Sodom and Gomorrah.. Mardi Gras AND New Years?

I feel like I've spent the better part of my life lately on an airplane. *laugh* We're in Atlanta (or "hotlanta" as our endearing double wide stewardess (pardon.. air waitress...or something.. hostess...er...) preferred to call it. Seems like a nice city, newer and shinier than D.C. - definately nouveau ugly architecture.
We're still not sure what we're going for New Years Eve, though a "Mardi Gras" type party has been suggested. Pardon me while I conjure images of hundreds of rowdy football fans showing their mid-west boobies while the ball drops. Funny.

Better Than Divorced Parents

Hello all.. made it to D.C. safe and sound, have been thouroughly enjoying myself. Had my 2nd Christmas, this one with Bryan - it was wonderful. I got too many beautiful gifts, including a stunning (stunning) Tiffany's bracelet. *sigh* I only take it off to shower.. and then it sits within sight on the counter. Bryan was too generous and wonderful - (shameless plug) - and it's been wonderful.
We've gone out for dinner a couple times - to Raku and to Sushi Taro - both absolutely amazing. I've developed a strange affinity for raw tuna, green onions, and raw beef - not all in one dish.. though that probably wouldn't be too bad. Hmm..
I'm enjoying D.C., as always - the weather is lovely, the shopping amazing - I never want to leave. *smile* That is.. until we go to Georgia.

Music to Take a Plane and Leave a Lover To.

1. Lovers Spit – Broken Social Scene I’m a big airport crier. Sobbing, sniffling, wailing. After hospitals and graveyards, I bet airports have the highest per square inch count of tears. I love those sorrowful sobby tear wet kisses at departure gates. Hence this song.
   
2. Caring is Creepy – The Shins
   I only ever listen to a snippit of this one. It’s a good slow – mo walk away and wipe your eyes song. Oo, and a good one to glare at couples who can’t POSSIBLY be sadder than you to.
   
3. Changes Are No Good – The Stills
   This one is pretty self-explanatory. If you want to leave.. you shouldn’t be listening to this play list.
   
4. The Police and The Private – Metric
   That brief moment where you’re contemplating rushing back through security and having that 360 degree kiss where the credits come up. In happier movies.
   
5. In the Waiting Line – Zero 7
   I just realised that in all my leaving/travelling/airport fantasies, everything moves in slow motion and I’ve got great long hair that bounces when I walk. Well. Hand over your passport and boarding card and smile sadly to this one. Cry in the jetway.
   
6. Leavin’ On a Jet Plane – Mos Def
   Come now. Can you really fault me? At least this is an amazing hip-hop version. Of course, more suitable when you’re leaving Brooklyn over Vienna or Washington, but cuts the sadness all the same.
   
7. Passport Radio – Broken Social Scene
   Without a word of a lie, I listen to this when I find my seat, and the world, my heartslows down. Everyone moves in time to the soft horn. Watch the stewardess do the seat belt speech to this. It’s never been more beautiful. Oh.. but listen too… fix your mask first, don’t help anyone else.
   
8. Emergency Exit –Beck
   This is a super turbulence and dodge the drink cart song. Watch out, you’ll be tapping your neighbour’s seat in front of you.
   
9. Straighten Up and Fly Right – Natalie Cole
   Right. So the song is ACTUALLY about a monkey and a buzzard. But in the musical version of my life we dance down the aisles and sashay out of luggage compartments in red pillbox hats holding silver tea pots. Straighten up Captain.
   
10. So I’ll Sit Here Waiting – The Like
    Because that’s what you basically do for 2-17 hours in the air. Sit, and wait to land. And in the meantime, drink what you can and sleep when you can’t drink. Right.
    
11. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road – Lucinda Williams
    We are talking about airplanes.. but you have to get home from the airport. This is one of my all time favourite travel songs. Bryan and I listened to it on the way to Rajasthan a million times, given that we could never REALLY figure out how to switch the tape sides once the car had turned on and off.

**Disclaimer - I pretend my life is a slightly romantic, deeper meaning, Palme D'Or winning event, complete with gritty yellow slides and many departure gates. If this does not work for you, this playlist may not either.

Merry Christmas

Have a lovely day friends. Hope Santa brings you everything your heart desires.

Love to you and yours.

And Sane.

I spent the afternoon with my friend Mukesh at the jewellery shop, and I feel.. sane. We sat there, over the same harsh cigarettes and sweet tea that will always exist in our world and his office, and chatted for hours. The shop filled and emptied and the sun went down and I think my brain changed shape a little, or maybe just perspective, or maybe just colors, like they do in the movies when they put those awful blue filters on everything or the warm gritty yellow ones. He has this amazing way of grounding me, of making me actually sit there and talk and be honest and look him in the eye instead of that awful half talk that we give everyone, where we’re actually thinking about grocery lists and our minds are millions of miles away in the Safeway ethic food aisle and we never actually listen.. Do we? And I can’t even look at jewellery, I curl up in his chairs that never look like they’ll be comfortable but seem to be made for you and take off my shoes and put my tea cup on my feet to keep them warm, even though the cigarette smoke makes my face hot it never seems to warm up any other part of me. And he makes you tell the truth if you want his advice or his stories (which are wild and smart and terribly useful) and it’s awful and silly and painful to do what we should always do. And something about the cigarette smoke and tea and boxes of gold and silver and jewels insulates me from everything else for a couple hours, until I feel like I’m wiser and stronger and taller and….sane.

Damn My Sensitive Nose

There is a toss up you make when you breathe in India. Nose – smell it, get it stuck in your nose, your lungs; mouth – taste it, chew it, want to vomit. Each particular smell and each particular person has their preference. I, for instance, would much rather taste rotting vegetables than raw sewage. *shrug*

There are these amazing moments where you can’t believe that anything ever smelled bad in this country. I wondered through the Tibetan market yesterday, getting my hands covered in dust and dirt, getting the word “ancient” under my fingernails. And I walked out of this one little shop, my favourite, “Dolma 19” (the little Tibetan lady is so old I’m sure she has the history of the world written inside the wrinkles of her face) … and there was this smell. I know it’s dorky, but you’ve all peeled an orange. And you know that smell that you get on your fingertips, when you get orange under your nails and your fingers are a little sticky? It was like that. Just drifting through the air, this amazing, 3rd grade snack smell.

Of course, among the diesel and rotting vegetables and sewage and feet, it didn’t last for long. But it was there, however brief and beautiful and strange.

English Fruhstuck in Vienna.. Rocks.

My jet lag has almost worn off, and the craving for lasagne for breakfast is slowly subsiding. (Though the fact that there WAS lasagne available for breakfast this morning didn’t help). I’m so happy to be home, and not just because it took more than a day to get here.

The flight was easier than I expected, in fact, it was sort of like a mini-vacation on its own. Austrian Airlines was just lovely – the food was amazing, and my brother never eats his desserts. What more could a girl ask for? Oh yeah, the really great free red wine (free) that came around every ½ hour (free) and made the flight infinitely easier. (free.)

Vienna looked like Saskatchewan, but with castles, and Mozart and Strauss’ face on everything from shot glasses to bathroom tiles. The majority of their exports seem to be in truffles and liquor, which is ok with me. We had this amazing breakfast in the sunshine – eggs and bread with jam and marmalade and fresh squeezed orange juice, and the best cup of coffee that I’ve ever had in my life. Upon commenting that everyone also appeared to be drinking beer at 9 in the morning (pish) my brother brought me back to earth (and humility) by saying he too was thinking of having one – and honestly, so was I. Unfortunately, since they still allow smoking.. well… everywhere, we couldn’t stand it long enough. They have these great “smoking zones” in little corners with a circle around it and a slow moving fan. Yeah. Considering those little corners are filled with a microcosm of Eastern European habitants (see: Russian woman in Gold Lame, Chanel purse and Prada heels, Russian man in wrinkles, empty pockets and leather jacket, French woman in navy and gold and well plucked eyebrows, Austrian in non-existent blond eyebrows and ski jacket…) all of whom smoke – we passed on the beer.

Our waitress was the sweetest – the menu was in.. Austrian?... for everything but dinner, so we begged a translation off of her. It was quite endearing, if not helpful. “It’s English breakfast, you know, with farfenkuckle, sorry, I don’t know English word, and squeezed ormenlageren, you know, with cofelensmacken, and…eggs.” Oh excellent. Can I have extra butter? (sidebar – don’t use my translation either. I was on my umpteenth glass of red wine at this point – not included, sadly, in the breakfast menu).

We arrived in Delhi.. gosh.. 2 nights ago now. It’s just as I remember it in the winter – smoky and cold, which luckily dissipates the smell of shit quite effectively. Though the fact remains that the smoke around the slums smells decidedly un-burning tire or paper like. Reduce Reuse and Recycle India.

