blue.berry

my inlaws went up to algonquin recently and spent three days chasing blueberries. simple bliss. of course, they shared, so i have eaten my fair share of the deluxe berry of late. reminds me of my youth, daydreaming in a patch and nibbling on berries as we gazed up at the clouds.

wink

didn't sleep a wink last night or much the night before either. send me some calm angels of sleep pretty please and thank you. it makes a world of difference when you have sleep on your side.

count

strange but true

file this one under, strange but true. gives new meaning to cold CUT trio.

at-choo!

the crazy chinese lady next door has served up a fresh dose of bizarre. now that the weather is warmer, maybe i am just noticing it more...open windows and doors bring the indoors out. she SNEEZES frequently. LOUDLY. COMICALLY. i used to think it was just a morning thing but even around 8pm last night i heard her, and again countless times today. what gives? is she allergic to her own magic remedies, potions and schemes? it is one curious case, that is for sure.

redux: laugh track

my pal audrey and i decided to start laughter meditation again, first session - tonight. i love the sound of united hums, a breathing exercise we do to start things off. such a lovely unison of voices and so calming. we were rusty but know it will get easier. it's actually hard work to laugh for very long if you are out of practice. my abs hurt and my face tingled. my soul said thank you.

what you resist, persists

a friend of mine, audrey, dispensed these words of wisdom yesterday. so simple yet so true. applies to so much.

swoop

every so often, a soul swoops in, in the disguise of a stranger....with lightning precision and says exactly what you need to hear. she even warned me she didn't have much time so she was going to be frank and she was good at it. grateful. i would get into specifics but i don't hand the keys to my soul out to just anyone so you'll just have to trust the deluxe-ness of it. perspective. strength of character and courage. definite secret sauce to be sure. inspire.

stars & stripes

celebrating independence in all its' glorious shades today along with all my yankee doodle pals.

guilty pleasures

on this canada day long weekend, i must admit to some guilty pleasure. i have watched a few back to back episodes of crap tv: sunset tan and the hills. pure vapidness. i've also read every morsel of the latest US Weekly. neither of which is very Canadian. i topped off the indulgence-athon by eating chocolate cake with molten insides and a dab of gelato. am i sinking to a new low? maybe this is just the art of doing nothing. i can think of many elegant ways to do nothing, say in an italian villa or gazing at a still lake but let's face it, sometimes you've got to nurse your inner sloth and there is beauty in the sheer ugliness of it.

good find: glass door

a friend in the bay area passed along this one. kind of like spy games. work fun. check it out.

spam vs me

lately it seems spam has been winning the war. i have a yahoo account, have had it for years. refused to switch to the new and improved version for a variety of reasons. of late, it seems the spam folder is flooded. outnumbers my real mail by far. for example, today - two new mails for me (lists i subscribed to) spam = 20. it is my personal account and somehow this makes it seem even more trashy that it is now losing the spam war. is it just me or is everyone seeing more spam these days?

redux

it is like my mind wanted to visit old chapters. fitting because i am re reading eat. pray.love at the moment. so in that spirit, here's a few preloved blogs from work.in.progress days past. packet o spunk. | two slices in the same loaf | secret sauce this trio seems to sum up my state of mind at the moment.

freaky friday

lucky friday the 13th roars into existence. the strangest thing happened today. i picked up the phone to call my sister and at that very moment the phone died. the power went out. moments later car alarms went off outside and all the power blinked back on. then, dN just called me to tell me the water guy came to check the meter in our work.in.progress house, in the basement and nearly died because his foot broke thru one of the stairs en route. chills, chills! this was the same basement where we found a frozen black cat, so don't doubt the jinx factor. hope everyone survives the remainder of the day!

inspire

stronger.better.faster.stronger.

dream a little dream

dreamed we were back in San Francisco last night. remembered our tiny little apartment, flying surf board above the futon like a shark, ivy and dotted white lights on the postage stamp patio, the whole deal. we had the tiniest sink ever and i used to cook up a mean pasta dish. around the corner from us sat the city's smallest park, jack early. a stairway leading to a look out point with only one bench but a panoramic view of the bay and both bridges. we had many a picnic up there. somehow my memory of that apartment merged with memories of my grandma's beloved flat. she loved her place and had a talent for making a small space completely charming and comfortable.

rock scissors paper

had a dream last night about the forts i used to make in the woods with my pal k. we always would clear a space between a circle of trees, line with stones, and make a fire pit with a fake rotisserie. every fort had a welcome mat made from a piece of left over wood from our dads' workshop, painted or artfully done of course. we had secret code names for them. like the robin's nest. and the best ones were out of ear shot of our parents and a secret from our brothers. we liked to pretend we couldn't hear the first calls to come home for dinner or chores and stretch the time out just a little longer. in the winter we even built "snow couches." we lived an imaginary life in these forts. one time we even planted a tree limb, propped it up with rocks and it took hold and ended up growing into a lovely tree. would be good to visit it and see if it's still there. anyhow, feels like a friday made for memories like this. o happy days!

sunny sunday

the weather was all smiles this weekend, wasn't it? sat in a window seat in one of my favourite cafes today and watched the street go by. lots of bikers and people wearing shorts! other highlights of the weekend included a dinner with a pal at the Ethiopian restaurant down the street. we drank red wine and chatted up a storm amid all the incense and burning coffee beans. always feels like i am traveling to another country when i go there, but at the same time has a really laid back and "at home" feeling. if it was a colour, i think it would be Amber. warm, buttery yellow. didn't get to much of the practical stuff i had hoped to get done but oh well, that's what mondays are for, I guess.

good flick: how to cook your life

watched how to cook your life yesterday and felt like it was my version of church. food for the soul. definitely one to watch more then once. all about meditation and zen buddhist philosophy and how it applies to the food we eat and the food we make. definitely slower pacing then a hollywood flick but if you think of it like a tvo documentary, you'll be all set. for me, it brought on a sense of calm. definitely makes you reflect on life and the habits we have as a culture. doesn't hurt that it was filmed in our city, san francisco. even the vegetables are filmed as though they are starlets. art. watch it and let me know what you think.

happy may 2-4

hope you are enjoying the long weekend.