trick or treat

on halloween, let's take this opportunity to remember the crazy costumes of our youth. i had a phase where i was edible items...a jar of jelly beans, a pack of gum, a carton of fries. nothing healthy, go figure. my last official year of trick or treating i was a bird -- wore this hoodie coverd in felt feathers with a plastic beak. ironic given my recent run in with a fine feathered friend. in the early years, all i can remember are the converted pjs into clown costumes. sorry no pics but feel free to share your loot. ;)

caution: bird above

ok, folks file this one under strange events that happened while working. most folks know that i spend a portion of my working life doing usability studies, usually in the homes of willing families. so yesterday, i show up to test a few games with an 11 year old girl. she invites me in. we enter into the lair that is the family computer den. she invites me to have a seat. above me is a bird cage, seems harmless enough. we start the session and when the zingy zapper games music starts playing, i hear the loudest SHREEEEEEEEEEEEKKK! that startles me out of my chair. I look up, yes, the bird. so i ask if we can move him, perhaps. she says it's too high for her to reach and her father and mother have departed. so the subtext, is deal sister...the bird stays. a few more minutes pass when i look up and notice that there is a shower of feathers and white floating stuff softly falling on my head. supposedly bird feed, but let me tell you - i am guessing feathers and bird crap too. EW! revolted I jump up and madly start brushing the stuff off. it's even in my HAIR. newly washed so extra absorbant. we move my chair to the other side of the computer where i narrowly escape having air hockey handles jab into my back. better than bird doo. later as i walk back into the safety of my abode, my husband calls out to me...You've got that bird stuff all over your butt! of course, schmarmy 11 year old girl never mentioned this on my way out. ah, such a glamour job, I tell you. such GLAMOUR.

power

we had two power outages yesterday. one around 4 for a few minutes, then another around 5:30pm until about 8pm. the neighbours gathered outside their darkened homes collectively scratching their heads and wondering. we went for tapas in kensington and then came home, lit candles and waited the darkness out. it's funny we kept calling home to see if the answering machine would pick up, a sign the power was back on. kind of like, hello darkness? are you still there? there is something sort of fort-like about these emergency measures, like a secret space in time. i kept a mini flashlight beside the bed just in case. we laughed when the power came back on, the beep of the fire detector, the answering machine...all waking up from their slumber.

good friday

just counting my blessings today...dN brought me the sweetest bundle of mini calla lilies this morning and my mum called to invite me on a belated birthday mum & daughter day in yorkville on sunday...spa + lunch + movie. savour the deluxeness!

early bird

went for an early morning breakfast get together yesterday at the gladstone hotel with an old friend. we had the place to ourselves, a glorious corner seat, soaring high ceilings and smooth lattes. the food was ok, but the company was stellar. it is a good sign when you leave someone's company and feel inspired and energized...i am really noticing the drainers vs. the uplifters lately, trying to edit the time spent with drainers wherever possible. energy and time is too precious to spare.

more absurdity witnessed: scattered white substance

crazy chinese lady next door is back to her old tricks. this time, there is this rank unknown white crystalized substance scattered mid lawn to mid sidewalk. a long haired black chat was seen investigating and nibbling at the stuff. it seems like a cross between detergent and moth balls, some kind of radioactive salt. possibly poisonous? is she warding off bad omens or just sick of Tide? you be the judge.

politics

my fellow Ontarians know there was an election and a referendum last night here. before the vote, none of the debate discussed the issue of MMP. why? because it wasn't in the interest of the loudest parties at the table. ironically the only time i heard a suscinct description of MMP by a newscaster was after the vote. today, our new premier declared "overwhelming" support for the status quo. "Ontarians want to move on to other issues." did he even mention MMP once during the election? no. so the overwhelming majority of underwhelming voter turnout made a murky decision.

give thanks

what am i thankful for? sunny picnics on warm october afternoons with my soul mate. good friends and the way they thread themselves into life so seamlessly. good health and good belly laughs, they go hand in hand. the love and support of family, they may have their moments but more often than not they rise to the occassion. the zen of autumn leaves in all their shades. country pies from country stores. enough work to keep the bills paid. our evolving house -- the original work.in.progress, proof that hard work pays off. a world full of characters who always seem to have a story or lesson to share. wisdom that comes with age and keeps on giving.

best picture 2007

my favourite movie pick so far this year, is into the wild. a very genuine, rugged, soulful movie...the antithesis of hollywood. reminds you to go out and seize the moment, live life to the extreme and savour the happiness you share with the important people in your life. but of course, all this sounds trite. the picture is not. plus alexander super tramp is bona fide eye candy paired with supreme acting chops. see.this.movie.

flashback: lotus moon cake

the day before my anniversary, and the Chinese Moon festival still captures the imagination. read the original post here.

