Back to Basics

I accidentally deleted my entire Custom Dictionary off my BB today. I meant to delete just one entry that annoying kept inserting itself, but I got rid of them all instead. Dammit.

Anyway, I've since been texting and have been re-teaching my BB the custom words that I use. My new current dictionary went from having zero entries, to a whopping total of four:

fuck
haha
lol
shit

Goes to show how intellectually classy my text-conversations are.

Not like I used to

One perusing click and I'm catapulted back in to April 2005, when I made $6 an hour and where my biggest worries were my back-to-back exams and my missing volleyball. But the nicest thing about that time of my life--the long-ass blog posts.

With the coincidental exception of the last handful of posts, I feel like my pieces of grey-matter-vomit have been getting shorter and shorter and that makes me feel...wussy. Reasons for possible abbreviation of recent posts compared to long-ago posts?

• I used to write on paper before posting electronically? Who knew how long my language-doodles could get in a class that didn't catch my attention?
• I used to have exams. When I had to write papers, it was so much easier to write other things instead...like blog posts!
• I had time to spend endlessly musing over life, love, and the universe as I thought I knew it (as opposed to spending my time studying).

Even this post that I thought would write itself as a sort of "those were the good old days" kind of post is finding itself falling a little short. Probably for the best, anyway. I'm in bed, it's late, and the cat is testing me for internal weaknesses, thereby blocking my view of the screen and of my word-count.

Romancing

I think that I love you
I think that I do
So go on mister
Make Miss me Mrs you
...

But how do you know?
...

It's nighttime, and my skin is hating me. I have no idea what the fuck it wants. I'm out of the sun already, and I moisturize more than usual. Something inside wants out and while I'm not stopping it, I don't know what it is so I can't help it!
...

Ye born in the month of October are most likely instilled with an innate sense of romance--you're Valentine's babies, afterall. I know I am--instilled with an innate sense of romance, that is.
...

Boo sent me the last episode of FREINDS tonight. I watched it and sobbed like the sap that I am. I miss my FRIENDS.
...

I'd get off the plane.

Supplies!

An Italian, a Scotsman, and a Chinese fellow were hired at a construction site. The foreman pointed out a huge pile of sand and told the Italian guy, "You're in charge of sweeping." To the Scotsman he said, "You're in charge of shoveling." And to the Chinese guy, "You're in charge of supplies."

He then said, "Now, I have to leave for a little while. I expect you guys to make a dent in that there pile."

The foreman went away for a of couple hours, and, when he returned, the pile of sand was untouched. He asked the Italian, "Why didn't you sweep any of it?" The Italian replied, "I no hava no broom. You said to the Chinese fella that he a wasa in a charge of supplies, but he hasa disappeared and I no coulda finda him nowhere." Then the foreman turned to the Scotsman and said, "And you, I thought I told you to shovel this pile."

The Scotsman replied, "Aye, ye did lad, boot ah couldnay get meself a shoovel! Ye left th' Chinese gadgie in chairge of supplies, boot ah couldnay fin' him either." The foreman was really angry by now and stormed off toward the pile of sand to look for the Chinese guy.

Just then, the Chinese guy jumped out from behind the pile of sand and yelled...

"SUPPLIES!!"
...

Thanks for the supplies, Crazy. It was a great birthday. :)

Hello, Toast!

I FINALLY got a chance to eat at Toast last night and was I ever tickled pink by everything!

The place is tiny, nestled in a corner of Leslieville and you would totally walk right by it had you not been looking for it (or in my case, had Crazy not spotted Dad through the window--and we were looking for it!).

The fam had been seated by the window on 1/2 chair, 1/2 couch tables. Mom was stuck on the couch with me (despite many offers by Brodder to switch) but I was perfectly content with my seat. Our tables happened to be the marble-top type with wrought-iron bases, but the other tables were just as full of character--little retro/diner tables with original art on them.

As for the decor, I LOVED it! Original art by local artists covered the walls which had been painted a rich red. The cute tables, mismatched chairs and cutlery, taper candles on each table, and toasters everywhere! Go see for yourself. The salt and pepper shakers were adorable--each table had their own unique set. Ours had been 2 spuds, french fries and ketchup, and 2 bears. Tables near by had a crate of oranges, a set of coffee cups, cheese graters...they were so cute. But, the pièce de résistance for me, was the ceiling.

