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My blog reading list:
My other blog: Bare Maked
Billabong Fiddling
Suzy Says
Kim Werker
Amberism
Little Slice of Life
Splatgirl Creates
Posie Gets Cozy
Craftster
Whip Up
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Buy My Stuff:
* Atom Site Feed Link *
* RSS Feed Link *
Archives
This is where the links to my archives should be - dating all the way back to 2003... except
that I took them down on a whim.
They may return one day to assist in your procrastination efforts, but until then,
the rest of the internet will have to suffice. ;)
Recently Read
(For my record...)
2009
- Resilient Cities
- The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay
- Variable Star
- Outrageous Fortune
- Remainder
- Mindscan
- The Road
- Bad Monkeys
- Rebecca
- Alias Grace
- The Man With the Golden Gun
- Idlewild
- Emile's Voice
- The Tipping Point
- The King's General
- All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses and Eye
- Angels and Demons
- In Defense of Food
- Room With A View
2008
- The Overcoat
- The Facts of Life
- More Tomorrow
- Rollback
- I am Legend
- Bourne Identity
- The God Delusion
- The Da Vinci Code
- The Lovely Bones
- Digital Fortress
- The Thirteenth Tale
- The Pilot's Wife
- The Demolished Man
- The God Particle
- Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day
- Blindness
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime
- JPod
- Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures
- The Omnivore's Dilemma
- Three Cups of Tea
- Old Man's War
- In the Days of the Comet
- The Accidental Time Machine
(End 2008)
2007
- The Kite Runner
- The Impressionist
- Casino Royale
- The Eyre Affaire
- The Travellers
- Harry Potter 1
- Harry Potter 2
- Harry Potter 3
- Harry Potter 4
- Harry Potter 5
- Harry Potter 6
- Harry Potter 7
- The Diary of Sarah Clinch,
A Spirited Socialite in
Victorian Nova Scotia
- Lost in a Good Book
- The Failure of Modern Architecture
- Heat: How to Stop the Planet Burning
- Townhouse
- The Namesake
(end 2007)
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Friday, December 04, 2009
This is not my photo - it's by Splatgirl (see list of links on the left). It's one of my favorite photos, makes me chuckle - cats are funny. (She has a clear glass walkway in her house.)
.: posted by burrito 4:10 PM
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
I'm trying not to freak out about the fact that it is December and I'm really busy with work and contract work and special dance things and I don't know when I'll have free time to do all the things I love most about the holidays.... like make things for people, send cards, make cookies, watch dopey movies, etc. I'm trying to have faith that the busy period will pass and there will still be time left over to relax and do all those wonderful things, but somehow part of my brain refuses to buy that - it wants to relax NOW.
Hope everyone else is easing into the holiday season with less stress!
.: posted by burrito 6:37 PM
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
This Sunday Dec 6 is when the holiday season really gets going for me.
I'm selling crafty things with my group, Maked, at the best craft fair of the year - Got Craft? "Holiday Edition"! I love this fair - the vendors are always fabulous, creative people, it's a nice, busy show, lots of my friends shop there and stop to chat, there are good tunes in the background. It's just a ridiculously happy experience. And this year there is a drawing for a Yudu screenprinting kit and an industrial button maker.... which is awesome.  Vancouver’s largest indie craft fair Got Craft "Holiday Edition"
Sunday, December 6th, 2009
at the Royal Grandview Legion – 2205 Commercial Drive (at E. 6th Avenue)
between 11:00 am to 5:00 pm. Admission: $2.00 (kids are free)
Featuring over 50 local vendors, Got Craft? has something handmade for everyone on your list from clothing to jewelry to art to ceramics and home décor. Psssst! The first 30 people through the door will receive a free, re-useable swag bag packed full of goodies from all of our vendors. (You have to show up early to snag one of these puppies.)
They will also be giving away a personal screen printing machine valued at $400 Cdn courtesy of Yudu and a DIY button kit including a machine and 250 parts courtesy of Six Cent Press.
For more information and a complete list of vendors, please visit gotcraft.com.