My family is well – it seems like the older I get, the less I’m home.. the smaller my parents seem to get. It gets easier and easier to just wrap my mother in my arms, my brother can lift her up now. My mother stayed up late with my time-addled brother and I to catch up and chat – I’ve missed her so much. Problems and discussions I’ve been wanting to have for months get taken care of in a few words, she’s so wonderful. I was up late, the effect of too many coffees, too much red wine, or just plain excitement.

We traveled into Old Delhi early the next day – I love it so much there. I find the longer that I’m here, the more often I visit…the harder it is to look India in the eye. I find that I look above India, into the windows, or down, into the dirt…Because if I look everyone in the face, I want to cry – for what I can’t do, for what I won’t do, and for what will never be done for this place. I’ve been here long enough to see it limpingly change – more women drive, more blue jeans, more short hair – and I laud these things like honest indicators of change and evolution. But really – there are just as many poor and broken and sick people as their always was – they’re just wearing more cast off blue jeans. But it helps, right? To tell yourself that somebody else must be changing things. I think that if I don’t do that, I might have to learn that nothing is changing. And I’m too much of a coward to do that.

Old Delhi, as usual, was teeming with a million (or what always seems like the entire 1.4 billion population of India) people, everyone apparently deciding that the street was going the wrong way. We walked in from Canary Bazaar across from Red Fort. I’m always surprised that we don’t get horribly lost (or murdered, raped and pillaged) in the millions of alleys and shops and men constantly farting and readjusting their packages. I’m decidedly a shorter person in Canada, I feel like a giant here, a giant just enough at boob level to ask “Are you trying to look me in the eye and this is as high as you can get?” To which the answer is invariably no, they’re just looking at my boobs and readjusting their packages.

I’m spending the day today with my little sister, shopping and exploring. I never get to visit the Museum of Modern Art while I’m here, so I’m going to steal the driver this afternoon and run away there for a couple hours. The time is going so quickly – ten days will never be enough here. A lifetime would never be enough. Off for some cofelensmacken. Love you all.

Better Late Than Never...

Alright – believe it or not, I’m writing these high above the ocean (an ocean, at this point don’t ask which one) on my way to Vienna with my brother. Yeah, that sounds a lot more mysterious and adventurous than it really is – we’re just on our way home for Christmas. But hey, after the past little while, I’ll take even some implied excitement.

So I’ve been a little bit of a dead beat blogger as of late – I didn’t even wrap up my trip to West Virginia. I’ve got the usual excuses (school, exams, boyfriend.. did I mention I got a job? ) but really – I just suck. So I figured, since I’m a worse e-mailer than I am blogger – it would be best to keep posting here and let you know what I’m up to this holiday season.

As mentioned (making it sound a lot more like an adored bohemian run away than college student going home) I’m on my way to Vienna to stop over, then to India to see the folks. We’re flying Austrian airlines (nobody could deal with Air Canada any more) - the food is good and the passengers are hilarious. I don’t know if this is a big connecting airline, but there are enough German mafiosos on this plane to fill.. well.. Germany. It cracks me up. They’re all wearing black leather jackets and look like they were in Toronto for the Godfather Convention or something.

After India for 10 days, I’m back into Toronto, then D.C. to see Bryan. It will be our first (albeit late) Christmas together – wow. It’s been almost a year that we’ve been dating now – how is that possible? It seems like just yesterday I met him at a cocktail party, and now it’s our first Christmas and anniversary. From D.C. we go to Atlanta, Georgia, to the Sugar Bowl. I’m pretty excited to tell the truth – I’ve never been down to that part of the states. We’re meeting Bryan’s best friend there – I can’t wait.

We’re in D.C. for a few more days after Georgia, then back to Edmonton – with Bryan! He’ll be staying with me for 12 days – I’m so excited. Granted, I will be back in school, but it will be wonderful just to have him there.

Right – so I got a job, working at the pub across the street – Ceili’s. It’s a nice, quiet little place, good money, nice customers. Not to much more to say about it than that – I’m not sure how long I’ll stick with it, I like being in school and NOT working so much, I have to say. We’ll see how it goes. The tips are good, and tax free – but I’m pretty content just reading and studying. I’m going to found a chapter of Dorks Anonymous.

A quick close to my trip to West Virginia – I fell in love with it, willy –nilly deer carcases and all. It’s beautiful, the people are wonderful, I fell head over heels in love with Bryan’s family – it was wonderful. We shopped the Super Wal-Mart on Black Friday (the busiest shopping day of the year in the States – does any find it funny that it corresponds with Buy Nothing Day in Canada?) played with the nieces, Sonya – Bryan’s mom – helped me brush up on my knitting.. I loved it. We went up to his wonderfully romantic Grandparent’s farm and shot rifles and pistols and walked about the farm – I never wanted to leave. It was so wholesome and sweet and honest. *sigh* Laugh all you want. I’m seriously considering pitching a tent out there and never coming home. The fact that I gained 7 pounds in 3 days also helped – it’s a land of plenty, that’s for sure.

Will update later - red wine is here - love you all.

West Virginia is for Lovers...and Not for Squirrels.

There is more family in this home for Thanksgiving than I think I have.. anywhere. It's incredible. There is so much food, so many children..
We left Washington this morning, not entirely on schedual - but considering we only left 30 minutes late and Bryan was travelling with me - I think we did pretty good.
Bryan's family is lovely - huge, funny, kind - the little girls have spent the entire night with me, and other than a couple snafu's ("Are you bringing Andrea for Christmas Uncle Bryan? You bring a new one every year.." and "How old are you? How old is uncle Bryan?......Oh." ) it's been amazing. The food is so good - they have biscuits. I think I may have gained back all the weight I lost in the one pile of "cheesey potatoes" that I ate.
West Virginia is stunning - I love it here, it's so beautiful. The mountains, the trees.. the plethora of Confederate flags and German Shepards on the front lawns... (I got a lesson on the Mason-Dixon line today and the North/South conflict.. I heart Canada...)
I'm enjoying myself so much. We stay tonight and tomorrow night, tomorrow we're going shooting.. I've never even held a gun. Squirrels.. look out..

It's All Gonna Break, Or the World is Going To Be Ok If I Squint

Went to see Broken Social Scene last night with Ian.
There are those moments in life, or in my life at least, when it seems like maybe, just maybe - it'll be ok. Everything. The world, the kids, my soul - all those ridiculous things that blues songs and punk songs have sung about for ages and Republicans will rail about until the end of the world.
Last night.. was one of those nights.
It was the biggest venue - Reds - not great accousitcs, not a great atmosphere, it was an all ages show - but when they walked on the stage.. It all melted away and it felt like they were in my living room. (Or my bathroom, considering they kept refering to the accoustics to something akin to "8 dogs fucking in a tin bathtub")
But it didn't matter - they were funny and wise (wise!) and friendly and for god sakes, there were 13 of them on stage at one point. Trumpets, trombones, tambourines (which was, coincidentally, played by the same guy who got them water) 4-5 guitars, 2 drum sets, piano, 2 lead(ish) singers, a violin.. it was like having all of your best friends in your living room singing and laughing and smiling and drinking.
We sat up on the catwalk, watching everyone down below, watching people clap and laugh and throw their hands in the air - at one point when people were clapping - it just looked like hundreds of blurry butterflies above everybodies heads.
They closed with "Lover's Spit" - a beautiful lover/non-loved/no lover song.. The lead singer meandres out into the crowd, and proceeds, very uncheesily.. to start grasping everyone in these huge hugs.. These macho men and ramrod straight young guys.. in these big, kind hugs. Climbs on stage, finishes the song, and lets the violin and the trombone and trumpets play to the end.
I really do think that we might be ok.

Fresh Milk and Cigarettes

Wahh.. So I'm sure that somewhere underneath the tedium that is my brain lately, there are a number of relatively witty reasons that I haven't been posting. When we really get down to it, it's things like the fact I cut up apples and put peanut butter on them last night, broke the plate, and ate the (relatively) glass free apples anyways. Then realised that I had 1/2 a pound of peanut butter on my leg, and ate that too. If that's any indication of my mental state right now (that, and the amount of precariously yet artfully piled dishes in my sink) - I need say no more.

My room somewhat resembles a flophouse (but with clean underwear, I must stress), and after forgetting for the umpteenth time to buy shampoo, this morning I ended up washing my hair with a bar of soap. On the upside, it is kinda behaving better than it usually does.

Started my new job last night, officially have become a waitress. Had a group of those lovely corporate yahoos that came in and decided in the end to pay with 7 different credit cards. Which, of course, nobody in the restaurant had ever really had to deal with. These things really do only happen to me. That and I kept sticking my card for the machine (you know, the one where you punch stuff in) in BACKWARDS, and having a conniption. Good lord. I work Saturday night as well, they have some band in from Newfoundland.. so uh.. yeah. It's either going to be a really good night.. or my last night.

I'll attempt, after cleaning up the glass, to attempt a better post. That, or buy some shampoo. It's a toss up.

I Spoke Too Soon.

