Good & Ready

1:55PM - Doors Open

Click here to see what's behind those 'Doors Open' doors.

9:57PM - Mixtape - Cherry Blossom Edition

I've been collecting the songs for my Easy Mixtape for a couple of weeks now. I've heard and recognized a bunch, but kept forgetting to put them up here and just scribbled them down instead. Here are tracks 12 to 17.

12. Breakfast in America - Supertramp
13. Jammin' - Bob Marley
14. Disco Inferno - 50 Cent
15. Yeah - Usher
16. Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley (again, same person driving around the block maybe?)
17. Hypnotize - Notorious BIG

This bunch seems to be heavy on the hip hop and reggae, must be the warmer weather. Either way, sounds ok to me. Almost done ... guess I'll quit at 20.

Some pretty blossoms. So pretty in fact, that as I was driving home from work, I noticed them, stopped the car, got out, and took these pictures. My god - it's so pink! I love it!

11:20PM - My life in pictures

There's a bunch - you might get bored.


I've been lying around in the grass sometimes.




( What I've been up to, for the most part. )

11:53PM - Free BJs

I got free tickets to tonight's Blue Jays' game, so, along with Edie and Andie, I took myself out to the ball game. They won (3-7) and I'm becoming increasingly emotionally invested in the success of this team. What's becoming of me?! A couple of weeks ago, I spent Saturday AND Sunday in hockey arenas. Tonight, baseball at the 'dome. I am becoming that which I despise. But it was, admittedly, a lot of fun, so fuck all the haters.



( Ladies' Night at the Skydome. )

1:29PM - Easy Mixtape - Out Like A Lamb Edition

Today, from the street noise, a clear and resonant melody:

Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode. It's track #11 on my Easy Mixtape.

I've been sitting here with the windows closed most of the winter, so there haven't been very many songs to hear, save the myriad portuguese (spanish? italian?) folk and techno songs - if I can't identify the songs, they don't make it to the mixtape, which is too bad, 'cause some of those songs sound good. It's nice though to recognize something for a change. And I have a feeling that if I sat here long enough today, I might hear enough to fill up my mixtape. It's bright and sunny and there is no rational explanation for why I'm siting at my computer catching up on a week's worth of celebrity gossip when I should be outside, doing something.

I could probably use a good dose of vitamin D; exposure to the sun helps our bodies make vitamin D. UV rays from sunlight trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin, creating vitamin D for our bodies to use - I copied that from the internet somewhere.

I dreamt last night that my parents bought me a new car. A bright red 2004 Chevy Cavalier. Way to dream big, huh?



( Get outta my dreams, get into my car )

7:05PM

Ok so I'm almost done with week two of my new job. Quick run-down:

* last day at old job was bittersweet. Happy to move forward, sad to leave (some) great peeps behind.
* first day at new job was a cake walk. So was the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th (which was today). The first week was nothing but reading stuff. The second week (this one) is nothing but various training/information sessions. This place sure has their shit together when it comes to informing new hires of how things work.

So in almost two weeks, I've done almost no real work, which is fine by me 'cause I kinda needed a break from that "other place". It feels so good to be gone from there. I'm such a chicken shit when it comes to making big decisions. I hem and haw and sleep on things for months at a time. What can I say? I'm a careful girl. And while many will agree that I am, perhaps, too careful, it's so much a part of my personality that I don't really want to change it - not now, at least. But I know now that I am capable of making moves, shaking things up, if only in a career-related sense. That's a relief, because for a while there, I was worried that maybe I just didn't have it in me and that I would end up as one of those "lifers" - the ones who hate their job, bitch and moan about it all the time, talk about leaving, yet never actually put their money where their mouth is. Granted, it took me more than a year to finally jump ship but I did it eventually. And I feel so much relief, you have no idea.

Things I like about my new job/workplace:
1. It has a cafeteria with a salad bar, a "healthy option" menu choice (so I can make healthy decisions, some of the time) and it's all cheap!
2. I've signed up for cheap yoga classes after work on Mondays
3. I have a name plate on my cubicle - it's new and shiny and silver.
4. I work with a guy whose name is pronounced "Jazz"
5. While I do have to be at work between 8 and 9am (boo!), I get home between 4 and 5pm (yay!)

Things I don't like about my new job/workplace:
1. Even with the shiny name plate, I work in a cubicle. This is the first time I've worked in a cubicle in my life and it's not particularly exciting. I am near a window however, so it's not so bad. I welcome any suggestions as to how to make my cube more appealing.
2. My building (which is very ugly in its own right) is in the most depressing, industrial area of town - when I drive outta there, I want to keep my eyes closed the whole time. That would be dangerous, I know, but I still want to do it to spare myself the ugliness. It's so gross.
3. They have a more strict internet policy (as far as I can tell), which means no Oh No They Didn't, no Gawker/Defamer, no McSweeney's, no Friendster/MySpace, etc. Maybe I can get away with Craigslist, but we'll have to see. I have already decided to throw caution to the wind and have been checking and sending email from my hotmail account. I have only so much self-control.
4. What I thought was going to be the hardest/most unappealing part of this new job has turned out to be kind of a positive and that's the early rising. At the "other place", I would show up whenever I wanted - very lax about that kind of thing. Usually this meant somewhere between 10:30 and 12:30. Nice, eh? Yeah, totally, especially if you went out the night before and stayed up a little past your bedtime. But it also meant that I would have to stay until 6:30 to 8:30pm, sometimes later, to make my 8 hour shift. That part wasn't so fun, but I was in such a rut, there was no way to motivate myself to get out of bed early. Now I have no choice, so it's not really an issue. And turns out it's not so bad, and I L-O-V-E getting home in time to scoff at Dr. Phil on tv. So this is not a dislike after all.