.: posted by burrito 9:40 PM
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Peter and I just finished our 2nd batch of soap this month. Whoo! First batch was cold process - because we like the texture of that better, but it takes weeks to cure and we need some to give away for Christmas presents more immediately, so we just did a batch of hot process (ready as soon as it cools). We love homemade soap, it's awesome. We have an orange/clove scent mixture that we both like, it's Christmasy (like a pomander) but not sickly sweet.
Making soap is actually quite easy. You just have to get the right oils, some sodium hydroxide, and be willing to blindly follow instructions the first few times until you build some experience. Willingness to fail is a key ingredient of most new crafts actually. Er, in this case you also need a scale and digital thermometer. And a dedicated slow cooker if you want to do hot process (i.e. not the one you use for food).
We've had great success using these tutorials.
.: posted by burrito 5:45 PM
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The downside to shopping for one thing online (shoes) is that you come across 57 other things that you fall in love with. The internet is a dangerous place.
Take for example this website I found, ModCloth which has the cutest assortment of dresses I've ever seen in one place. It's nuts. I'm crazy about all of these dresses, some for work, some for play:
   
Aren't they adorable?? I'm a size small and I'd like one of each, in case anyone out there is dying to get me a christmas present. Thanks! I shall now turn off the internet.
.: posted by burrito 10:31 AM
Friday, November 27, 2009
I was sitting at my desk yesterday when a strange feeling came over me. I was warm and cozy and felt suddenly elated and happy. I turned around, only to be blinded by a bright light coming in the window. I turned to my officemates in confusion and someone exclaimed "SUNLIGHT!".
It was glorious. We actually stopped and basked in the glory of the sun. Someone down the hall started singing "the sun is shining, in this crazy city".
That, my friends, is what happens when it rains for 4 weeks solid. You really really appreciate things you would otherwise take for granted.
It was only sunny for a bit yesterday but today is blue skies and sun. It's strange and wonderful.
.: posted by burrito 11:45 AM
Monday, November 23, 2009
Having talked myself into getting the Fluevogs, I went to the store to try them on and discovered that they don't have my size anywhere in Canada or the US. There's another style in the same line that they also don't have my size in but they think they may get more (whereas the style shown below isn't being made anymore).
*sigh* also: *sob*
I've also realized why I'm having an even harder time finding shoes that fit lately. It seems Canadian stores/shoe companies are switching to European sizing.... and I fall smack in between two European sizes. So everything is either a half size too small or a half size too big.
Bummer.
.: posted by burrito 6:41 PM
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Every year I go through this quest for the perfect shoe. It's hopeless, and yet I need a good shoe, so I do it over and over and meet with failure over and over. I'm looking for a fashionable, comfortable work shoe. Something with a heel but not too high a heel, something that covers my feet, something that stays on my foot on its own without me having to think about it, and something that has some style/personality to it. This shoe does not exist for less than $200, according to my years of searching.
Usually I end up giving up and I go online searching for fun shoes that are outrageous or out of my price range. This year is no different.
I know I'm kind of crazy with this one..... but I really want a pair of these awesome boots (by Irregular Choice) They're over the top awesome. I don't know if I can pull off black and white polka dot boots, but I sure would like to try.
Look at that heel - I love the heel.
If I can't have those, and need something more  sedate, I suppose I could make do with a pair of Fluevogs from the Wearever line. The $500 tall boots in particular are fabulous and look like boots you could wear all day every day.
Swoon.
I think perhaps the time has come to end my quest for suitable affordable shoes and just invest in a pair that meet my needs and will last forever.... but maybe I'm just talking myself into Fluevogs (I walk by the store every day on my way home, which isn't helping). =)
.: posted by burrito 10:32 AM
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Okay, it's taken me all week but I figured out why the rain is bothering us all more than it normally does. Because in Vancouver it doesn't usually rain very hard - it's more of a drizzle that lasts a few months. But lately, it's been really raining, like you forget your umbrella and you'll be soaked, that kind of rain. We've had enough of that. It's not normal. It's not humane.
Dance is keeping Peter and I very busy lately. Had a dance thing on Thursday evening, friday evening, going out tonight, have a class on monday night, tuesday (maybe), wednesday (maybe), thursday (dinner and dance). It's a lot of dancing. I'm already very tired just thinking about it. But our tango is looking pretty hot.
 Random - cool green product.... it looks like an ordinary tissue box but is actually stocked with organic cotton hankies. And the box has a drawer for you to put the dirty hankies in when you're done, until it's time to launder them.