Sorry. "Roving bands of African and Arab Youth."

"Roving Gangs of Teens" or, "Paris is Burning"

There were 900 cars burnt in the 'burbs of Paris last night, due to "Roving Gangs of Teens" - no lie. That's the phrase they're using on CNN, CTV, CBS.. it cracks me up. I mean, it would be funny enough if it was here, in North America. But with our stereotypical ideas of the French.. (ok, maybe they're just mine..) I picture box stepping west side story gangs lighting their cigarrettes off of burning cars and making sure their identity concealing bandanas match their shoes. Oh dear.

Cool Things to Do..

Some things to do over the weekend..

• "Yes" - Showing at the Metro Cinema, Nov. 4-7th at 7pm
• "The Clothes Project" by Megan Wilson and Rob Ochiena at Latitude 53 Gallery
• "No More Tears Sister" Film about Sri Lankan peace activist Rajani Thiranagama- Garneau Theatre, Sat. Nov 5th, 9pm
• "Shopgirl" - An amazing book written by, of all people, Steve Martin. Can't wait to see the movie - Opens Friday

Holy Cow.

Bryan and I are going to see Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Jean Grae on the 26th in D.C. I can't believe it.. I'm speechless..

Well Put

Damn it. I guess you don't get my recipe now. It'll be a cliche.
www.penny-arcade.com

In the Mood for Christmas

Before it gets Muzaked to death (yup, it's a verb) - listen to the best Christmas Music Ever.
(Which technically is the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Christmas LP, but this is a good mix.)

1. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas - The Drifters
2. Holly Jolly Christmas - Burl Ives
3. Silver Bells - Dean Martin or The Temptations
   
4. Baby, It's Cold Outide - Harry Connick Jr. feat. Leanne Womack
5. White Christmas - Louis Armstrong
6. Let It Snow! - Frank Sinatra
7. Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith
8. I'll Be Home with Bells On - Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers
9. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/We Three Kings - Barenaked Ladies
10. Merry Christmas Baby - Charles Brown

A Sundry List of Complains.

1. It's cold.
   
2. Because it's so cold, I can't wear flip flops. Ergo, I must wear shoes. The only casual shoes I have are my chuck taylors, which squeeze my toes into this little pointy mess that makes me cry within 10 minutes.
   
3. I will never be as sexy as Tom Waits.
   
4. The only food I'm really craving I can't make at home for fear of dying. (Beef Tataki)
5. Therefore I've been eating carbs. I just had a pancake, some pasta and a piece of toast for lunch.
   
6. Alphaghetti never tastes as good when your mom isn't there to tell you it's so bad.
7. I actually saw a girl this morning wearing leggings and an oversize sweater. 'Nuf said?
8. Despite Bryan painstakingly showing me how to make coffee, this morning I choked on a whole bean. I think he's doing something different when my back is turned.
   
9. I actually know when Jerry Springer is on in the afternoon. I'm a loser.
   
10. I've begun to eat my meals all stuffed into one bowl.
    

I'm scared. Hold me Alito.

Hmm.. So there's another head on the choppping block. I mean, nominee in the house. Judge Samual Alito Jr. (already being referred to as 'Scalito'.. gosh those Democrats are witty..) and his pretty little family accepted the nomination this morning.

Bush is getting some oppositiong from the Democrats on this one (now Ginsburg is the only women, there are no Hispanic members, it looks more like a whites only golf game than an accurate representation of the nation..) but hey, at least Bush is used to getting it from the Dems. It was like a parallel universe last month when the Republicans started eating their young.

So I suppose this is the "business as usual" attitude we're supposed to run with. Yeah, so one of our top aides has been indicted for sinking ships with his loose lips, but today.. today we've got a treat for you. A new nominee! Though that wiley Paula Zahn did point out that at this point in past administrations double nominations and double failures have been the de facto result.

Ooo.. poor Bush. Cheney will hold his hand under the table.

Days Away

I've been in another world since Friday. Bryan arrived Friday afternoon, and I can't believe that he's already gone. I'm sure that weekend was the shortest weekend I've ever lived in my life.

It was so nice to be part of a couple again, part of 'us' again. So nice to have somebody to wake up to, somebody to have breakfast with and laugh with and watch the news with.. We didn't do much of anything except eat and sleep, but it was perfect.

We went out Sunday night to Culina with a group of friends, ate and laughed and drank and got the biggest bill ever! *laughing* It was a wonderful night, everyone had a good time I'm sure. Thank you to everyone who came, I can always count on you to be there when it's important.

Hopefully I'll be out to Washington around the end of November for American Thanksgiving - it seems like so far away. My house feels empty without Bryan already.

Oh Delhi

Bombings in Delhi killed 59 people. Family and friends were not among them, though my sister was at Sarojini a few hours before. When will this be enough? And on a lighter note.. now where will we shop? We laugh to keep from crying, or something like that.

Emily Haines is a Very Talented Keyboardist

I couldn't have said it better.

Will Scooter Take the Cake?

In a come from behind move that everyone pretends they saw coming, it looks like "Special" Prosecuter (and possible next Supreme Court Nominee) Patrick Fitzgerald will be issuing an indictment against Scooter Libby. (Another possible Supreme Court Nominee.) Carl Rove may be feeling a little left out right now, seeing as how he's been hogging all that attention lately. But he may be banking on that Supreme Court Nomination if he loses his job as Senior Advisor - so maybe being out of the spotlight isn't such a bad thing. Maybe he's having tea with Miers.

My bet? Fitzgerald gets an extention to further investigate Carl Rove, and Scooter Libby is indicted based of the fact his real name is Louis and he goes by Scooter. Oh, and Cheney rides off into the sunset with Harriet Miers.

Poor Little Snowcone Miers

This would have been so much more exciting had it happened tomorrow. And so much more effective.

Mr. Bush has agreed to withdraw his nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court ("though reluctantly") in a "quit while we're ahead-ish" move. There was no way she was going to get through a confirmation hearing and garner enough votes to be confirmed by the senate - poor lady. Hopefully she'll go back to not being a real judge and just remember this as that dark period "when I was nominated for the Supreme Court". Bryan suggests maybe the Whitehouse gardener should now be nominated - would it be un-PC to state at least he'd probably by bilingual?

As mentioned, it would have been more Barnum and Bush style to have this happen tomorrow, in conjunction with the will they/ won't they All Indictment All the Time Friday. But maybe it would have been too much. Who knows. Maybe we could have had Judith Miller, Dick Cheney and Harriet Miers all singing the prison barbershop blues together by accident. Or would that actually be an accident?

Oh Harriet. Run away home. And I never even actually heard you speak.

Mugshot Smugshot

Hell, it's just an indictment. All the cool people want them. Carl, Scooter, Dick.. Don't you feel left out? Well.. you won't for long.

At least, that seems to be the general consensus from those waiting on the courthouse steps. (Literally). The grand jury convened to examine the Valerie Plame/Judith Miller pudding fight is coming up on its best before date - this Friday. So we're all waiting with bated breath (sort of) to see exactly who's up next on the spin doctors lazy suzanne, to smile in mugshots like a dentist. Either that, or investigators ask for another 6 months to investigate and we keep getting that gallant but mislead "continuing investigation" answer from Mr. McClellan in front of the blue sheets. Kind of a killjoy, Scott.

Marginally, it's detracting from the fact that poor Harriet doesn't have a snowcone's chance in hell of getting through any kind of confirmation hearing, all things considered: she can't even fill out 12 questions with enough aplomb to satisfy the current judges. Is this the way it was supposed to happen? Bush suggests somebody he knows isn't going to cut it, and, oh well, might as well go for his secret second choice, and everyone agrees to get it out of the way?

Oooo. Maybe the girl with the conspiracy theories in my poli-sci class is rubbing off. Or is she?

Saturday Snaps

Some pictures from Saturday, hanging out with Ian.
Yes, we're live and in color (sorta).

And God Blessed Goodwill

My new lamp! It's not a great picture, but the base is this 1940's depression ceramic, the most fabulous greenish blue (sometimes called aqua) that I just love. It was among the other fantastic lamps (I'm joking, there were a number of brown velvet ones with deer on them) that were on display at my new favorite shop. I'll post a picture of my smashing new 17$ chair later. The lampshade totally negates my junk finding street cred -I bought it at Urban Outfitters. Boo.. Hiss.. Yay for my new lamp!

Political Light Show

After getting some feedback on an essay from my philosophy teacher, I headed to Poli Sci just a little late. Late enough to attempt to sneak in, and as I'm quietly closing the door, my backpack turns off all of the lights. Only me, I swear.

It's been a little...tense... in that class, as of late. The two girls in front of me (who have already stated to the class that they are immigrants, first last and always, then Canadian, if that makes any sense) have banded together to form this like, strange anti-Canadian, anti-American, conspiracy theory filled view that kinda makes all of us nervous. Including my proff., who keeps looking at her for consent every time he talks about the Middle East. But she's kinda crazy, and keeps huffing and puffing and rolling her eyes at anything anyone has to say.

