If You Complain About It, They Will Come

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I tweeted that a mere three hours ago and guess what! My Cuckoo Clock print tank top AND grey jorts both came! THANKS MAILMAN!

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As you can see, I’m really werkin the “bag of rags” look I’ve spent so long cultivating. Especially my hair today.

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Yeesh. I swear, it looks great when I blowdry it but let’s face it: it’s too hot for that. Last time I made the effort I was so sweaty afterwards I needed to have a shower. Once it gets longer I can let it airdry and it’ll be nice and wavy instead of frizzy and weird but until then: Bag of rags. Own it.

Special Events

I was actually going to make this post yesterday, but I thought the dogs-locked-in-hot- cars post was more important to get out there, so I put this one off, and now I have MORE to post about anyway so I think it’s worked out for the best!

On Wednesday night we FINALLY made it out to the fireworks. For those of you who don’t know, every summer Vancouver hosts a four-nights-in-two-weeks international fireworks competition.

Since 1990, Vancouver has been home to the Celebration of Light (originally known as the Symphony of Fire). This international pyro-musical fireworks competition has attracted the world’s leading fireworks designers and is seen as a highly prestigious event. The fireworks festival creates an exciting arena where spectators can enjoy each country’s representatives unveil their latest techniques and use the most innovative fireworks materials as they compete to be crowned the winner.

Basically for two Wednesdays and two Saturdays, hundreds of thousands of people pour through our neighborhood to get to the beaches, hooting and screaming and drinking. Since I’ve lived almost exclusively in the West End since I was 17 I’m pretty used to it/over it and don’t generally go to every night of the competition. Symphony really wanted to go though, and since she was too asleep on Saturday I figured we’d go down for the Mexican team’s show on Wednesday.

The usually start around ten pm, so after taking the dogs for one last walk we walked down to Sunset Beach (it’s closer to our house and less crowded than English Bay). It was pretty fun, although for some reason fireworks seem to bring out the existentialist in Sym so I usually spend the whole show answering her weird questions.

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Taylor took these using his knee as a tripod so he thinks they came out to blurry but WHATEVER MAN, I still like them. I made the third last one my desktop background.

On Thursday night I really wanted to go to the Fresh Air Cinema
screening of The (Original) Karate Kid at Ceperley Field in Stanley Park. Symphony was going with her dad (Clay) and stepmom (Colleen), so after a whirlwind visit to the gym (go us!) and a quick stop to pick up some poutine (our reward for going to the gym lol) at La Belle Patate Taylor and I went and met them. All the dogs came also. Georgie loves Daniel LaRusso. Also I may have had a crush on him when I was a little kid shh don’t tell.

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It was so fun, I’m kind of bummed it was the last show of the summer! There were tons of people and kids and dogs, some people showed up carrying a COUCH to sit on, people were cheering and hooting and going “WOOooooOOOOOooooo” when Ali and Daniel kiss. We also learned some valuable lessons, like BRING CAMP CHAIRS (or a couch, haha) unless you want to kill yourself sitting awkwardly hunched on the ground for two hours. Two hours and six minutes, actually. I had no idea the movie was so long!

Now the only really mad & sad & feelin’ bad part of the evening: The movie started at 9:40 and since it was two hours (and six minutes) long, Taylor had to leave early to get to work by midnight. He left a half-hour or so before the end of the movie and missed the exciting conclusion (spoiler alert: Daniel-san wins). I stayed and watched the movie with Sym, Clay and Colleen, but I was on my blanket and they were smooshed together on theirs so I was kind of by myself. After the movie was over I walked them to their building (they live on the same street as us, seven blocks west) but then I had to walk up the hill all alone, carrying all our blankets and stuff. I was pretty depressed when I got home. You all know I try not to let this whole opposite schedules thing get to me, but when it spoils a fun evening I can’t help it.

Anyway. It’s Friday- the weekend is starting! Also it’s a long weekend (Monday is a holiday in BC), plus Taylor took Tuesday off as well because he worked on Canada Day, and anyway I’M ON VACATION NEXT WEEK. That’s right, I’m about to have NINE blissful work-free days, six of which I get to spend with my handsome husband! Hooray!!