.: posted by burrito 3:24 PM
Monday, November 16, 2009
I know when one chooses to live in Vancouver, one really forfeits the right to complain about rain.... I mean, we're in a rainforest after all.
But.
Dude, it has been raining for eleventy billion days now. The clocks went back, it got grey and overcast and started raining. It paused briefly on remembrance day and then went back to the raining. so. much. rain. I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to go outside - rain makes me want to stay at home and make cookies and craft and watch movies, so then I get a bit grumpy when I repeatedly have to go outside and do grown up things like go to work.
And I just made the mistake of looking at the longterm forecast. woe.
.: posted by burrito 6:23 PM
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Peter and I went to the Vancouver Remembrance Day ceremony on Wednesday, like we do every year. I feel it's very important to go. Considering the sacrifices so many people made/make during wartime, it seems like very little to ask that the rest of us go spend an hour our two once a year at a lovely ceremony to pay tribute. Usually it is grey and raining in Vancouver, and still lots of people show up; that gives me hope about us as a community. This year, we had a perfect pocket of sunshine for the event.
.: posted by burrito 1:08 PM
Monday, November 02, 2009
Hello internetland, I'm about to share with you a little tidbit from my past....
We have to go back to my pre-teen/teenybopper days. While my sister had posters of NKOTB all over her room, I was more selective about where I directed my fan energy. I was a fan of the guy who played my favorite character on Star Trek, TNG: Wil Wheaton. (Did I mention I was a Star Trek nerd?) In fact, I was so much a fan of Wil that I joined his fan club. I would go through teenybopper magazines, past all the pictures of the guys from Saved By the Bell, hoping to find one of Wil. They were more elusive, and thus more worth the hunting.
I grew up but always stayed a fan of Wil's - kept my eye out for him on tv/movies. I took down the magazine posters from my walls and tossed them eventually, though I kept a few of Wil and tucked them away.
One day I came across Wil on the internet. I don't know what possessed me to search for him - I must have been procrastinating from doing homework or studying. But there he was - with a blog, just being a regular, cool guy. I remembered back to the fan club days where it was so long between newsletters - how he seemed so far away - and suddenly, via the internet, he fell into that strange category of blog-friends (people you don't really know at all but you read their blogs so you kind of know a weird amount about them and what they're up to).
When I moved away from home to go to university, I didn't take a lot with me. At some point though, I had one small box of miscellaneous memorabilia - yearbooks, penpal letters and the like. This box has traveled with me from Halifax to Ottawa to Wisconsin to Vancouver. In it is a binder of letters from a penpal of mine. In that binder, I don't know why, in plastic protective sheets (I'm not normally that organized) were some of my Wil Wheaton posters. You could still see the blue tacky stuff that held them to my walls.
Flash to modern day. I was hanging out with a friend here in Vancouver and she was really excited to be going to PAX - a big gaming convention in Seattle. She was especially excited about maybe getting in to Wil's panel because she is a big fan of his. I asked her if she'd take something of mine to show him if she got to his signing table while there. She was awesome and said yes and I gave her the posters - hoping he would get a kick out of seeing them, such a blast from the past.
She did take them and she did show him, and apparently, he did get a kick out of them, especially the one of him leaning on a Lamborghini - which elicited the phrase "fuck my life". Being awesome, he signed them all. I feel like I should put them up on my wall now, but I'm not sure people would understand why I have a shrine to Wil Wheaton. ;)
The moral of the story is that sometimes it pays to be a packrat.
Also, that I had excellent taste in fangirl crushes as a preteen.
And, the internet is cool.
And so is Wil Wheaton:
   
.: posted by burrito 8:01 AM
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The last week has been nutso. I've been taking vacation time at work to stay home and do contract work until the wee hours of the morning. It was just like being back in school again (except for the part where I'm being paid).... super stressful, crazy deadlines, and hours and hours and hours working on one thing. Fortunately, I find said thing interesting. And the end product was pretty good, I think.
I got to have a normal work day on Friday, which was quite lovely, and then didn't have to work at all on Friday night. Sweet. I've got a bit of work to do tomorrow, but I'm taking today off so I don't go bonkers.