I want to kick the back of her chair. Badly. And tell her to shave her pits. Badly. Am I a bad person? Next time she talks I'm just going to start ululating over her. Yup.

After the Race

Here are a couple more pictures from Washington that Bryan just sent - This is post race at this poor little Irish bar called Murphy's that all these raucuous army athletes descended upon. It was a heck of a lot of fun.

Bryan, Heidi, Guy and I.

Smile!

Looking WAY to cheery for drinking ice tea with no sugar.
Mike, Me, and Guy.

Now Playing..

I think this sounds pretty good - I'm not so up on the McCarthy-ism and the Red Witch Hunt, but I'm always up for new black and white films.

What's My Power Animal?

Went out to see "Thumbsucker" with Ian tonight. Really good. A little strange, kinda along the lines of "Napoleon Dynamite" - but a little more sad. Went for pitas after. A good night. Go see it, even though "Thumbsucker" kinda sounds a little... dirty. Yeeps.

So Sue Me.

Ok, so there really isn't any other place in the world where as far as I know, I have your undivided attention for my various rants, ravings and all round hysterical musings. Right. I'm not so morally divided that I won't continue to post just because I said I wouldn't - doing things that I thought I wouldn't is my specialty. (Cooking, cleaning, wearing salmon.) But there's just so much to talk about - God hating the Florida Keys and New Orleans and sending another hurricane, cops hating a 64 year old man and battering him like a hurricane, Valerie Plame vs. Carl Rove vs. Judith Miller in the greatest back yard barbeque cream corn wrestling fight in history, a silly man named Scooter Libby (really - doesn't it sound like a napkin brand? Or a type of pickles?), the Sunnis and the Shiites hitting the fan in the Middle East, earthquakes and armageddon - really, if the world is ending, I want to put my brand of spin on it. So here is comes. Poshlust 2.0 - live and uncensored. It'll be better than Bill O'Reilly and Andrea Mackris in the Carribbean.

A Bird..A Plane.. A Metaphor?

My Nifty New Buttons.

Fucking Adieu.

Is life actually like this? That everything is wonderful, then everything falls down around your ears, then you get really busy and want to become a hermit? That's where I am right now. Is it cyclical?

Midterms start tomorrow, end by next midweek. The International Film Festival is on, Feist is on Friday (and ahem.. we're on the guestlist) and then it's Thanksgiving? I'm trying to figure out how/when to get home for Christmas, I only have yogurt, butter, pumpkin pie and beer in my fridge (I keep forgetting to take chicken out, so as a result I have like, 10 tonnes of chicken in my freezer and never eat any protein -I'm a vegetarian by accidental brain malfunction).

This blog has turned into something I never wanted it to be - this horribly mundane collection of day to day things. Enough people read it that I'm forever afraid to say something honest lest I hurt one of them; I can never talk about my personal life for fear of a) laughter b)hurting somebody.. It's a joke. At least my personal and relationship problems are infinately more interesting than my negligable grocery shopping habits. Or I guess, I like to think so.

For the first time in a long time, I'm sick of people and their never ending litany of problems with me. I'm actually ready to become an acedmic hermit and never talk to anyone but Law and Order when they're not taking my hints. I'm so frustrated and tired, I'm probably going to get my period because I messed up and took my birth control in the wrong order and as a result will get my period twice (2 times) in a month. I've got zits from stress, I've effectively lost 2lbs from stress since returning from Washington, and my fridge, no matter how many tears I shed in it from the ammonia, still smells like rotting broccoli. I'm ready to fucking scream.

As a result, Poshlust Inc. is indefinately closed for business; and will reopen when a) there's a political coup b) I get thin and beautiful and tall and brunnett c) midterms are over or d) when I open a new, and hopefully more interesting blog somewhere far, far away.

The Pie Was Better.

Went and saw the new Cronenburg film "A History of Violence". I swear to god, I thought that that it might be a comedy at some points. It was.. awful. Everywhere I've looked it gets these glowing five star reviews, but everyone was hysterical in our theatre. It was incredibly graphic in terms of violence (which I usually don't mind, but it was just dumb), and they had some sex in there that I've never actually seen carried out on screen. (Seriously.. lots of crotch shots.) Overall - one of the worst movies that I have ever seen in my life. At least I was with Laura and Alejandro, and we brought a pumpkin pie. Anything is better with an illegal pumpkin pie.

Bustin' a Pose

Bryan and I at the D.C. International Dance festival in Dupont circle. Those Senegalese can really shake it.

The Guys

No, actually. Bryan and his best friend Guy at the Army Ten Miler on Sunday.
(Which actually turned out to be 11.3 miles due to a suspicious package and subsequent rerouting. Whoops.)

*click*

A very-secret-no-flash-quick-pic-blurry-photo of Andy Warhol's Andy Warhol. ;-)

And I Haven't Even SEEN a Krispy Kreme

I'm totally smitten. I think I might just set up camp outside the big church that looks eeirily like a courthouse. (Hmm.)

I visited the Renwick Gallery yesterday, not bad, a couple of worthwhile paintings, but overall an unimpressive exhibit. They had this strange "American Silver" exhibit that kind of reflected a timeline of American art/architecture/culture/immigration through tea services. Hey.. I guess you work with what you've got in the attic.

Then I went to the Corcoran.. and cried. They have this spectacular Warhol exhibit on, with probably 100+ pieces on loan from Pittsburg. I did, I cried. I started at the photos of Truman Capote, picked up sniffles as I gaped at the Sing Sing Electric Chair silkscreens.. I was so impressed. To actually see these works that we've all see so many times, to be close enough to touch them, to see the paint brush bristles left in Jackie Kennedy's portrait. I cried.

After that, walked by the White House and the Washington Monument. Now, I've gotta break from the art stories, and note the effect that such a giant phallic monument must have on a man, say, even the President, when he looks out of the White House every day and at the giant white penis across the street. It kind of inspired a little testosterone in me, I should say. This gigantic, erect, supremely white erection, just there in the middle of the greenspace. Needless to say, I gaped back and forth between the few for a couple minutes, then had a strange craving to eat a hot dog and fire off some ammo.

Stopped by the Smithsonian (yeah, like anyone "stops by") to catch a few of their exhibits. Hit up the dinosaur bones and the evolution exhibits, and even saw the Hope Diamond, which was pretty nifty. There were like, three million screaming kids and a plethora of chinese women in these weird little matching cardigans and safari hats all lining up for pictures next to the triceratops. Which, I have to say, I did have visions of coming to life and stomping all the oxidentals to a cashmere and sequined paste. Godzilla...

Also went by the "African Voices" exhibit, which was really neat. Unfortunately (and of course, without intention) it was like, way back in the corner of the museum, after you walked past all the "Museum Shop Storage" and "Mind Our Dust" signs. Hmm. It was really neat though, they had childrens dolls from different era's and regions - that was probably my favorite. So, after I slogged back to the main museum (and through the "Sikh" exhibit - I shit you not, they had things like "What do Sikh's eat?" and "How do Sikh's celebrate?" with little diaramas.. heheh...)

I headed home, but not before checking out the J. Edgar Hoover building (woo hoo FBI!.. but, get this.. the tours were cancelled. I wonder why.) which had some supremely friendly security gaurds, and walking past the "National Committee for Committees" building.

Came back in time to make some dinner, and hung out with Bryan after school. Had a couple glasses of wine and talked Economics and disparity and all that juicy stuff. I had a really nice time - he's so smart, and so interesting, and has perspectives that I've never even considered. Every time that I sit down to talk to him I learn something. I hope I'm like that eventually.

Have so much more to tell, but I'm headed out to the Jazz Festival - Duke Ellington grew up here, so there's a lot going on. Hope all is well - hate to remind everyone, but it was 25 degrees here today.. *sigh* It's tough. Love you all.

And I Found Washington.

So I'm here, in the nations capital. Not my nation, but by the looks of the shopping, maybe I wouldn't mind. It's beautiful here - the weather, the people, the architecture - I love it. Maybe it's just where I am in the city.... but there's also a high number of gay men and black people. Hm.

My flight was uneventful - Minneapolis has a great airport, and everyone is incredibly friendly. On the second leg of my trip sat next to a super neat gentleman from Georgia, a writer/editor for an NRA hunting magazine. There's nothing to get a conversation going like "Hey, what's in the big brown box?" "Oh, those are antelope cutlets.". Hm. Actually turned out to be a really interesting person, really articulate, degree in photography and journalism, and totally changed my views on hunting etc. To top it off, one of the stewardesses was a John Prine worshiping-womens-prison-ministering-born-again, and the other was this funny black lady who kept pointing out that she served in desert storm and repeatedly flipped off the captain from the back of the plane. Who needs in-flight movies I ask you.