Public Service Announcement

You might no know this, but I love dogs. Big dogs, small dogs, cute dogs, ugly dogs (IS TEHRE EVEN SUCH A THING???). So to me it’s so sad and tragic how many people think it’s a super-keen idea to leave their dogs sitting in a locked car. Let me tell you a story:

At around two o’clock I was taking Georgie for a quick walk around the block and I passed a Toyota RAV4 parked on the street, in full sun, with a little fuzzy white dog inside barking his face off. I came home and printed out some “Don’t Leave Me In Here- It’s Hot!” flyers from MyDogIsCool.com and at 2:15 I went and put one on the car’s windshield (the dog was still barking his face off). I went back home and folded some laundry but I couldn’t stop thinking about that poor dog!

A little heat outside a car can quickly make it very hot inside. On a summer’s day of only 85 degrees Fahrenheit, for example, even keeping the windows slightly open won’t stop the inside temperature from climbing to 102 degrees in 10 minutes, and to 120 degrees in 20 minutes. A dog whose body temperature rises to 107-108 degrees will within a very short time suffer irreparable brain damage — or even death.
(from MyDogIsCool.com)

At 2:30 I went back up the street to check and the car was still there, but I didn’t hear any barking. I thought maybe the owner had come and taken him out, but my flyer was still there so I went up to peer in the window (they were really tinted) and the dog barked a couple more times. At this point it’d been there for AT LEAST a half hour and that’s just not acceptable, so I called Animal Control. This actually turned into a bureaucratic nightmare- I called the city to get put through to Animal Control, and after being put on hold for a couple of minutes I was told I actually had to be put through to the SPCA. I was put through to them and gave all the information about the vehicle and it’s location, only to be told I needed to talk to the City Pound, which is operated by… Animal Control. Argh. Anyway the woman at the SPCA contacted them for me, which was good because my phone was about to die anyway.

By the time all this was done it was ten to three; almost a full hour since I’d first seen the dog. I went back up at 3:20 and the RAV4 was gone, so I don’t know if the owner came back or if the city had the car (and the dog) impounded. If the owner did come back, I hope they read the flyer and took it to heart and maybe learned something. If the city got there first I guess they’ll REALLY learn their lesson!

Anyway I guess the point of this post is to spread the word about this very important pet safety issue. I swear I read about this in like, Ranger Rick or National Geographic World magazine when I was in elementary school. I’ve always know how dangerous it is to leave your dog locked in a parked car and it shocks me how many people don’t know this! So please, never ever do this! If you live in a place where you see people doing this, print out some flyers and keep them in your bag so you can put them on people’s cars! Figure out who you have to call in this situation so you don’t end up in a bureaucratic phone loop like me!

IMG_0444Georgie says: “Do it for me and my doggy friends!”

Popsicle Party

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This is absurdly late. In my defense I DID make popsicles on Saturday morning, but then Sym was at her friend Ali’s house all afternoon/evening, and on Sunday she was at her dad’s. We actually tried them on Monday but due to my CAMERA SKILLS FAIL I had to retake all the pictures. To make up for the lateness I actually made a second kind of popsicles. That’s right. DOUBLE POPSICLE PARTY!

Grapefruit Popsicles

Popsicle #1 was made with Sun-Rype Rio Red Grapefruit juice (which I love).
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It’s a blend of grapefruit and apple and/or grape and/or pear juices, so they were grapefruity yet sweet and Sym definitely liked these ones better.
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telling me about her favorite flowers

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clenching her teeth & grimacing while muttering “take it fast! I don’t like pictures!”