I spent last night watching a video about this new thing, Google Wave, which, like all google products, seems like it will be amazing and change the way people communicate/collaborate. Very cool stuff. And very intuitive interface, looks very easy to use.
In complete contrast to that kind of software, I then tried to use this feature at my library where you can download/borrow audiobooks via your library card (your library probably offers this too).
This required downloading a bit of microsoft software (Overdrive), updating 1 other bits of software (windows media player, iTunes), and spending hours on the internet reading tech forums to find out how people solved all the glitches and problems that were involved in every. single. step of the process (which are not covered in the 'help' anywhere. This disaster of a set up requires 3 pieces of software and guess what? Doesn't work for me. One bit of software can't find the other bit of software, so even though I have the audiobooks downloaded, I can't transfer them to my ipod because they're all wrapped up in digital rights management stuff and the ONLY way to transfer them is via this terrible piece of software that won't work. This would be a prime example of how NOT to program stuff. If only google people could program everything. *sigh*
I'm going to go ignore technology and play with yarn for a while. I've had enough of computers for this week.
-------
Update - I lied, I couldn't step away from the computer in defeat. And I finally got it to work!! It was saying I needed iTunes 7.6.blah.blah or newer. I had iTunes 9.0.1.blah so I thought I was good. I updated to iTunes 9.0.2.blah and it fixed the problem. Oh technology. Now I'm off to craft, secure in the knowledge that stupid software glitches have not yet defeated me.
.: posted by burrito 10:28 AM
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Full time job + contract work + tight deadlines = tired Lisa.
But it's all interesting stuff, so I'm certainly not bored! In fact, it's all kind of exciting stuff and if I could just get a bit more sleep, everything would be okay. =)
In the meantime, amuse yourself by admiring the latest bit of jewelry I made.... it's kind of bold.
 
.: posted by burrito 7:52 AM
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Today I attended a Vancouver event for the International Day of Climate Action.... which had events in hundreds of countries to bring attention to the issue of climate change so that our leaders will take serious action at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
The events were organized as part of 350.org which is a movement to highlight the fact that scientists think that 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is the safe upper limit. We're at 390 right now. (Historically the planet has been around 250 ppm, until 200 years ago.)
That should scare the pants off you.
At the very least, it should get you to write your political leader and tell him/her to take drastic action. (Canadians can click here for an easy way to do it.)
Unfortunately in Canada, our leader doesn't seem to believe in this climate change stuff, and as a result, Canada may well be the country that holds the rest of the planet back from taking serious action. Many European countries are way ahead of us on this stuff (and they did it while improving their economy so the idea that fighting climate change and having a healthy economy are at odds is bunk).
The thing about greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that I think a lot of people don't understand is the idea that we live in a system, a very complicated system with feedback loops. We will, at some point, have fracked up our atmosphere to the point where we can't undo it. We will trigger systemic changes in ecosystems that will irrevocably change the way they function and their ability to support life (including us). And we won't be able to put them back.
Seriously. You need to email someone about this. Do whatever you can to make your voice heard.
.: posted by burrito 4:38 PM
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Random quote:
"Twenty years after my own graduation, I have come gradually to understand that the liberal arts cliché about teaching you how to think is actually shorthand for a much deeper, more serious idea: learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being conscious and aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed." david foster wallace
.: posted by burrito 10:49 PM
It's stupid o'clock right now.... that's the side effect of a headache remedy with caffeine in it. My headache is gone and I'm kind of tired but VERY ALERT and not sleepy.
I did get fabric for eighty gagillion bike cuffs cut out today (before the headache) which I will sew up tomorrow because I find making things indescribably satisfying. Have you picked up on that at all? Sometimes I feel that making things is an addiction that maybe I should try to break myself of.... that maybe I'd be healthier if my brain wasn't always buzzing with project ideas. Other days I think that being a maker is just an inherent part of who I am and it would be silly to try and fight it. Other days I don't think about these things at all. Mostly I think about these things when I'm up at 2am for no reason.
Today was a good dance day - a lesson and two group classes. Here's a little dance tip for you. The correct timing for cha cha is: 1, 2, 3, cha cha. If you count like this: 1, 2, cha cha cha.... which is the stereotypical cha cha counting.... you'll actually be off. I danced with a guy in group class today who I think was using the bad timing - although maybe he had some other issue. In any case, it's really hard to follow someone who is not in time with the music, just fyi. Now you know - when you watch a dance movie and some instructor is calling out 1, 2, cha cha cha.... that's weird.
