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.