Bryan's apartment is stunning (for 2200$ a month it damn well be) and I'm having such a nice time. I don't know if I can come home - my dorm room looks positively lonely and mean. Scratch that. I don't know if I WANT to come home. *laugh*.

Going to check out the Smithsonian and the Corcoran Gallery tomorrow - can't wait. Take care all, talk soon.

No Really, I'm Looking for the State of Hexis

No word of a lie. I'm bumbling around the internet looking for the proper definition of "hexis" to get a better grounding for my philosophy essay, and it keeps asking me if I mean to be looking for the " definition of the State of Texas".

Which, by the way includes things like "A texas is a deckhouse immediately below the pilothouse of a straight-deck freighter" and alternately "Texas is an alternative rock and pop music band from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom".

None of which, I may add, will even make my philosophy teacher crack a smile. Or me write an essay.

Help Me Maury!! I'm a Dorm Girl Addicted to Rock and Roll!

Went to the Powerplant last night with my neighbors Pam and Stephanie, and Ian. (Only a mental neighbor. ;-) Met up with a bunch of other people from the dorms. Didn't know it was pajama night. Call me crazy - colour me surprised... But I would have thought this would be an excuse for people to dress up in waaay innapropriate sleep wear.. Instead, it was a bunch of women actually sporting the unwashed-for-weeks-cigarrette-burn-kraft-dinner-covered sweat pants and t-shirts. That, my friends.. is not what I call appealing. (And sure enough, by 12am they were all doing the "I'm single and the lights are gonna come on soon" dance; characterized by blantant eyes of desperation and random man gripping and groping. Yeeps.)

We had a good time, a nice little dance (I now officially now how to two-step, thanks to Jordan in 608 - who couldn't have known that when he spun me around I would let go of his hand and spin oh-so-ginger-rogers like into the curtains), and was in bed fairly early. (Which, I've noticed, never makes it easier to get up the next morning. Hrumph.) I've got a laid back 11am day today, pretty chill. I'm going to clean and do some laundry (the fun never ends) and kick back and work on my philosophy. Which I'm surprised is in the same sentence as "kick back". Oh you nasty maturity.

I'm completely addicted to "The Black Keys". Addicted used lightly, it's not like I'm crushing up their cd to stuff up my nose or anything. Addicted in terms of "Girl is On My Mind" is on constant replay, and I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks I'm nutty. I just picked up the new cd from Megatunes, and I'm considering putting it under my pillow in the hopes that the rock and roll fairy (whom I picture as a discombobulated mix of Pamela Anderson, Joan Jett and Steven Tyler) will make me cooler in exchange. Please check it out..

Until then.. I'm off to wash my pjamas.

So You Don't Look Like Everyone Else...

What's Up With That?

At the grocery store this afternoon there was a little man buying 6 huge bottles of bleach and a blueberry pie. So very odd.

Made potato soup this afternoon and took a nap - worked on my symbolic logic homework with Ian, and watched the crazy "Lost" premiere. It's so cold out, the only thing I could think of that I wanted to make was soup. How is it that winter is coming so quickly?

Stay warm everyone.. and uh.. stay away from the blueberry pie..

Tuesday Night Special

Went to power yoga with Laura and my neighbor Stephanie, we're going to make it a Tuesday night thing. Came back here, laughed, drank some beer. With the good fortune that I've got late classes on Wednesday, I couldn't have planned it better. Had a good time - yoga was packed, good class. Have a lot to work on the next few days, trying to avoid leaving anything to the last minute, especially with going to see Bryan soon. Take care all - talk soon.

On the SLP Index..

The economy of my brain is running a sleep deficit. (That's how profound I get when tired.) I drained it of all that extra sleep that it had acccumulated while pretending to be responsible, and then some - now I'm stuck feeling like the REM stocks are on the slide. (As opposed to oil.. can you believe it's 51$ USD per barrel?)

Watched the news this morning - residents are flooding back into New Orleans, at the behest of the Mayor and to the chagrin of the President. Call me crazy - but there's some electricity, little clean water, it smells, none of the hospitals are running, there is no food, no phone service and no 911. My culinary abilities aside, it sounds like a bit of a recipe for disaster. To top it off.. it's not like the hurricane season is over, in fact, they're forcasting 2 at the moment. Is the situation going to arise that we'll have to rescue people twice? I understand (vaguely) the hearts and economy campaign that the mayor is waging, he wants people back into the city to make money, to revitalise, more importantly; to prove that they will be ok. But what kind of message is it going to send when we have to send MORE people in to help again? I guess the upside is that the government will have a second chance to react, and hopefully with more success than before.

As to the claims of racism in the relief efforts, former President Clinton had the best, and wisest response. He said "Wherever this disaster will disproportionately effect poor people, it will disproportionately effect black people" (or something very close to that effect.) It hints at a deeper problem, while addressing the current. A very political, and very smart answer.

I'm waiting for Sociology to start, and then am off home to nap for a bit. Hope everyone is well - buy stock in sleep.

Smile, You're On My New Webcam...

Weekend Synopsis

What a wonderful weekend - I don't even know where to start. As most weekends do.. I guess I'll start with Friday.

Ian and I went to Saul Williams on Friday night. I have to say, it was a truly transcendental night. Good drinks, good food, good friends; and Saul. He was amazing. There's so much power in his voice, so much conviction - it's almost militant. When he was speaking with the beats in the background his whole being got into it, he rocked out pretty hard. And then when he was simply speaking, it was almost just as musical, he has such an amazing voice. The energy from the crowd, the fact that everyone was having such a good time, that everyone who was there really wanted to be there - it was phenomenal. It was a truly amazing night, and it was a pleasure to share it with such a good friend!

Slept in Saturday until late in the afternoon, lazing in bed and relaxing, reading. Didn't really get up until later in the afternoon when Ian got off of work, and we made the trip out to Ikea. I needed a mat for the kitchen and some towels, and Ian needed a coffee pot and so forth, so we headed out there after work. It's been a pretty beautiful weekend, about 20 degrees both days. Still a titch too cold for me.. but better than the wet awful rain that it's been. Ian and I just chilled after that, hung out at his house, drank wine, watched some good movies, until some of his friends showed up. Enjoyed chatting with them (I think I know 3 of his friends all named Colin now..). Spent the night laughing and chatting with one of the Colins, well travelled and interesting guy - left for the UK early this morning sometime. *laugh* Ships in the night.

Slept a couple hours this morning, then headed out with Ian to get the rest of our chores done. We went out to West Edmonton to check out the new shops, did a little bit of window shopping. We're such bad influences on each others spending habits, it's not even funny. (Really. Not even.) So we headed out of there in a hurry.

Went to Culina for dinner, compliments of Ian. There's something about that restaurant that just gaurentees a fabulous time. Sunday nights are my favorite, the family style set menu relieves any pressure on choosing the right meal - it's all done for you. So we chatted and enjoyed ourselves immensely - as we've done all weekend. It was the perfect end to a Sunday night, and the perfect way to end a weekend. It was nice to be out with a friend, laughing and having a good time. Hell, it was just nice to be happy again.

Getting ready to go see Bryan at the end of the month, have to really work hard so I don't miss anything. I'm determined to get my hands on as many of the bursaries as I can, so I really need every second to study and work until I leave. Hope everyone is well - stay warm, stay safe.

Saul for Y'all

Enjoy.

For Your Friday Night Pleasure

Out of the gutter. No pictures here. LISTENING pleasure.

1. The Black Keys - Girl is on My Mind

2. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Sympathetic Noose

3. Kanye West feat. Jamie Fox - Gold Digger

4. Dinah Washington- Mad About the Boy

5.Emilliana Torrini - Unemployed in the Summertime

6. Jay-Z- Lucifer

7. John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom Boom

8. Low Millions - Eleanor

9. Me'Shell Ndegeochello - Pocket Book

10.The White Stripes - Little Ghost

And The Purse Will Match the Wine Label

Spent the morning mooning about in bed admiring my legwarmers that (not accidentally) match my sheets (I have an accessorizing sickness, even when sleeping), and kept me nice and warm last night when I cranked the window open. Couldn't get up - washed my pillowcases the other day and they smelled so good that I latched my legwarmered calves to the bed and buried my face in them and didn't get up until it was absolutely positively unavoidable. Wherein I had to do the half stumble/half run smiley sleepy walk to my English Literature class.

Just in between classes, Sociology class isn't until 1. I sit beside this hilarious little Polish girl who's 17. That's right. 17. BUT, her birthday is Saturday. Thank goodness. Now she'll be able to fail and blame it on beer like everyone else. Poor thing. She didn't have an excuse until now..

Realised that last night was the first time I've ever done anything like that alone- found an event, wanted to see it.. and went. I've never done that before. Usually I'm too scared. If nobody will go with me, I don't go. I didn't even think about it.. Blind courage. *laugh* Am, without right, proud of myself. Now, if only I can do things like that knowingly, I'll have a reason to be proud. Last night I just kinda stumbled there and was surprised when I mentioned to Bryan I went by myself. Next up - A movie alone. Yeeps.