Also - I'm n ow finding parallels between my dance and yoga instructions. My dance instructor was trying to describe a waltz movement to me last week which was basically to lift my heart centre, in yoga speak. I find this awesome.
You know what else is awesome? This picture of my late grandparents.
And - if you've got some time to kill.... watch this video. It's so..... strange. A north american/brit thing (boy bands) with a whole other cultural spin. I watched it a few times now, I find it entrancing in it's weirdness. "Fantastic. Elastic." Those are some deep lyrics.
When you're done with that one, try this.
.: posted by burrito 1:44 AM
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Peter is home! I went out to the airport to get him (yay Canada Line rapid transit), then we went for sushi, and now he's having a nap with all the cats. We have the rest of the day to hang out at home, and then a family dinner out in the burbs tomorrow. =)
October is looking to be very busy for me. I'm probably going to be doing some consulting work (planning stuff) on the side of my full time job. I haven't signed the contract yet, so knock on wood, but if it does happen it will be very interesting. It's an international project, so definitely something different for me. I've got some vacation time I have to use up before the end of the year, so I'll probably take it to give me some space to work on this job (not to travel, I won't be going to the site) - which is a weird thing to do, but I'm keen to get some consulting work under my belt and this project is seriously a great opportunity.
This will put a crimp in my crafting plans though. As work always does.
 The latest crafty idea my brain has latched on to is really simple, which is all I can handle right now. It came from the fact that most of my co-workers all know of my craftiness and how I delight in repurposing stuff that will otherwise be tossed. So, one of my co-workers saved a stack of obsolete 2007 city bike maps for me, she figured I could do something cool with them. I did the most obvious thing I could think of, and love the end result (I'm easy to please) - I laminated them with contact paper and sewed them up into simple little wallets.
While it sounds easy, the contact paper I used to laminate them is actually a pain to use (because it's all rolled up.... does this stuff come in flat sheets anywhere?). Still, it's a relatively easy project. I've been using mine for a week or two now, testing out the construction to see if it holds up, and it's doing great. I made a few more while Peter was away, thinking I might stock them for the holiday craft fair, since they're perfect little stocking stuffers for Vancouver cyclists. I haven't figured out a price point for them - if anyone wants to chime in with the price they think is appropriate, please do!
.: posted by burrito 4:47 PM
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
Hello blogworld. Guess what? I've been busy! Funny how being busy coinsides with not blogging.
Things are awesome. I've started a new position at work, a temporary role over in a new group doing sustainability stuff. It's awesome and I'm loving it.
I've been loving the new dance classes we get to go to - I'm learning some waltz technique that is blowing my mind.
The weather in vancouver has been insane - bright and sunny every day for weeks. this is not normal fall weather but we're all enjoying it.
My craft group, Maked, got accepted as vendors at the awesomest craft fair in town - Got Craft. We're super thrilled to be doing again this year and have come out of our hiatus just because its such a great event. (Dec 6 - put it in your calendars!)
so -to sum up: things are good!
.: posted by burrito 9:35 PM
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Peter is out of town so I went to dance class without him today. Since we moved up to the Bronze II level, we've been able to go to Bronze II group classes which are amazing! They're actually working on serious technique - it's challenging and I love it. Today I had an hour of swing dance and an hour of waltz and there was a lot of sweat, but it was excellent.
I also shipped out an etsy order and picked up apples from the farmers market, so I feel like I've been very productive for a Saturday and can now sit and craft for several hours until it's time to bake the ponderosa* cake I bought ingredients for. I love weekends.
*Is ponderosa cake just a Vancouver/BC thing? All the recipes I find for it are UBC-related, which makes me think its local, but it can't be, can it? It's heavenly. Seriously. Basically bananna bread with chocolate, but more cake-y.
.: posted by burrito 5:31 PM
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Yay for finishing baby gifts for people! Finishing projects is so satisfying!
Latest - 1 baby hat with an awesome button made from wood waste, and 1 round ripple baby blanket.
Bring on the babies. Actually, don't, I'm still way way behind!