That about does it. What else is new:

1. My digital camera broke down - it's in the shop and won't be back for 2-3 weeks.
2. Went to karaoke again, got busted trying to sneak in booze (Smirnoff Ice - yeah, I'm 12). Killed 'em with my rendition of Eternal Flame.
3. Took further steps to consolidating my credit card debt. I'm on the road to recovery - and perhaps to a mortgage (?!?!)
4. Signed up for a whole summer's worth of tennis lessons. Twice a week (Tuesday evenings, Saturday afternoons) til mid August, starting at the beginning of May. Can't wait.
5. My pal Nicole had a baby boy a few days ago. They named him Jack (short for Jackson) 'cause they love Michael Jackson so much. Kidding. I think it was the only name they could agree on. Or something. Imagine if I named my first born Sting. How awesome would that be?
6. America's Next Top Model has me in its clutches. I must obey. In fact, it's on right now so I have to go.

4:24PM

So, I'm leaving a job where the owner of the company was named Eugene Melnyk. Slightly odd name, a little funny. Now I'm headed to a job where the company owner's name is Dr. Barry Sherman. Totally normal, not funny at all. But get this: his wife's name is Honey. Now, that's hilarious! I love my new job already.

1:08PM - Good Night and Good Luck

Today, I quit my job and accepted a new one (not in that order).

I'm very nervous.

Whenever someone congratulates me on my new job, I cry.

I'm happy to move on and up, but I'm sad to leave some of the really fantastic peeps I have here.

More on this later.

3:06PM - Where Frisbees Are Forever Floating Through The Air

Who's the pretty puppy? You are, yes, you are.





I love you Casey, and I'll miss you. I'm especially sad for my mom, who loves you like a child and who is so devastated right now I want nothing more than to jump on a plane to Florida and try to comfort her. It's true, 15 years is a long time to know someone, but that's also a really long life for a pooch and you had a tremendous go. To be so loved by one of the greatest ladies in the world; we should all be so lucky.

I've known you for half of my life and you've known me for all of yours. That's pretty cool, really. I'm glad I had a chance to see you in January, to see how you were doing, give you hugs and say "see you, buddy". Say hi to Fluffy, Gray, Scardey, Ti-Mine, Derby, Cosmo, Tuna and all those guys for me, will ya?

10:18PM - Things I don't get

The 2006 Nissan X-Trail commercial
Laguna Beach
Halifax Style Donairs

1:03AM - Some Links for Kicks

Can you imagine how nice it would be?

As mentioned in last week's Now Magazine, Cute Overload. You're gonna have to brush your teeth afterwards.

Suspicious Minds is my all-time favourite Elvis song. Vote! Vote! Vote!

I don't know whether admire or despise the Cobrasnake. I mean, I can take pictures of dumb drunk hipsters too, but nobody pays me for it. Yeah, I think I despise him.

Oh, happy belated Mardi Gras, by the way.

6:33PM - Cartoon Love

Have you seen this man?



Sadly, he's unrecognizable due to some kind of unknown spillage. But it used to be a drawing I made of an animé cartoon character from a cartoon I used to watch was I was a kid. It played in the late seventies or early eighties and it was about a group of slender, good-looking space people who wore leotards and had capes (or maybe they had wings?). This particular character was a young boy space cadet; he was so pretty that I had a small childhood crush on him (yes, I am aware that he's a cartoon - tell me you've never had cartoon crushes in your youth!). I can't remember if he had beautiful hair or if he wore a helmet/visor now ... but I do know he wore white and maybe some red and/or yellow. Anyway, after a cursory search of the Internet for his likeness, the only thing that sort of resembles the image in my mind's eye is this:



They're from a show called "Battle of the Planets", I think. In that pic, the little boy is not wearing white, and he's kind of a nerd. The little boy I remember crushing on was way cooler than that ... and I'm pretty sure he wore white. The "dad" in this picture is closer to what I remember of the little boy, however, I don't remember having a crush on an old man cartoon (gross). Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me - I was probably around 5 or 6 anyway, so it's totally possible that I have no idea what I'm talking about. Anyway, that pic is pretty close to what I'm thinking of, stylistically, at least. If you know of any other cartoons that kind of have that same look for its characters, let me know. It's been bothering me all week.

