it’s out there, if you want me i’ll be here

We’ve been experiencing some intense heat lightening for the past few nights.

The above picture is from my driveway last night. My favourite kind of sky; right before a massive storm. I love that smell of the air right before it rains. It’s almost up there with the smell of fresh cut grass, or a wood burning fire. Smells like childhood summers spent near Georgian Bay, it does.

However, the rain has yet to come. Perhaps it’ll hit when I leave town tonight. Probably. Its supposed to be even warmer in Prince George, around 40′C (104′F). This is not normal for these parts. They say 5% of British Columbians have air conditioning. I am not one of the 5%.

Here’s to cool places and iced beverages…and to however thought basements were a good idea, cheers to you!

Happy long weekend my friends.

midweek midmorning

So this little old lady comes into the museum yesterday.

Its 36′C out,  I offer her some water and look suspiciously at the leather bound book she has in her hand.

“My dear, I was wondering if you’d be able to take this from me?”

Its an American encyclopedia from 1968.

I tell her that I’m sorry, but we can’t accept it as it has no provenance here. She’s upset because she just wants to get rid of it. I tell her that I can take of it if she wants, as I am disposing of other things that afternoon. She is grateful, thanks me, I refill her dixie cup with water and the day goes on.

So this afternoon I come back from lunch to find 75 leather bound encyclopedias on my desk.

I yelled “what the fuck” to an empty room and then raced downstairs.

My students heard me coming (my shoes squeak) and by the time I rounded the corner both had there hands in the air, pointing at each other.

“She was old, and its hot out. We couldn’t tell her no. She and her husband brought them in themselves.”

Fair enough. I wouldn’t have made her take them back either.

So now we have 75 encyclopedias to dispose of. Someone thankfully has already claimed one set. The other is incomplete by one book (the one I disposed of yesterday), so one of my students offered to climb into the huge dumpster and get it back. I told him, no, that was not required of him, as we are more than likely going to have to get rid of the set due to condition. My boss, who hears this conversation says, “Well, if he’s offering…”

So now I have a student dumpster diving.

And a boss watching on in laughter.

Still, I think its the little old lady getting the last laugh here.

today is going to be a day

Before 9am this morning I had managed to:

Scoop the dogs food into her water bowl instead of her food bowl.

Pour orange juice on my cereal instead of milk, then tried to stick the cereal box in the fridge.

Put on my dress, and walk out of the house without any underwear on. Get half way down the block, only to return home because I realized I was wearing slippers.

I am curious to see what the rest of the day brings.

Any fumbles to your day?

ah, engrish

I could use some frozen water today. Its bloody hot here.

big

Marc Johns

I worry about you all the time. If a long time passes and we haven’t talked, I wonder if you could have fallen and hurt yourself.

i never think that i could cause one(s) to worry. i am so used to being on the other side. when the above was said to me today my first reaction was to throw back a smart remark, but i didn’t. so i guess this is me, growing up.

this stemmed partially from hearing news that i have go back in for more tests. something came back on the mri that they need to “look further into,” whatever that means.

there are so many other things going on right now, its easy to slip into the melancholy of it all. yet i’m clawing my way up so that doesn’t happen, because there are a few positive things going on as well. yes, a few. plans to look forward to even. one of those is a road trip back across the country in a very short amount of time.

i hope we’ll get to sit in the big muskoka chair this time.

bless this country.

run, run, run. revelations.

that is exactly how it happened.

Su Blackwell

heart this work.

post-it love

nitrocellulose

the smell burns the inside of my nose, yet i steady my hand so the calligraphy pen can do its job.

my fingertips are drenched in black ink, i notice my nail polish is chipping off every finger except for my pinky’s. i make a mental note clean them up tonight. even while thinking that thought i know it won’t happen. its a task i hate more than laundry, and i already planned to do that tonight. two hated tasks in one night, methinks not.

the ink fills in the wood grain and i admire my penmanship and wonder who will look at these next. i line up everything according to size and wait for them to dry.

while i’m holding the bottle of varnish waiting for the ink to dry three people come in to talk. i’m reminded of the quote “there are no stupid questions…”

i start dreaming about the fresh cherries in my fridge and wonder if i can make something with them for dinner. actually, lets just skip dinner and go to dessert. yes, lets. i hear zane lowe on the radio talking about the hottest record in the world. i don’t recognize the band. guess i’m loosing my edge.

someone said to me today, “back to reality, eh?” referring to my return to work.

i smiled politely, but in my head i was thinking, back to reality? i’m so confused. if that wasn’t reality, i don’t know what is.

best/worst thing you heard today?

on a somewhat related note, i’d like to know who came up with the phrase, “it’s raining cats and dogs.”

blinking lights on the airplane wings up above the trees…blinking down a morse code signal, especially for me

The following is a true story. Some names and hair colours have been changed.

Have you read this book?

I read it cover to cover on my travels back to British Columbia and was so completely enamored with it, I will send you a copy if you haven’t. Yeah its that good.

I love when art, in any form, changes you.

one more tab and your silk hits the chrome

i think i may have run out of things to say.

actually, i have many things to say, its just that they keep happening so fast i haven’t the time to write them all down…and by the time i do sit at the keys things feel outdated.

in unrelated news, i am currently trying to remove all my piercings. i am going in for a scan this week and apparently its recommended. no way, going through an electromagnetic tube you want me to remove all the metal in me? get out.

someone in my life thinks this would be a good opportunity for me to change my nose ring, and replace it with a stud.

(insert raised eyebrow)

i don’t, and told them as much. i’ve had it for eight years now, and most times forget its there. but it did make me wonder…

has anyone ever suggested you change your appearance?

love this song. watch the full video below…

The Dead Weather – Treat Me Like Your Mother