.: posted by burrito 9:47 PM
Thursday, September 17, 2009
 Did I ever mention that I finally finished my last weaving project? The one I took off the loom months and months ago? Yeah.
Took forever to get that last step done because the only way I know to finish a scarf is with fringe but I really didn't want fringe on this one. I finally took a day and sorted it out and am pleased with the finished product. I'm listing it in my etsy shop though because I just really really do not need another scarf. Really do not. Our apartment is too small for me to have an enormous scarf collection. It will be listed tomorrow, in case anyone is itching to do some shopping.
Last night Peter and I went to the taping of CBC Radio Book Club where Douglas Coupland was the guest. He's a super interesting guy - has a very unique outlook on the world. He's a writer and artist. You probably know him for Generation X or Microserfs or JPod but he also recently had some of his artwork unveiled at a new waterfront park in Toronto. It was really neat to go to the CBC building, to experience the taping process, to see people geek out at seeing/meeting someone they're all fangirly for, hear him get all philosophical and funny about things. Great way to spend an evening!
.: posted by burrito 9:58 PM
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tonight Peter and I had our Bronze 1 level dance exam. We passed with flying colours. It's very nice having someone tell you you're awesome. So we're officially Bronze 2 level dancers now which means we can take new group classes. One of these days I really will get our instructor to set up a camera and get some clips of us waltzing or something to share with the world. In the meantime, just imagine awesome dancing.
I started in my new position on Monday and I'm loving it. It's good to be busy again, everyone is super nice, and it's my job to get geeky about all the sustainability initiatives in the City.... which I would have done anyway! My new office is located in the main City Hall building, which I love - I get to go into the beautiful 1930s heritage lobby every day, I feel very lucky.
Also, next week I get fitted for my Olympic Host City Team uniform. I still don't know what I'll be doing during the Olympics, but it'll be an adventure, that's for sure!
Oh, and we fitted out our loft bed with some support slats from Ikea (I heart you Ikea) and now I'm sleeping like a log. Getting up and down is still kind of a hassle but we'll work it out.
.: posted by burrito 10:24 PM
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Great Big Sea concerts are the best thing ever. Always so happy and energetic and upbeat and.... I don't know, wholesome, I guess. It's very refreshing. I always end up grinning like an idiot the whole time. It's fantastic. Those guys have been playing together for 17 years and clearly LOVE what they do. It's hilarious. I highly recommend catching them live if you're at all interested in their music.
That said, the concert on Friday night was without a doubt the most subdued GBS audience I've ever been part of. Even up front (we abandoned our seats to go up to where people were more excited and dancing). Weird. Hopefully Vancouver redeemed itself at the Saturday night show.
Saturday started with our private dance lesson. Our instructor is preparing us for the test to move on to the next level: bronze 2; we're looking forward to that. There's a wonderful point in dance, pretty early on, when you understand the basics well enough, that something magical can happen when you're a girl dancing with a very very advanced guy. This happened on Tuesday night when the owner of the studio asked me to dance a waltz during the party. I entered this zen like state where I just paid attention to the timing and the rise and fall of the waltz step and then, rather than thinking of the steps (since he was leading me through steps I had never seen before), I just focused on following him. It's hard to explain but if you can get into the right space mentally/physically then you find yourself gliding across the dance floor as though you knew wtf you were doing - while dancing very advanced steps/figures you've never done before. It's just an amazing experience! Peter and I have been rocking our foxtrot and tango lately too. Dance is just awesome. Everyone should go find a studio and sign up for lessons right away.
Saturday afternoon Peter and I went to a bunch of Fringe Festival shows, including a Punk harpist in a cathedral (she did some Avril Lavigne and Metallica covers) - she was pretty awesome. Also caught a one man play and a stand up comic. Had supper on Granville Island and took the little Aquabus home. It was a good day.
When we got home we started assembling the loft bed we bought. I had this grand vision of creating storage space under our bed to resolve the fact that we live in a tiny apartment with 1 closet. We really needed just a bit more storage space and I figured elevating our bed would do it (since we have high ceilings). I found a solid wood custom made loft bed on craigslist which had the bed platform sitting on a dresser and shelves. It wasn't as high as a standard loft bed, which is just what I wanted. It fit nicely into our tiny bedroom but once you stacked our mattress on top, it was kind of high. Higher than we wanted. As as we were assembling it, we couldn't help but notice that the cross supports for the bed platform weren't as strong as they could be. We tried it out last night and neither of us could sleep up there. Not sure if it was some weird reaction to being up high, lack of confidence in the structural integrity, the squeaking of the wood, or just insomnia but at 3am we ended up pulling the mattress down and sleeping on the living room floor.