2:03PM - Anniversaries

A. Today (or yesterday, I'm not sure) is the four (4) month anniversary of when I quit smoking.

B. Today (I'm sure of this one) is the one (1) year anniversary of when I moved downtown.

C. Today (approximately) is the one (1) month anniversary of when Denise stopped talking to me.

( Break it down now )

So, how am I to celebrate all these anniversaries? Leave work early? Check. Go shopping? Sure! Have a drink or two? Maybe! Who's with me?! If you read this [and you know me] and you'd like to have a celebratory drink with me tonight, give me a call. I deserve it!!

12:18PM - It's such a fine line between stupid and clever

While reading a review for AIDS Wolf's LP, The Lovvers, I came across the funniest concluding sentence I've read in a music review in ... maybe forever. It's reminiscent of Spinal Tap's infamous "shit sandwich" 2-word review, which makes me giggle to no end. Pitchfork's Brandon Stosuy didn't care for the album much (he gave it a 3.9) and had this to say to wrap up his review:

"For now, let's just call it shit in wolf's clothing."

Thanks Brandon, that totally made my day!!

1:11PM

What was supposed to be a quick little bite turned into a culinary adventure last night. I was excited to have Korean food for the first time, so I guess it was gonna be an adventure for me no matter what happened. I was to meet Jonathan and Liz at Joon's, which I did. Sadly, though, Joon's was way too crowded and I had a limited amount of time in which to have dinner. We decided to not wait there and go up and over to this place at Bloor and Euclid. I don't even know what it's called - the only English words on the sign were "Korean Restaurant" - but the sign is bright and orange and cute and you can see it from Bloor. We ended up having to wait about 10 minutes for a table there too, but in the end, it was totally worth it. They have the kind of little tables were you have to take off your shoes and sit on the floor, which was a first for me and kind of fun. Turns out the specialty of the house is this kind of Korean sausage, which was featured in one form or another in all the items on the menu. Feeling not quite so brave as to dive into unknown sausage soup, we opted instead for Korean BBQ, which was still new to me. Turns out it just a bunch of meat that you grill up right on your table, and it's quite delish. I swear, there must have been 5 pounds of raw beef on that plate and we ate it all.

( Where's the beef? )

1:23AM - Come aboard, we're expecting you.

( If the ship is a-rockin'... )

11:57PM - Crazy Cat Lady

A little back story -- while discussing the topic of dating deal breakers, my friend Scott claimed that if a girl had photos of herself proudly holding up her cats posted on her blog/friendster profile/myspace, that would be a deal breaker for him. As soon as I got home that night, I took these photos and immediately put them up on my friendster profile. We all got a good laugh out of it. Some more than others. To wit:

Liz dear, these are just for you. Come back and look at them whenever you need a laugh.

This is so embarrassing, yet so funny at the same time, I have to put it up here.

2:36PM - Never Say Never

I learned a lesson in never saying never this weekend. In September of 2004, I said never; I even put it in writing. What with the debilitating stage fright, I figured it was a pretty safe bet that I wouldn't ever voluntarily belt out tunes at the top of my lungs in front of anyone but my cats. Doing Karaoke has been on my "not for me list" longer than electroclash and having babies. So I was duly surprised when I not only chose to do it, but became a bit of a mic hog! I'm still a little in disbelief.

Oddly enough, I didn't choose to sing Dead Or Alive OR My Cherie Amour, which I had then chosen as my go-to songs if ever I needed to sing to save my life. Well, for one, My Cherie Amour wasn't on the list ... I didn't even check for Dead or Alive, though if I had stumbled upon it, I probably would have done it up. Instead, I started off sweet and sappy and didn't stray far from that ethos all night. A little Chicago ditty (If You Leave Me Now), a little Elton (Daniel), a little Heart (Alone), a little Lionel (Hello). Let me not forget the embarrassing stab at Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow's Cruisin' and Lulu's To Sir With Love. Finally, an impactful duet for me and Liz with Black Sabath's Paranoid and a couple of rousing group finale songs (Modest Mouse's Float On and Aerosmith's Crazy).

And because I have the best friends in the world, they all seem to think that I did a lovely job, which is nice of them to say. And simply because I want to, I'm going to believe them. I think that had we not rented a little (and impeccably decorated!) private room, I don't know that I would have found the bravado to try it. But it doesn't really matter now - all that matters is that my Karaoke Cherry is popped. And just like other cherry-popping activities, it'll just get better the more you do it. Clickety-click down here for more:

11:21AM - I'm So Glad We're Friends - Or Are We?

Dear whoever reads this,

One of my best friends "broke up" with me a couple of weeks ago. She maintains that we're still friends, however, she's chosen to speak to me only when spoken to. And even then, her answers are short and cold - cold as ice. When I told her today that it hurt me deeply that she's chosen to act this way towards me, she said, and I quote, "That's unfortunate". That was followed by a lot of "I'm sorry you feel that way" and "I don't know what you want me to say". To the latter question, I told her I wanted her to say something nice, to show me that she still cares about me, 'cause I've had nothing to go on for the past couple of weeks, you know. She said, "Like what?". Ouch.

If you read this, please, please, please, say something nice about me. And if you have to ask me "like what?", I'll take that to mean that you, also, don't really want to be my friend anymore.

Love,

Debbie

6:19PM - Take a guess...

( at which of the following made me cry this weekend: )