoral Election Disappointment

This post is about politics......for that, I apologize in advance.

I have never been overly political.

I care about right and wrong, good and bad, fairness.

I vote based on my beliefs and how they are met by the candidates platforms.

This time alot of Torontonians were talking about voting against someone.

I agree we needed to vote against Rob Ford but we also needed to vote for
something or someone.

That is my personal opinion based on my watching the debates,

reading up on their platforms, taking their experience,

past performance and leadership ability into account.
This is about alot more than just balancing a budget.

Everyone has the right to vote.
Sadly not everyone excercised that right today.
 I also have the right to disagree and
be disappointed with the result.

I fear for the Toronto of the next 4 years.

We've taken a huge step backwards.

I just may become a bit more political and involved as a result of this election.



Sunday Afternoon Visitors

Mom & Dad, who more often now go by Nana & Poppa came over this

afternoon with my nieces Abby & Norah, for a visit.

They had their faces painted...just because.

It was more for the girls to see Crockett.

As usual, Crockett was awesome.

He's not used to being around kids. They move so fast.

It takes him awhile to figure it all out but then he's fine.

It is cool & damp out today.

I hope it is nicer next Sunday for Halloween.

I asked the girls what they are going to dress-up as;

Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty.

Cute.



In 3 Days I'll Be 42.

I don't feel my age.

When I tell people my age, they say they don't believe me.

Are they being honest? I don't care, I'll take it.

Today, Adam took me to an afternoon movie.

Jackass 3D.

To be honest, I think I am now officially too old to enjoy Jackass.

Johnny Knoxville has Salt & Pepper hair and it seemed it took his whole

crew a bit longer to recover after their stunts.

Even though the movie choice was mine,

I now wish we'd gone to see Hereafter instead.

Matt Damon is one of my favorite actors.

Hello...Jason Bourne? Awesome.

Well, I am going to do what any young at heart 41 almost 42 year old

would do a Saturday night.....knit.

Seriously.

I am going to transform these 2 balls of red yarn into a red scarf.

Nerd Alert - The Hobbit

The Hobbit

I have been waiting for this film since the credits started

to roll on The Return of the King.

I was happy that Guillermo del Toro was going to direct

and sad when it fell through.

I was even happier when Peter Jackson announced he'd direct it.

This news along with the new Harry Potter and Narnia trailers

has made my inner child/fantasy nerd explode with excitement.

I would have been very happy if James McAvoy was cast as Bilbo but

I think the final Bilbo casting choice is fantastic with Martin Freeman.



Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins - Photo from www.theonering.net

A Day Off, Laundry and Superman

Working Monday - Friday and commuting via public transit

makes running certain errands or scheduling MD appointments

during the week quite difficult and frustrating.

I took a vacation day today for a follow up appointment

that lasted no more than 20 minutes and was a total 2 hour commute.

Luckily it was beautiful and sunny and we didn't get the expected rain.

It gave me some time to read my book, which I haven't read as fast as

anticipated but am thoroughly enjoying.

To make sure it was worth taking time off work, I took advantage of

the afternoon, we did some groceries and

early evening I got through 2 loads of laundry.

The Superman thing is just how I feel about my husband.

He's awesome.

Photo done using http://www.faceinhole.com/



Crazy Hot Heat

In our apartment building we pay our Hydro & Gas directly to the utility companies.

Heat is built into our (crazy high Toronto) rent.

Thing is, we have no control of the heat, no unit control.

We have radiators heated with hot water.

They've been on since Labour Day Weekend.

Even these past few weeks of lovely weather they've been on.

It is currently 6 degrees Celsius outside at 11pm.

Inside, it is as hot as a Chilean Mine.

It is so hot Adam needs the fan on in the office and I

need to crack the window open in the bedroom.

I need to search some DIY sites and figure what kind of radiator covers there are

that we can purchase or make that will stop this crazy heat.