Going to see Saul Williams with Ian tonight. A good way to round out a good week. Will let you know how it goes - It's the first time I've been out to an event on a Friday that doesn't involve wine and cheese in.. in forever. Though.. well, I carry a big purse. It might involve wine and cheese.

Take care everyone, enjoy the weekend. Get out and see the North of Nowhere festival, support our arts community!

Upcoming Events

Some great things coming to Edmonton the next little while, good music, good festivals. The Edmonton Small Press is having their North of Nowhere festival, and the Metro Cinema has some great independant films playing. Check it out friends, it's so cold out, you might as well warm up your brains.

Sept.17th - "Lipstick and Dynamite" @ Metro Cinema
Sept. 18th - "Outfoxed" @ Metro Cinema
Sept. 16th - Saul Williams @ The Powerplant
Sept. 20th - Button Making Workshop - Part of the North of Nowhere Festival
Sept. 21st - The Sights @ New City
Sept. 24th - Small Press Fair @ Red Strap Market - Part of North of Nowhere Festival
Sept. 25th - Matthew Barber @ New City
Oct. 7th - Feist @ The Starlite Room
Nov. 17th - Broken Social Scene @ Reds

By Way of Minneapolis

Fabulous as an Undertaker

Went to the amazing Aesthetic Apparatus lecture this evening at the lecture lab at school - It was amazing. Picked up two fantastic posters (the one for The Strokes, and the one for The Thermals). I was only sort of planning on going, had been feeling really tired, and decided at the last moment to rush over, and am I ever glad I did. The two guys have this strange Wes Anderson/Royal Tennenbaums way of speaking that just cracks me up. They were so approachable and cool, and their speech on independant design and business was excellent. Very realistic, very "Don't expect to make money at this". But in a really gentle, funny way. And they were dressed like a cross between hipsters, undertakers and Mormons. Damn skippy. It made my brain switch back into the art and design mode that it really hasn't really been in for a while, so it was really nice. I could feel my brain expanding and breathing and firing. It was fabulous.

Happiness is in Eritrea

Spent the evening with Laura and Alejandro and Matt at Mbrats, a lovely little Eritrean cafe. Mbrat, the beautiful little owner brought us the strongest coffee and now I'm so widely awake that I don't know what to do. My belly is full of Eritrean food and my brain is full of all the chit chat and laughter and baby photos that went around. I'm so happy. I don't mind staying up if I feel like this.

Oh, We Feel Ya..

Call me crazy.. (people do).. But given the destruction, death and mayhem that hurricane Katrina caused; why exactly are people refusing to leave for hurricane Ophelia? It doesn't make sense to me. I think they should have to pay for their own rescue. Upfront.

Home.. Away From Home

For one of the first times in the past two weeks, I really felt at home last night. My beautiful wonderful friend Laura and her oh-so charming hubby invited me to their friends house for dinner - and luckily, their friend Eliot didn't even mind. He was the most charming host, having a hungry and somewhat dirty footed (the rain was awful and the mud was inescapbable) little girl descend on his apartment.

It was a completely charming little place - one of the lofts that we'd looked at long ago. Very sweetly decorated, record player, ancient couch - very stylish, but in a haphazard way. It was really comfortable and friendly. So we sat and drank wine and laughed and chatted, about music and writing and school. It made me so happy, to be sitting there with like minded people. It was really.. really nice.

On another note, and another home.. I go to Washington at the end of the month! We've (B and me) booked the tickets.. and now all to do is wait. I'm so thrilled. I can't wait to see him, it's been so long. I know it sounds flippant and vapid.. But I'll be happy to be somebodies girlfriend again, to hold somebodies hand. *laugh*

Alright - my classes aren't until 11 today, but I should make shapes. Take care everyone, keep warm!

Ok, so it's a step down.

I'm still alive, still remaining far away from anything that remotely resembles beer (which includes, but is not limited to apple juice, honey and cider vinegar) and still feeling a little lonely. I feel like I should still be somewhere over the ocean, that my brain and my heart still haven't agreed on where is home, and where exactly I should be. God willing that'll be sometime soon, because everything is kinda tasting like airplane food.

Classes are good - easier than I thought, despite the dire and predictable warnings of various professors. My english teacher is pompous, as they all should be, and my philosophy teacher plays dungeons and dragons, and I've got a view of an abandonned tractor tire yard from my dorm room. Really - life never ceases to amaze me. All 15 channels of my free cable cover Katrina's devestation in a remarkably diverse number of languages, and needless to say, Katrina sounds naughtier when you say it with a French accent. Therefore, TV Cinq is getting a lot of screen time.

My computer is still up and running, which shocks and amazes me; with a certain ammount of smug pleasure mixed in. I have to say, I really enjoyed watching a movie in bed last night. The good part is, is that it warms up the sheets, so it's almost like having a real live boyfriend in bed with me. Ignore the fact he's only 18 inches (or so) squared, and I've got myself a date.

Off to sociology - take care all.

We Have Life!

You may have to sit down before you read this. I just hooked up my computer, my television, got my internet working.. And am currently working on my printer and VCR. That's right.. me. Ms. Don't Touch That Computer.

Just thought I'd let you know. I'm now... online. Woohoo!

Cashmere Sock Openers Anyone?

So with all of my belongings out of storage (ie - Brad's) I now officially have ten times more than what I came here with, and about four hundred times more than what I need. I haven't seen this crap for 9, 10 months, and suddenly, I really think that I need THAT particular t-shirt? (blender, sweater, martini glasses, bar of soap?) I went in with such a great mindset, the good 'ol "Don't look in the box, you haven't used it for months, chuck it"... and caved immediately at the sight of an old pair of Mag boots that I've had since grade 9. I'm a sentimental fool. Those boots always have, and always will, pinch my leg fat.

I actually ended up being far more effective than I thought I would be, and all the stuff we piled around the dumpster was almost immediately taken. There are going to be some well dressed bums out there. I tossed 4 hefty bags of pants, shirts and things I'll probably be looking for in a week. But now my dorm is full to that "do you think these walls are bulging?" point, and I did two super loads of laundry last night in an attempt to be one of those people who neatly fold their extra clothes and put them in well labeled boxes with nice satchels of lavender. Instead I've got a box of thigh high cashmere socks and a bathsuit that I don't think I actually bought mixed with what I believe are kitchen implements. (That's what they sound like when I shake the box, but it could be magic markers or Lego).

My mum is here this weekend (Friday/ Saturday) and then heads to the coast, then home. Hopefully when she sees that not only am I settled, but that I also have washed my sheets already, she might relax a little. We won't tell her about the sock/breadknife/build a space station box. Then it'll just be me and my bro here (that's what they say, these young kids, 'bro'. I'm trying it on for size, and feel like a ganster. Or is that gansta?) to fend off over abundances of beer at the beer tent.

On my way to grab a coffee, then to one more class before the weekend. Take care everyone, enjoy your weekend.

Beer Gardens Are the Devil

So, beer is cheap. And cheap beer was on sale in the beer gardens. (Which is misleading - because there is no beer growing there. Which would make beer cheaper.) And I made a few friends (mostly with the bottom of my cup) and then watched "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with April (new friend - not the bottom of a cup) and Dave (again, not the bottom of a cup). Good time, bad movie. Very sleepy, and my pee kinda smells like Sleemans Honey Brown. Going to take a nap! Love you all.

Back in Black

Ok - so I'm here. Sort of. I'll spare you the sordid details of our 24 hour flight and the POS (passenger of size) that was vomitting beside us, and our battle to find accomodation etc etc. It was long, it was grueling, and now I'm almost settled into my dorm. (90% settled. I'll spend more time there when the girl next door figures out she has to store raw chicken IN the fridge. Thats right. It smells like dying cat.)

I still suck at making coffee, Bryan, I miss you in the mornings for this. Your coffee is the only one I could choke back a whole cup of.. As of right now my bodem and I are at an impasse, where as it will hold the coffee grounds and the water, but I have to strain it through my teeth as I drink. Right.

My dorm is lovely - bigger than it was supposed to be, very modern with the exposed concrete and such. I feel like an old lady - every looks like they're 17 years old. (Which doesn't say much considering I was mistaken for a 15 year old just last week.) I feel better now that I know that the guy at the end of the hall is 25.. But not so much.

School is.. good. It's going to be a lot of hard work, which I'm kinda excited about. I've had a couple teachers pull the "This isn't high school, C is a good grade" bullshit.. but obviously they've never met me. I'm going for the 4.0 baby. Interesting classes, interesting teachers. Young kids. I think I'll be ok. I'm wearing my "like me" smile, but I caught it in the mirror.. and it's a little too sneery to be effective.

No computer at home yet, so if I'm a little behind in answering e-mails it's because I only have access on campus. Yet another trial we're going through. Ah well. It wouldn't be an adventure if it wasn't bloody hard. Talk to you all soon.