Grapefruit Popsicles

Popsicle #2 was made with unsweetened pink grapefruit juice I hand squeezed. These were NOT SWEET at all, and when Sym tried it she was like “… didn’t you put any sugar in it? No? Can we trade?” I had originally planned to add some white cranberry juice to these to sweeten them up a bit but… I drank it all. Oops. They were still delicious to me though, but I really like grapefruit. I eat them like they’re oranges!
Grapefruit Popsicles

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Too much pulp and seeds. I saw cheesecloth at the store the day before and I’m kicking myself for not buying it. I strained the juice through a regular (clean) dishcloth and it was very messy. Note to self: buy cheesecloth.
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I used three smallish grapefruits and I got a cup of juice even after to de-pulping. This was way too much for the tiny ~fun shape~ popsicle mold so I had a glass of juice to drink as well.

Non-Stop Shopping

I keep buying random things online, I’m waiting on about a zillion packages. I think I may have to cut myself off! Yesterday one was delivered and I was SO EXCITED I tore it right open without looking at the name and as it turned out it was something Taylor had ordered. So disappointing! Anyway here are some things I have on the way.

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BDG jorts in ~smokestack~ from Urban Outfitters. For some reason I didn’t buy these when I saw them in the store even though I love them- I have the same ones in ~indigo~ and wear them basically every day (they are the ones I had on when I fell in that sludge on Saturday). ANyway when I went back to get the grey ones I couldn’t find them, which is super annoying.

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Cuckoo Clock print tank top from RedPrairiePress on etsy. Because what I need is another grey tank top, lol.

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Customized Team Zissou sneakers for Taylor from teamzissousneakers on ebay. I was really surprised to win this auction, the previous pair went for way more so I wasn’t even going to bid on them, but I did on sort of a whim and promptly forgot about until I got an email saying CONGRATULATIONS! They are technically for his birthday but he knows I got them because I had to ask him what his shoe size was (it’s 13, btw. GIANT FREAK FEET).

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“Breakfast at Tree House” print with adorable pandas from krisblues on etsy. It took my half a day to decide which of Kristiana Parn‘s prints I wanted, they are all so cute!

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Silky linen pants from J. Crew. I’m excited about these, they are like classy sweatpants. I’m a little nervous about the sizing though- I’ve never ordered from J. Crew before and I took an extra 30% discount which made them a final sale, so if they don’t fit I am Out Of Luck.

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Smart Planet Mini Doughnut Maker from Amazon. This is going to be so fun, and maybe after the summer Sym and I can have Doughnut Parties instead of Popsicle Parties. Speaking of, I DID make popsicles on the weekend and I DO have a Popsicle Party post pending (omg), but none of the pictures I took are good I have to restage them (ie we all eat more popsicles) tonight.

Paper Bunting… with a Vengeance

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I made this last night for Natalya of letmenatalya handmade jewelry. We’re doing a craft trade- one of her necklaces for thirty feet of bunting. Making it was kind of epic, when you think “30 feet” in your head it doesn’t seem that long but TRUST ME, it is. It took me a couple of hours to finish and I think it took even longer to figure out how to wrap it up without creasing or scrumpling any of the pennants. Right now it’s wrapped up in a bunch of tissue paper and I just need to find a box and I can mail it after work 🙂

Date Night/A Full Weekend

Thursday night marked the return of Date Night, as Taylor and I went out to see Inception instead of staying home to watch Burn Notice. We both liked it; Taylor REALLY liked it. I think I would have liked it more had my enjoyment not been marred by one thing: THEY CLOSED THE TACO BELL IN THE SCOTIABANK THEATRE FOOD COURT. I know; it’s completely unbelievable.

Anyhoo. Friday was a super easy day at work- I was supposed to have three kids but one didn’t show up and of the two that did, one left before lunch. I got to spend a nice afternoon with CT, reading and playing and going out for ice cream. In the evening we headed over to Taylor’s dad’s apartment for a barbecue, which was nice. We got home just before eleven and Sym and I both went straight to bed- she’d been up late the night before and I’d been up since 5:45. Ouch.

Saturday was another early morning for me- puppies really put the kibosh on sleeping in! Taylor and I got coffee and pastries and then Symphony and I ran errands while Taylor did an excellent job of vacuuming and dusting the house (I’d been complaining about feeling like no one helps me out with housework). Usually Sym goes to her dad’s on Saturday afternoons, but he was at a wedding so she got to go to her friend Ali’s house to play. She was there for most of the day, so after I did some housework of my own (dishes and mopping) Taylor and I had the opportunity to run errands without a cranky kid in tow.