The pashmina and stuffed bulldog aren't blocking enough heat.



Heater, cracked open window & Gandalf fighting a Balrog of Morgoth.



Toronto Marathon & Post Update

 I was having a nice sleep-in Sunday morning.

Our window was open letting the cool brisk air in.

The kind that makes you snuggle under the covers but isn't too cold.

There was noise outside. A WOO-HOO being yelled.

I rolled over & looked out the window and it is another beautiful sunny day.

But it sounded like it was raining. Pouring actually.

I got up to look out the window.....I forgot that today was the Toronto Marathon.

All the feet on the pavement sounded like rain.

It was 8:30am and there was a constant stream of runners running south on Yonge Street.

It is one of the advantages of living on Yonge Street. 

We do get to see some pretty amazing events.

Along with the Marathon, there is a Motorcycle Rally that passes by once a year.

It is truly an amazing site.

Back to the Marathon.

I took Crockett outside to watch from the front step.

The 1st batch of folks that went by were the Half Marathoners

We live just over 5 kms from the start so we get a good bunch of people in packs.

There were runners young and old. Teenagers to Seniors.

There were even some power walkers.

There was alot of The Running Room fashions on the side of the road,

tossed off when overdressed runners got too warm.
There was even one male runner wearing no top, just a pink bra,
honoring a loved one stricken with Breast Cancer no doubt.

The crowd thinned, there were the folks pulling up the rear, walking.

Then the van with the flashing lights followed the last person.

She was walking with her head high obviously proud of her accomplishment thus far.

Then, like a flash of light, a runner flew by.

He was running. Running FAST. Faster than Forrest Gump.

He was also in real marathon attire.

He was the leader for the full marathon.

When I came back in I looked him up online.

His name is Daniel Njenga and he is from Kenya.

He won the Toronto Marathon in 2008 in 2:29:02, collapsing at the finish.

He was at least 1 minute ahead of the runner in 2nd place today.

I hope he wins again.

It's 10:40am now & all the excitement in front of my window has ended.

Adam and Crockett are behind me in deep sleep, both snoring.
I can hear the radio in the kitchen on Classical 96.3FM,

my coffee cup is empty and the day is ahead of me.
What do I want to do? Relax, lounge about and eat bon-bons.

What I need to do?  Laundry.

UPDATE:
Daniel did not win. He didn't finish.
The male winner was Brandon Laan.
The female winner was Nathalie Goyer.
The Toronto Marathon is a Boston Marathon qualifier.
Today there were 17,000 participants in the
5K, Half Marathon, Marathon & Marathon Relay.
Over 7 Million Dollars raised for the Princess Margaret Hospital.

Lazy Saturday

Today, it was absolutely beautiful outside.

Sweater weather.

A little warm in the sun.

A bit cool in the shade.

This was my walk with Crockett sky, just one cloud.



It was the perfect day to go Apple Picking or to a Pumpkin Patch.

Walk up and down Yonge Street drinking a Hot Chocolate and people watch.

Wrap a warm scarf around your neck & sit on a park bench with a good book.

I did none of these things.

I do want to go Apple Picking though.

Last time we went was when Crockett was a puppy.

Mom, Dad & Crockett Apple Picking a few years back - maybe '06.

I did go with Crockett for a lovely walk.

We went a different route today.

I didn't want to stand in the park while he sniffed and tinkled.

I wanted us to actually walk.

I am lucky in that we live in a beautiful neighbourhood.

Our old funky apartment building is in a great location next to the park.

The side streets are filled with 2 and 3 storey homes, each trying to out-do their neighbour.

There are a few gems, classic, beautiful homes with gardens that show love and care.

A few remind me of the Home Alone house.

There were alot of people out today with their kids and dogs.
Alot of hand-holding couples out for a stroll.

On one street there were 3 girls that were perhaps 9-11years old, with their

rakes going door to door asking for $5 to rake the front lawn. 