Hiatus-ish

Ms. Poshlust will be on temporarily hiatus, vacation and sabatical until she finds her mind and her new textbooks. Which may, or may not, be located in section F, where she was looking for her 'philosophy' books. Then she switched to S, for spelling. Take care all.

But it Pours

So I'm having a shower. And I hear this sound. A sound, kind of like water gushing out of a hose. And it's not the shower that's making this sound. It's the drain in the middle of my bathroom floor gushing water into my bathroom, and subsequently into my room. About 2 inches of water. And taking into account the relative non-absorbancy of marble - it doesn't appear to be soaking into anything fast. Except my luggage. And my books. And my clothes. And my paintings. All of which, getting ready to move, have been placed in organized piles on the floor.

Stress doesn't even begin to describe my mood right now. Something, probably, along the lines of "quiet hysteria".

Float My Boat

CocoRosie, that lovable sorority duo from Paris is following up their album "Maison de Mon Reve" with a new album "Noah's Ark" on September 15th! I'm so excited. Here's hoping they come to good old Alberta. I'll put 'em up in my dorm, yes I will.

Endurance is right.

Sounds like an interesting show, and an great concept.

Witch Sex? Yup.

I just finished reading "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire- kind of the prequel to L. Frank Baum's "Wizard of Oz". It was an excellent book. (Hmm.. I sound kind of like a broken record. I'm going to have to read a really bad book so I can write a scathing review - show you I'm not entirely biased.)

"Wicked" follows the Wicked Witch of the West (Elphaba) from a somewhat traumatic birth and childhood to her watery grave. At it's heart, it's an interesting look at what makes people essentially good, and what makes them evil. Maguire is pretty deft with his literary devices, but uses them well enough not to make it feel like a joke. It's really an excellent read - I loved learning about the Wicked Witch.. and the fact that not only was she not so wicked, but she was kinda sexy too.

For all those who cheer for the bad guys -this is a great read.

Next up on the reading list - Karen Armstrong's "Islam" and Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"

Stress? Me?

Alright, so we're on the final countdown. And only this morning have we finally booked a car, a place to stay, and confirmed our tickets. I think that's pretty true to form for my family. And I was just wondering why I've broken out into a Monet on my face, I look like pointalism in it's purest abstract form. I think I've figured it out.

I finished work last Friday in a flurry of papers and coffee with colleagures and right smack in the middle of preparations for a big ministerial visit that I won't be here for. Woohoo! It was definately an experience - working at an Embassy. A good friend once said that "Making foreign policy is like making sausage. It's not pretty, and if you saw what went into it, you might not want to eat it in the end. " Frankly, I think that we should put that on our pens and stationary.

4 days left in India - and I can't believe all the things I haven't done. I was seriously attempting to squeeze a one day trip up to Amritsar in the Punjab into my schedual - until I realised it was already 11am and I didn't have any serious plans of getting up in at least the next 2 hours. I tell myself that I'm training to deal with my jetlag - if I'm sleeping halfway into my day here.. then I've only got 6 hours of jet lag to deal with, instead of 12. Not bad if you ask me.

In reality, in between bouts of intense shopping (my mother) and drinking sweet lime soda by the pool (me and my brother) I've figured out that I'm ready to leave. People do this strange thing where they tip their heads on the side, assume this really huper concerned look and say "Is it time? Are you ready?" It cracks me up. Just because 90% of the native population of this country is itching to leave, doesn't mean that I am.

There are certainly things that I am looking forward to however - lettuce. I can't wait to have a big salad of romaine or greenleaf lettuce. And not have it taste like bleach or iodine. I can't wait to go to a grocery store.. I think I'm just going to wander around for a little while. I can't wait to buy a bra from a real store, and not from a guy on a street corner who is offering to measure you himself. *laugh*

Alright - I can feel a bout of packing coming on. 9 months in two 70lb bags. I can do it! Take care all. Blogging will be pretty sporadic the next little while. It doesn't mean I'm not thinking about you. ;-)

August Essential Listening

1. Japanese Girls - Robbers on High Street
2. Small Town Witch - Sneaker Pimps
3. Speak Low - Billie Holiday
4. Club Foot - Kasabian
5. Poor Boy, Minor Key - M. Ward
6. Apply Some Pressure - Maximo Park
7. We Run This - Missy Elliot
8. Secret Meeting - The National
9. Midnight Hour - Otis Reading
10. Cold Hungry Blues - Po' Girl

This Side of a Bad Book

I finished (finally) F. Scott Fitzgerald's "This Side of Paradise". And I have to say, despite accolades I've read that it's better than "The Great Gatsby".. it might be one of the most tedious books I've ever read. It's the story of Amory Blaine, growing up through the 1900's. I should have read between the lines - it was the worst "coming of age" book I've read yet.

Its saving grace was in the last 20 pages, in which it transformed into a semi-Socialist "Atlas Shrugged", and some really interesting (and though often rehashed, probably original ideas at the time) points of view. But they could have done without the previous 270 pages. My eyes are sore from rolling in my head. Don't waste your time - read the last 20 pages, and count yourself lucky.

The Reason

I know this may appear to be a little callous. And perhaps it is.

But I'm moved to nausea listening to the "claims for a public enquiry" into the death of the Brazilian man shot in London.

I'm aware, well and truly, that a family needs closure. From airplane crashes, from boating accidents, from the Holocaust. But they're asking, demanding actually, that they be given a reason that their son (who, like all innocent men in death, had the sun emanating directly from his rectum) was shot.

I'm pretty sure that given everything I've watched, that we've all been given an appropriate and full account of what happened - one that should suffice even for a bereaved family. The man was followed from his home (that was, we know now, housing other confirmed terrorists), to the subway; where he ignored orders by the police to stop, drop and confess. He didn't, he ran, he was shot 7 times in the head.

Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Chief, is now under attack for attempting to halt the full and transparent (as if we could have a demi-opaque) public enquiry. The man has a city of innumerable persons to protect, and what people don't understand (and perhaps this is only my personal view) is that not everything, especailly in the world we live in, can be open to public scrutiny. There ARE things that need to be kept private, in the consideration of ongoing investigations, that we have no right to know, and no right to demand we're to be told. I believe in publicized procedures and private results - let me know what's going on, what I can do to protect myself, and then you do the rest of the protecting in accordance to what you find.

I feel for the officers that had to make that decision, and even more for their colleagues who will have to make it in the future. They have been given the order to shoot people in the head, and in these particular cases.. I think that's appropriate. But to now worry that they've made a mistake (which they had) and caused an accident (which they haven't) -will only lead to delayed reflexes. I'm sorry, if I'm on a train and a man with a bomb is getting on, I don't want my policemen moralising the shot to the foot over the one to the head. And I think, if we're all honest - we probably all think that way.

I think it is of the utmost importance that we assign the correct language to this incident. It wasn't an 'accident'. It was a deliberate choice, the pursuivance of orders, and the correct course of action to take. That it resulted in the death of a young man is unfortunate. But it wasn't an accident, it wasn't a blow to civil rights, it wasn't 'malpractice' and it was not some kind of crime.

That the people conducting the 'Public Enquiry' (and I ask.. who in Britain that takes the tube really wants an enquiry?) are suggesting that these policemen be charged with manslaughter is nothing less that abhorrent. That these men are being persecuted, by however few, for doing their job, is frightening. We cannot charge men with crimes when they honestly believed that they were protecting their citizens from what had the possibility (and unfortunate probability) of becoming another terrorist attack. Because if we start prosecuting them.. Then Mr. Bush might as well buy some soap on a rope.

It is a sad thing when we are at a point in our civilization where the death of an innocent man has to be counted in a way such as this. But these are the times we live in, and those are, unfortunately, the consequences. We're all aware of them. That should be the overall conclusion of the public enquiry.

I'm Worse At This Than I Am At Baseball..

All the satisfaction of penguin brutality. None of the consequences.

Po' Girl, Great Girl

I'm hooked - I got this from Ian this morning, can't stop listening. The Po' Girls have just rocketed to the top of my "Most Played" list. This record makes me want to sit and smoke in a rocking chair and drink whiskey and sing and shoot at the gophers with a shotgun. And occasionally dance around the porch in my barefeet. Or maybe with just a single cowboy boot on. Check out "Driving". You'll catch my drift. Or my boot.

Disengagement? Like.. Not getting Married?

If the Gaza Pullout Plan (not another form of birth control) has you puzzled, check out these articles to get you started. They cover most of the political reasons.. For the rest, you might need to bring out the Bible.  Regardless - this is another piece of history. Stay tuned.

Long Weekend Wonder

I'm so thrilled that I had a long weekend.. I worked 12 hour days both Saturday and Sunday, but Independance Day is a national holiday.. and as a result, I got to spend the entire day lazing around in my pj's.