You know how sometimes reality doesn't measure up to the vision in your head? That's what this is for me right now. Peter is optimistic we can make it work. I'm so disappointed that my grand vision has turned into a boondoggle that I kind of just want to get rid of it and pretend this all never happened. The other option is to borrow some tools and hack a foot or two off the whole thing so it's lower to the ground. We're far to busy to do such a thing this month though, so it'll be an interesting few weeks - we may be camping in our living room!
.: posted by burrito 10:12 AM
Friday, September 11, 2009
Dude, I just woke up with a headache. But don't be alarmed because this happens every month and I can tell you now, it'll last for 2 days and it'll suck because I can't just stay in bed, I have to be a functional human. I feel I need to share that bit of my suffering with the world at large.
Also, it's bad timing because the next week is crazy busy. Here's why:
1) Tonight: Great Big Sea concert!!
2) Tomorrow: Dance lesson, fringe festival concert (punk harp), fringe festival play (I won 2 passes to the Fringe Festival) .
3) Sunday - a friend is doing a spoken word performance at a local club; very cool.
4) Monday: I start a new job! It's a temporary appointment to the Sustainability Group at the City. I'm very excited!
5) Tuesday: Dance from 7- 10pm, like normal.
6) Wednesday: Go to Douglas Coupland reading/ Q&A at CBC Radio studio ! (I won passes to this also.) Fringe Festival play (until midnight - eek!).
7) Thursday: sleep
8) Friday: Crafty gathering at my place
9) Saturday: Friend's birthday gathering in Gastown.
10) Sunday: Clothing swap, Fringe Festival play.
Since I normally only go out 1 or 2 nights a week (I really really like staying at home and doing my own thing), this is insanity. And it co-insides with starting my new job, where I anticipate being VERY busy.
Should be fun!! Also - I really recommend entering online contests to win passes to stuff - apparently no one enters them in Vancouver so I win everything. I feel a little guilty. Seriously, track down your local newspaper (especially the free entertainment papers, they always have tickets to things to give away), and find the contests. Easy to enter and good odds of winning. Then you get free entertainment. Yeeha!
.: posted by burrito 7:45 AM
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Peter and I went to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) on Friday. My first time going - saw some pretty cute farm animals, ate a deep fried mars bar, saw people in glittery vests doing line dancing.... it was.... an experience. We also hit Playland and while I love the roller coasters, I dragged Peter all around the park looking for my favorite ride of all carnival rides... the Tilt a Whirl. I wasn't sure it would be there but it was! Tucked away in the corner, hidden under a tent, the glorious, awesome Tilt a whirl. And it was just as fun as I remember, sends me into fits of giggles. If I were stupidly rich and needed something to spend my money on, I would totally put a Tilt-a-Whirl in my backyard. Now if only they had a Gravitron around here.
.: posted by burrito 6:12 PM
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
I remember when I first discovered Lush. It wasn't available in my town so I had to hunt it out whenever I was traveling. I loved their stuff, the unusual scents, the amazing handmade products (this was before the handmade movement busted out, now it's wonderfully easy to find local handmade soaps). I recall walking down the street in Glasgow, Scotland on vacation and stopping, sniffing, and saying to Peter - "there's a Lush nearby", we turned the corner and there it was! It can be overwhelming, walking into a Lush store (in an olfactory sense), it's not for everyone but I still love it.
 I have some of their dusting powders but don't use them much because they come in these odd shaker cans and I never could get used to the idea of shaking dusting powder on me like salt. I hunted around sporadically for a nice dusting powder puff. I knew they existed, Mom had one for her Chanel powder, a nice big one in a lovely container - I'm sure I didn't make that up. But I couldn't find anything, even online! Crazy!