Based on the lawns on the street, they'd already made $25. 

One little girl with her pearls and purse over her shoulder said to me as

we walked by, in a sweet British accent, "Lovely day isn't it."

She made my day.

It is now dinner time.

I'm going to make us some comfort food for dinner,

put on my jammies & cuddle in front of the TV with Adam for the rest of the evening.

Perfect Lazy Saturday.

The Thanksgiving Turkey That Wasn't

I went to visit my parents yesterday for Thanksgiving.

The weather was absolutely beautiful.

The Subway/Bus ride there was nice - I read my book.

The Turkey my Mom bought was not huge, it was medium/small, but

really a perfect size for two senior citizens, a transitioning vegetarian and enough

to bring some home for Adam to have a Turkey Sandwich.

We figured it'd need just under 2 hours to cook & sit.

Along with the Turkey, I learned how to and made homemade stuffing.

It was to go nicely with the Mashed Potato, steamed Carrots and Broccoli and

Cranberry Sauce.

A few times as we were making muffins before putting in the

Turkey we looked at it and commented on how small it was.

Like maybe it was too young to have been killed.

I asked my mom to cut off the bum flap.

She said it was the neck, but it was on the wrong end.

Again, we commented how odd this all was. 

We put it in the oven.

When it came out as scheduled, there was ALOT of drippings.

My Mom cut into it & said,  " This isn't cooked. "

I got up & looked at it & the meat looked reddish grey.

That's when my Mom said, " It's a Duck! "

I bent down & smelled it and agreed, " It's a Duck! "

Eeeeeeeeeewwwwwww.
It was a cute little Duck bum flap, not a neck!

There is a park with a stream near my parents place where
we go to watch & feed the Ducks.

We don't eat Ducks!

Of all days to have not taken my camera with me!

So, we needed a protein to go with our Feast of Thanks.

We made Scrambled Eggs!

They went very nicley with the Cranberry Sauce.

Our feast ended with delicious Pumpkin Pie & fresh Whipped Cream.

Needless to day, my Mom is going to go back to Loblaws and share this tale and

tell them they labelled Ducks as Turkeys.  I wonder how many phone calls/visits they'll get.

I felt sad for the Duck.

It was born, fed, slaughtered, plucked, shipped, packaged, cooked

and then thrown down a garbage chute.

I'd never thrown away a whole cooked bird/duck like that before.

It felt like it deserved a burial. I was sad.

It was yet another nudge from the Universe telling me that my

choice/goal to ultimately not eat meat is a good one for me.

I am Thankful for many things this year. Mostly that my Mom

has a great sense of humor and that although our meal didn't

turn out as planned, I still had a lovely day with my parents.

I am also full of Gratitude and am Thankful that although Adam

didn't spend the day with us, I came home to a clean spotless apartmet.

He'd spent the day cleaning & tidying - knowing that this would
make me happy and it did. It really did.

Today, we will have our own Thanksgiving......more Pumpkin Pie!

I'm a lucky girl for a bunch of reasons & I really don't need Thanksgiving day to remember them all.

A Pug In The Sun

Pure Joy




Crockett - Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

 



A Girly Day

I went & got my nails done today.

I feel very girly.

I now have polish to go along with my lipstick.

My current lipstick of choice is Maybelline 275 - Color: Crazy for Coffee.

 It is not the best choice at a moderate to high hazard rating.

My previous favorite Almay Truly Lasting Color All Day Lip Color - Color: Blush,

had only a moderate hazard rating and it really did last all day.

Go here and look up your favorite brands.
You may never wear make-up or use any personal products ever again.

Caroline Rhea did a comedy bit a few years back about her Mother and Lipstick.

The way to cope with any crisis is to put on a little lipstick and everything will be alright.

It was a comedy routine that made me laugh until my stomach hurt.

Other than lipstick and a small amount of mascara & eyeliner,

that's as fancy as I get during the week.