Saturday and Sunday were great, in terms of getting reading done. I was just working security, which entails making sure that the painters don't walk out with generators and confidential papers at the end of the day. Which makes for a fairly easy job. (Generator big - man small.). I managed to finish a few books (as noted somewhere below) on Saturday, and then on Sunday...

Sunday I finished up "Bullet Points" by Mark Watson. Touted as "the love child of Woody Allen and William Boyd" (which is pretty strong hypothetical partentage to live up to..) it really was excellent. The faux autobiography of a psychologist and his somewhat strange career, it's full of humour, humanity, and a little heartbreak. It's incredibly well written - not a light read, but a good one.

Wrapped up "The Icarus Girl" this morning. I'd heard some complaints about the ending - but I think it might have been from people with little imagination. I really enjoyed it.. although I have to say, it's probably the spookiest book I've read in a while. Set in Nigeria and England, I'm glad I read "Things Fall Apart" first - they cover some of the same topics (mysticism, twins and superstitions surrounding them). Otherwise you'd have to do some anthropology research and some cultural digging to close some of the major cultural chasms. Where "Things Fall Apart" really gives you the background knowledge you need, the "The Icarus Girl" leaves you in the dark a little. I imagine you'd get along ok without knowing.. But I found it lent a bit more depth having read something about the major topics.

The workers ended up staying later than they were originally booked on Sunday, stretching our day 3 hours longer, and way past the dinner hour. The really lovely thing is, that they sent somebody out for dinner, and brought a little for me too! They were so sweet, insisting that I not pay, and they were getting overtime for this work, and they wouldn't have if I hadn't agreed to stay late. It was so sweet. So I was given a samosa and some gelabi (these really sweet, deep fried swirls of dough..) and shared dinner. It was fun.

As I said, today I spent the day in my pj's. I found "This Side of Paradise" (F. Scott Fitzgerald's first book) on my shelf, and realised I hadn't read it. It's touted as better than "The Great Gatsby", and semi-autobiographical. It's.. alright so far. Not that amazing. So I read that for most of the morning, and spend the afternoon with a cup of tea catching up on the New York Times and whatnot.

I'm so happy that I got an honest to goodness day off. It's been wonderful to just relax, take more than two deep breaths in a row. I only have 3 1/2 days of work left, and only 13 days left in India. Now comes the hustle. This part is never easy! On the upside, it means that I'm getting closer to seeing Bryan. There's an upside everywhere. You just have to look harder sometimes!

Take care all.

Better Late Than Never..

Here are a few pictures from our amazing trip to Rishikesh..

An Actual Action Guy..

Pictured here in his natural environment.

I Could Be an Action Girl...

At least I look good in the uniform..

Kickin' Back..

After the river riding action..

Happy Independence Day..

August 15th is Independence Day here in India. An astounding amount of militia is out on the streets, the army is everywhere. The PM makes his address to the nation tomorrow, and with the assasination of Sri Lanka's FM this week, I can imagine he's more than a little nervous. If it's any indication of the security risk, not even my parents are going to the parade. Yeeps. This is one we'll watch on TV, thank you very much.

Broken Peaces.

The Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka was assassinated yesterday. They have declared a state of emergency in the whole country, including our beloved Colombo. Relative peace reigned between the Tamil Tigers and the Government after the tsunami - this is the first time since then its been broken. See more here.

A Book A Day...

So I'm at work for another Saturday doing security work - and a long Saturday at that. I've been here from nine this morning, and will be here until nine-thirty this evening. And I'll be back tomorrow. The wonderful thing is - I've already finished two books, and have another 2 to go.

This morning I read "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. Definately an excellent book - though I found it irredeemably sad. And surprising -I didn't think that Hemingway was religious in any way, shape or form, yet his Christ-like symbolism in the book was so prevelent. I really liked it - you can take it in so many ways, and I'm sure if I read it 10 years from now I'll derive something completely different. An excellent book. Books about fishing usually are.

And just now I finished Kurt Vonnegut's "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater". What an excellent book! Social commentary, political commentary (because sometimes they're seperate) and comedy all rolled into one. What I love is that Vonnegut brings in other characters from other novels, even objects from other novels - it makes it almost like a treasure hunt reading the books. I really enjoyed it. It's my 3rd Vonnegut book - I have a feeling I'll be reading quite a few more.

Something strange - in "The Old Man and the Sea", the fisherman speaks briefly of "Portugese man-o-war's" (from what I gather, something like a jellyfish, painful in its sting). In "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater", they also get a mention. Thought it was odd that the two books that I would read today would both have such an obscure reference in them. Literary serendipity.

Only 4 1/2 hours left of work. I'm delving into "The Icarus Girl" by Helen Oyeyemi. Don't you just feel like you haven't done a whole lot when a 20 year old is beating you to the punch with a prize winning novel?

I'd Hate to See Them Hungry

This little ditty was in the paper today.

Niger Leader Denies Famine

Friday 12th, 2005 - Guardian News Service

The President of Niger has denied reports that the country is facing a famine, saying his people "look well fed".

President Mamdou Tandja admitted that a devastating locust invasion and poor rains had created a food shortage, but said that it was not unusual for Niger or the entire Sahel region on the southern edge of the Sahara desert.

"We are experiencing, like all the countries in the Sahel, a food crisis due to the poor harvest and the locust attacks of 2004." Tandja said in and interview with the BBC. "The people of Niger look well-fed, ad you can see."

Well Fed?

Via the "Indian Express"..

Only in India - a few days of headlines.

"Scientists draw up rice Genome Blueprint"

"Councillors seek 1 Cow norm for Delhi households"

"Labourer Dies at Work"

Oh Jimmy Hoffa..

Check out the raging TELUS union debate here. Don't you just love the comments? Personal attacks are so much more effective than honest deliberation. Bravo to those of you with a brain and a mouth - that happen to be connected.

Damn this Confuser

I've got all these pictures from Sri Lanka that I've been wanting to put on my blog. I didn't know that to hook the camera up you need such a specific cord and so on and so forth - it's just painful. This damn computer will be the death of me. This computer, my computer at work, the fax machine, the photocopier. None of them like me (least of all the shredder, of all the dangerous things) and all do their best to jam, fail, short out, run out of toner, and just generally not WORK when I'm in the vicinity. And now, as I'm writing this, my computer screen appears to be having an fit, and is flickering like a blinking eye. Help me HAL.

And Read All Over..

I've been reading books in the few and extremely fleeting moments that I've had free of late. I've only managed, in turn, to finish 3 of them. I finally succeeded in completing Jose Saramago's "Blindness", and when I needed a smaller, easier book, read "Slaughterhouse Five" (which I'd always felt like somewhat of a traitor never having read.). With nothing to read on last nights security shift, I found "Something Rising ( Light and Swift)" by Haven Kimmel and read that.

"Blindness" while difficult (I'm a fan of punctuation. Sue me.) was ultimately rewarding. He gives you the ending that you seek, but not before you realise that you don't really need it. It was a stunning, and at times horrific book, but you can easily see why it won the Nobel Prize in literature. It's an amazing book, but one of those books that you could never read twice. The devil is in the details, and I think I read too many not to have nightmares.

"Slaughterhouse Five" (while I'm sure everyone has read it except me) was NOTHING like I expected, and therefore a million times more than I hoped for. There was this moderately interesting boy in my highschool who used to carry it around in his back pocket, then his n'er do well loser buddy started doing the same thing (although I have serious and infinite doubts that he actually read it - or was capable of reading at all for that matter) and from that point I swore that I would never read it. I'm not sure if it was the association with those boys that held me back, or the idea that I would somehow end up in their back pocket if I read it... But I finally buckled down and found it a most enjoyable read. If you're holding back for fear of ending up in a loser boys pair of pants - don't.

And a surprisingly good book, "Something Rising (Light and Swift)".. I generally as a rule never read anything with "young girl coming of age" in the description (it conjures up too many thoughts of "Are you there God? It's me, Margaret.") I had nothing to read and so prepared myself for a badly written book about the embarrassment of underarm hair and such. In reality, it's a completely weird story of a girl in Indiana and her completely messed up yet sadly loving family. If there is one word.. it would be tragic. And if there was another? Excellent. I really enjoyed it, and was pleasantly surprised. I've never heard of her, or anything else she's written - but this is a good book, a "coming of age" exception.

So I've got 19 hours of security work this weekend, and intend to read for as many of them as humanly possible. My friend (ahem, you know who you are.... That confirms that I only have one friend.) is supposed to be reading "1984" at the same time as I, to help shed our collective shame over the fact that neither of us have read the purportedly important novel - and yet still feel free to make the cliched comic remarks about "Big Brother". So I'm going to read that, and hopefully some more Kurt Vonnegut. After "Mother Night" I was hooked, and I swallowed "Slaughterhouse Five" whole, so I'm going to go from there. Anyone with any other suggestions, they're welcome. I've got 19 hours to fill. At approx. 3 hours per book.. that's a lot of reading. Here's to the eye cancer.