I finally got tired of la menting the lack of puff available for purchase and grabbed some scrap materials I had handy and made one for myself - this is the joy of being a crafter, after all, being able to just make whatever you need! It's just a random bit of faux fur, cotton fabric, ribbon, and batting sewn into a rectangle. So easy, should have done it ages ago. Now I just need a nice container. In the meantime, I can shake the powder on my poof and apply it with dignity.
Whew, that's a relief. Crisis averted.
.: posted by burrito 10:08 PM
Friday, August 28, 2009
Last night Peter and I went to see District 9. We went to the 10pm show which is notable because we're old and go to bed early.... so this would be putting us well past our bedtime. But sometimes you just have to live large, so we did it.
We were heading to the ticket clerk person to buy our tickets and two kids intercept us in line and ask if we're going to see District 9. They had tickets already but couldn't get in because it's rated 18A or something which means young whippersnappers under 18 have to be accompanied by an adult so the adult will know exactly what caused the inevitable scarring and trauma that will manifest itself in strange ways later in life. Or maybe so the adult can cover the eyes of the young'un during the really scary bits. I would be no help in that case since I am too busy covering my own eyes.
Anyway, they wanted us to pretend to be their parents. Oy. That hurts. They were... I dunno, 15 or 16. They gestured to the ticket collecting dude saying he wouldn't let them in and I'm like, that guy who is standing right there watching us have this conversation about pretending to be your parents? So, we did not pretend to be their parents - they opted to find people while not directly in the gaze of the guy they had to get past. I was halfway through creating an elaborate tale of teenage pregnancy (twice!) too - I'll have to find another occasion to use that.
In the end we saw the kids in the theatre, so they made it. And are probably now ruined, their young minds warped from witnessing such scenes of horror without a guardian nearby. Oh wait, no, that's me.
Actually, District 9 is very good. As long as you don't mind very tense movies. Like - Battlestar Galactica (LOVE) was tense. Always, for the whole series - it's about the imminent extinction of mankind, after all. It's kind of exhausting. District 9 is also tense. And since it's about refugee camps, it is not very cheery. But still good. Although there is a lot of blood spatter on the camera lens. Just to warn you.
I know, I've totally sold you on it with that review, haven't I? Just make sure - if there are teenagers next to you - that you protect them from the film when necessary.
.: posted by burrito 6:39 PM
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Due to complicated circumstances, I got to open my Christmas present from my mom on Sunday. =) She put together the awesomest crafty package ever. Including a huge skein of Fleece Artist yarn which is made in Nova Scotia - I have often coveted their yarn but haven't had a chance to get some.
This skein is wool/kid/nylon/silk blend. 750m of it! It's very fabulous, let me assure you. Also, she sent a skein of black hand-dyed sock yarn by "Heidi's by Hand", made in New Brunswick. She got all this yarn at a magical-sounding place called London Wul Fibre Arts which is a store, gallery, sheep/goat/angora rabbit farm, dye studio - you name it! Love to see crafty businesses doing well back in the Maritimes.
As if getting a box full of hand-crafted yarn wasn't enough, mom also found two craft books I'd never seen that are both totally my style: "Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders" and "Glamorous Beaded Jewelry".
I need to quit my job, I've got a lot of crafting to do.
Thanks mom!!!
.: posted by burrito 7:15 PM
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Things I love right now:
1) Vancouver's new rapid transit line. I take it to and from work and it's AWESOME. It's a 7-9min walk to the station from my apt, then a 5 min train ride in total comfort (trains are fun!) and I exit the station right at my office building. That's 15 minutes door to door commute time. That makes me very happy. Seeing the trains packed with people who are excited to see the new line also makes me happy.
2) I'm in love with a new cat. His name is Maru. He lives far away but has his own blog so I can see what he's up to. He's ridiculously adorable, as seen in this hilarious video and this one which makes me laugh so hard I cry. (Don't tell my cats.)
 3) my new big bright blue bag which I bought at Target on clearance for $4.
4) having avacado rolls for lunch (as close to real sushi as I get)
5) My bell pepper plants (3 of them) have all flowered and are growing actual peppers! Fingers crossed I get to harvest something! I started these from seed very late and have never grown anything so it will be quite magical if I get to eat anything from them!
6) The community garden across the street where someone is growing corn in their little plot. There's something very pleasingly odd about seeing stalks of corn in the middle of the city.
.: posted by burrito 9:00 PM
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