In another life, where I dress like an awesome 50's housewife,

I'd do my hair & make up like Dita.

As much as I enjoy the occasional fancy dress party, I really am
happiest in jeans, cotton turtlenecks, my pink zip up sweatshirt, a
baseball cap and sensible shoes!
And of course to keep my Mom and Adam happy......lipstick.

The Great Gatsby

I want to read this book again.



I read it in High School.

I think in Grade 8, which was 1982-1983.

That was quite a while ago and I can't remember it.

I'll try to find a copy at the New and Gently Used Bookstore

at Yonge/Eg on Saturday.

Post Note - Friday Oct 8'10
I stopped by the bookstore today since they let us leave work early.
New, not used, $7.99 - not too bad.
180 pages.
Long weekend.
Looking forward to a good read!

Crossword Puzzles and The Plumber

I had a few things I needed to do, so I booked a Vacation Day and took care of them all.

As a result, I spent alot of time on the bus and subway.

So much that I completed 2 Crossword Puzzles.

I am grateful that I was able to get to where I needed to using public transit

and that I didn't have to do it in rush hour and always got a seat.

But still, it was brutal time suckage.

To spice up life, we've had a minor water leak in our bathroom for awhile that

a few days ago turned into a major water leak.

We live in a lovely old building with many pros and just as many cons.

A few of the cons are that we don't have a live-in super on-site.

He comes and goes with the garbage/recycling schedule and to empty

the coin operated washer/dryer.

He calls me "sweetie". I dislike that, even though I know it's

cause he can't remember my name.

Everything we ask for will be done tomorrow.
The last tomorrow took about 6 months to arrive.

For the past 3 days he was coming. Never showed up.

I called him last night and put aside the friendly tenant voice for the

very serious (always polite) this needs to be taken care of now voice.

The Plumber arrived about an hour later.

Super nice guy, no nasty crack and took care of the task at hand.

Also, he had waiting for him in his truck, his 8 month old

Bull Dog/Pug cross named Snoopy.

Of course I had to go see him and he was adorable.

End of Plumber story is that I no longer have to mop up water

in the bathroom and our Super said we'd get a new sink....Tomorrow?

I'm betting I'll have to use my serious voice a few more times before that happens.

Saturday Morning

I woke up this morning at 7:30am & saw this out our bedroom window:



The sunrise shining on the buidling across the street made it look like GOLD.
I rushed out of bed to take Crockett for a lovely sunrise walk.
In my neighbourhood early in the morning I bump into dog walkers,
joggers and joggers with their dogs.
Happy people who are polite and wish each other "Good Morning"

By the time I got outside, clouds had started to take over.

Pretty sky above me

The grass in the park was wet & there were dew drops on all the flowers.

Crockett enjoyed his walk and had a run around with another dog.

It was a good start to my morning.

I've just asked Adam to check the Weather Network as the sky has darkened pretty fast.



Off my morning topic...

When I started this blog, I was no longer happy sitting on the couch with my

laptop on a TV Dinner table.  I needed my own space.

Adam has his office. It's a great space, for him.  The walls are painted

a yummy chocolate brown with white trim. It feels like a Starbucks Hot Chocolate.

He also hates when I use his computer. 

I always fear accidentally hitting a key & messing up all his settings. 

That would send him into a tizzy.

So, I created my own little nook.

I have always liked small spaces.

As a kid I had a great bedroom closet.

I'd take in my radio, a lamp & books and be content for hours.

I took the top off a crate I was about to put down in the storage locker,

added 2 Ikea table legs & brackets and voila - my own nook.

It's in the bedroom so it's private, it's cozy.

I had hooks on the walls already, so just attached the baskets to them. 

It was a fluke that it worked and that they were well spaced out & straight.

The one on the left is home to my current knitting project.

I just need a cork board, some photos on the wall and a prettier desk lamp to home it up.