Our list:
1. West End Farmer’s Market for veggies
2. Barking Babies for refills of Georgie’s poop-bags
3. New Balance so I could buy new running shoes (for my triumphant return to the gym)
4. HMV to pick up a dvd to watch that night if Sym was too tired for the fireworks (as it turned out, she was too tired for fireworks AND movies)
4. Sears or The Bay to look for an ironing board and a new microwave.

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Farmer’s Market haul: peaches & cream corn, the world’s ACTUAL tiniest potatoes and mutant carrots!
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These potatoes made my last tiny potatoes look like yams.

HOWEVER. Things didn’t go exactly as planned. Our trips to the market and Barking Babies were fine, and on our way from Yaletown to Downtown we swung by the Japadog restaurant for Terimayo dogs (teriyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, carmelized onions & nori).
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Unfortunately things were about to get sucky. There’s this tiny falafel/schwarma place on Robson at Granville, and for some inexplicable reason the people there thought it was a good idea, on the busiest shopping street on the busiest day, to pour a huge bucket of greasy slime water all over the sidewalk, from the building to the curb, six feet across. Clearly that place is a real braintrust. I thought it was just regular water so I tried to step across it and OF COURSE I slipped and OF COURSE I feel on my ass in greasy grey sludge. It was so disgusting! It soaked through my shorts (which were dark denim, thankfully), splattered up my legs and was all over my left hand, which broke my fall, overextending my wrist in the process. I also wrenched my knee, bruised my bottom AND hurt my pride. It was humiliating!

I stormed off to wash my hands and legs in the Sears bathroom, but there was nothing I could do about my behind. Taylor said you couldn’t really tell and suggested we try to continue our errands. He went to HMV and I went to New Balance, but after standing there for a while being totally ignored by the entire sales staff I was like “FORGET THIS” and stormed off again. I sent Taylor a text saying I was going home and I may have cried a little bit on the way. When I got there I had to have a shower to get the slime residue off me, and as it turned out it was good I didn’t try on shoes because the slop had gotten into my sandals and the soles of my feet were black. I had to use a pumice to get them clean.

So after that whole mess I didn’t really feel like going back out to finish our errands, so we just went to get groceries for dinner. I made spicy chicken, carrot fries, teeny potatoes and corn on the cob. This meal was about 70% good: I forgot we were out of butter so we didn’t have any for the corn, and I misjudged the times for the carrots and potatoes. I should have put the potatoes on five minutes earlier and the carrots on five minutes later, but it was still pretty good.

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I picked Sym up from Ali’s at 7:30, and found her in a state of near-hysterical near-meltdown from all the late nights and activity-filled days. I told her if she had a nap we might be able to go to the fireworks but that didn’t happen. She laid down for about fifteen minutes and came out with a puffy blotchy face and big black eye circles and said “I feel better now,” but I didn’t fall for her clever ruse and sent her back to bed. She ended up sleeping straight through from 8 until 7 on Sunday morning!

Sunday was another super-early morning for me as Georgie needed to go out at 5:30. I also somehow managed to slam the gate on the back of my ankle and ripped it open, but still had to walk the dog with blood dripping into my shoe. Not a good start to the day! I didn’t bother going back to bed and when Taylor woke up we spent an absurdly lazy morning looking at pictures of people’s cosplay outfits from Comic Con and eating cookies for breakfast. After a while I started to feel a little mental so I went to read in bed and fell asleep for an hour or so. I woke up when Clay arrived to pickup Sym and then I managed to get both Taylor and myself in gear to go get coffee.

We still had the previous day’s errands to finish but after the lame excuse for customer service at New Balance I wasn’t about to go back there! Instead we went to the Nike Store (which is closer to my house anyway) and while the service wasn’t much better (I hate having to walk all the way across a store to find an associate and ask for help, like, running shoes are SCIENTIFIC and COMPLICATED they should be there to answer your questions, not gossiping at the cashdesk!) I did find a pair of Pegasuses I liked. They’re kind of ugly and somewhat cheesily Livestrong-branded, but they are like FOOT CLOUDS.