According to another legend, on this day the "Man in the Moon" was spotted at an inn, carrying a writing tablet. When questioned, he said he was recording the names of all the happy couples who were fated to marry and live happily forever after.

Za

heavenly. had the BEST morsel of pizza last night at Terroni's on Queen. they had a special pizza on the menu with buffalo mozzarella, zucchini flowers and anchoivies. perfection. ahhhh...

xo

from my new favourite book, Letter Perfect. The A-Z History of the Alphabet. by David Sacks.

"The custom of writing X's for kisses in signing off a letter dates from the Middle Ages, when much of Europe's population remained illiterate. On legal documents, in lieu of a signature, a person might write an X or the sign of a cross. The signatory would then kiss the X, to promise to stick to the agreement. Over later centuries, the written X came to mean not the signature but the kiss."

g love

on this official day of galloping, here's a tribute to the letter g.

globe.geography.godzilla.gigantic.google.
goof.grin.good.gal.gem.giggle.gorgeous.
garden.grandma.guest.gelato.gene.genome.
gasp.gadget.gospel.groom.gulp.
girl.giraffe.gala.gondola.give.gourmet
grant.
gorge.gone.glimpse.galoshes.groovy.

national galloping day

i hearby declare tomorrow national galloping day. went to my laughter meditation class tonight and actually galloped like a kid during part of it. worked wonders on my legs and soul. tomorrow i plan to take galloping breaks thru out the day. even the word brings a smile to my face. hard to take anyone seriously when you think of them galloping. now i just need some galloping galoshes and i'll be all set.

technicolour dream

went to a medicine buddha session this week, my first ever and found the meditative chanting and technicolour room adorned with Buddhas...completely surreal but oddly soothing and calming. we sat on cushions on a hard wood floor, with a long wooden bench/table in front that housed the book of chants so we could follow along. at one point there was a refrain, i believe 108 repetitions...honestly, it was candy for the mind...my mind tripped and gurgeled along with the soulful sounds. it was like visiting a chapter of heaven you'd never heard of before. the room smelled of incense, fans cut the hot Indian summer evening air. words, especially in English, don't do it justice. sublime.

Paris 2054. Live forever or die trying.

cool flick: renaissance. black and white animation but very a scanner darkly, this is a definate one-to-watch.

artifact found: campaign sign

an extremely large candidate's sign appeared on our front lawn this morning. without warning. i always thought they had to ask your permission first, but apparently not. perhaps we were on a list from the previous owners of our house, but still. it's funny because there were smaller signs they could have chosen, but no we got the BIG one. so now i guess we are keeping our neighbours wondering, as i am sure they noticed the huge sign and now we've removed. now even if i was considering voting for that party, i might not based on the sheer rudeness of unauthorized lawn domination. has this happened to anyone else?

look up

i can hear the roar of plane engines above and can only assume the blue angels are back. may they do an extra twirl for lady di today. i can't believe it has been ten years. watched a documentary on the unravelling news surrounding her death last night on cbc. shocking really. such a waste. she always seemed like the royal with the heart. enjoy the last long weekend folks, the weather is supposed to be nice here.

just another manic monday

wish it was sunday. isn't that how the song goes? i can not believe that next weekend is labour day. i may just wear white every day this week in homage to summer. can't wait for laughter meditation class tomorrow night, it will have been almost a month since my last. i am listening to gospel music at the moment, looking to the heavens for inspiration...

the secret sauce

en route to my grandma's funeral i sat next to a fabulous spirit. i asked for aisle but ended up getting a middle seat and the funny thing is that she had just said to the guy on the end, maybe we'll be lucky and the seat will stay open the whole trip. then i arrived. i forget how we got to talking about happiness but i remember her saying - I could go today...meaning she was happy with the life she's lived and lives and doesn't need an ounce more if it's not meant to be.

so i asked her, what's the secret sauce?

she laughed.

and then she said, after some thought...

"I want what I have."

and...

"surround yourself with quality people."

what's a quality person? i asked. "well, it's different for everyone but you need to figure out what your definition of quality is and then surround yourself with it."

i really felt so lucky to sit beside her, it was like one of my deluxe cabbie encounters. philosphy is everywhere if you just take the time to look.