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Taylor went to bed not long after we got home. I have a terrible habit of pestering him to stay up until 5 or 6 hanging out with me, but he hits his second awakeness wind around that time and ends up not getting enough sleep. To keep myself from bothering him I decided to go out and took Georgie on a big walk downtown. First we walked past the falafel/schwarma place and I gave them the biggest stink eye in the history of stink eyes. Next we did some shopping- I wanted to get a picnic blanket so I checked HomeSense (nothing, although I did buy some hangers and Georgie peed on the floor, oops) and The Bay, but I didn’t see anything there either. The last place we went was H&M where I got a $15 dress (grey, of course). By this point Georgie was getting really squirrelly so I took her home to read and relax for a while.
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These pictures are actually from Saturday, she was cheering me up after I fell in the muck.

I was feeling pretty excited about my new gym shoes so I decided to make my return to the gym that evening instead of waiting until Tuesday. First, though, I needed to walk Georgie so she wouldn’t have any accidents while I was out, and it’s a good thing too. She likes to hide under the couch, and usually I have to poke her out with a stick, but this time she was whining and whimpering, so I pulled the ottoman out and discovered she’d wrapped herself up in an extension cord! I untangled her and then shoved this big stuffed rabbit under the couch so she couldn’t get back there again.
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Usually I don’t wear my gym shoes outside, but I really didn’t feel like carrying my whole gym bag and having to lock stuff up so instead I used this great little LeSportsac wristlet my friend Marissa sent me. It’s perfect for carrying my phone, keys, ipod, gym card (and a picture of Taylor and I a friend took in Seattle). I also added some bandaids because of my torn-up ankle, and along with my water bottle this was all I had to bring!

Anyway, I got home from the gym just after eight to find Taylor was awake already! I guess him going to bed earlier doesn’t necessarily mean we have less time to spend together! After I showered we went out to the grocery store again to get stuff for spaghetti, although I’m the only one who ended up eating as Taylor only made enough for one. I think he had a peanut butter sandwich instead. We watched the season 4 premiere of Mad Men and then Taylor went to work and I went to bed. Unfortunately I didn’t have a restful sleep- Claire was poking me in the face all night and Kichou has this weird, honking cough that kept waking me up. Taylor actually has him at the vet right now, so everyone keep your fingers crossed it isn’t something serious!

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Finding That Silver Lining

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I’ve been feeling really bummed out recently. Like, sad tired overwhelmed depressed exhausted drained stressed bummed out. It sucks and I’m sick of it since most of the stuff that’s bumming me out are things I have no control over anyway. I feel low physically, emotionally and creatively. I need to shake myself OUT of this funk and here’s how I’m going to do it:

1. Starting next Tuesday (the 27th) I’m going to start going to the gym again. I know that if I start working out again I’ll feel way better about myself AND have more energy.
2. As soon as we finish all the water for the cooler, I’m canceling the delivery service and donating the money I used to spend on it to a charity (tbd- any ideas?) that helps people in developing nations get access to clean water. I’ll feel better because I’m reducing my ecological footprint AND helping others. Win-win! Besides, who am I to argue with the Metro Vancouver tap water campaign?
3. I’m going to (re)start work on my self-portrait painting today. Right now. This will get me out of my creative rut and inspire to create more!

This is a picture of Jesus

Ask Pacey

You have questions. Everyone does. Unless you’re Pacey Witter. He may only a fictitious character from a 90’s television show but you’d be an idiot to think that his wisdom isn’t on par with the greatest thinkers of all time.
Did you lose your virginity to your 10th grade English teacher? Of course not. But you could have if you had asked Pacey.
Have you sailed a boat to the Caribbean? Become a stockbroker without any formal schooling? Stole your best friend’s love interest? Have a history of assault on authority figures? If you’ve answered ‘no’ to even one of these questions then you’re dangerously unqualified to make decisions for yourself. Let Pacey carry this burden for you.

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