The ceiling (which I could not stop peering up at all night) was painted a plain, solid black, but was dotted everywhere with...ready?...golden toast! Yup, they don't show it in the pictures, unfortunately, but someone took the time (and many slices of toast, I'm sure) to dip toast into gold paint and carefully stamp the slice onto the ceiling. I. Loved. It.

Food choices are limited but popular--the calamari and something else were sold out by the time we got there. We order mussels, samosas (not something to share, trust me), and the foie gras poutine. Each time the server came to take the plates, he found me desperately trying to scoop up the last dregs of remains...the sauces were delish. For entrees, Dad and Crazy each got the special of "white veal with roasted pears, mashed potatoes, and root vegetables," I got the baked Atlantic Salmon with dragonfruit salsa, wild rice and veggies, and Mom and Brodder both got pastas--penne with either pork tenderloin in a dijon cream sauce, or chicken (and mushrooms?) in another cream sauce.

Y.U.M.

I was fed a piece of the veal--SOOOOOOO tender and delicious! The pasta was a little al dente, but not too much so. My salmon was soft and juicy, but I wish there'd been more salsa! Or butter. Mmmmmm...butter.

We were too full for dessert afterward ("I have 2 slices of carrot cake left, 2 chocolate brownies, and an apple tart") and Mom didn't want to be wired by any caffeine, so our toasted experience ended there. Well, it ended after the boys bickered over the bill so much (Crazy won) that the server was sure we were going to go out into the street and brawl.

It'd been over a year since I first heard of and wanted to go to Toast, and now I have and I'd be HAPPY to go back. Even if it was just to stare at the ceiling. :) Well, to stare at the ceiling while trying their Cranberry Cream Cheese French Toast.

Salut!

My Vampire Diary

When I wake up and realize I forgot to close the blinds, I have to panic. I don't play down at the beach anymore. I wear sunglasses, a hat and a scarf to go out during the day, even if it's summer. I no longer ask for a seat by the window. I am slowly becoming a vampire--a champion of the night--fearful of the sun. I don't drink blood yet; hopefully I won't have to.
...

Okay, maybe not a vampire. I don't turn to ashes like Dracula, I don't glitter like Edward (though that'd be an awesome alternative, considering). Instead, I burn in minutes, hive in hours, then my skin peels for days. Even if I'm wearing sunscreen. It's just come up, this allergy to the sun, so I'm not used to having to deal with it.

I still remember the days when I was a kid and all the other mothers were slathering their kids with sunscreen while my brother and I were already out and running through the sun, completely unprotected from the sun. The other kids would still burn by the end of the day--we would go home unscathed with golden tans.

Now, I stand outside in a parking lot on a sunny, but cool autumn day for a 10 minute post-lunch conversation and I breakout. I sleep in while the sun streams in through the open blinds on my face and I breakout. FML.

Who's allergic to the sun? Who develops an allergy to the sun after more than a quarter of a century of loving to soak it up? I asked my GP the last time I went to visit her during my latest bout if there was anything she could think of that I could do to prevent breakouts. She sadly smiled and shrugged and sympathetically suggested:

    "Live in a bubble?"

*sigh*

And so, I'm confined to long-sleeves, pants, scarves, hats and sunglasses at least until December 7th when I can finally visit my dermatologist and allergy guy. At least it's not the dead of summer. :(

Answers

    "I have two answers for you. One is in the form of a popular love ballad: If you don't know me by now / you will never never never know me / OOOoOOoOOoooOoOoOOOoooO."
...

She gave me a second answer, but I can't remember what it was.

Taking Care

When you go to see your foot/ankle doctor and you ask him "Is my ankle fat?" and he takes a look and can only raise his eyebrows in silence as he inspects you for a moment before saying "wow, that's fat," you know your ankle's fat.

    "If it's still that big in a few weeks, come back and I'll suck the fat outta there."

Comforting. Actually, he's really an awesome doctor. I can't wait to get my new orthodics.

Speaking of new, I bought myself the purse I'd been eying for a while. I. Love. It. So does Señorita. It's so nice looking, sturdy, AND functional!
...

    "When you get here, don't park in the driveway--park on the street."
    "Why?"
    "So that I can get my car out. I am taking care of you tonight."

And how!

My sister proceeded to take me out for my steak (ridiculously big--I'd made the pasta for lunch today), drinks, a delicious dessert I was too full to finish, and then wine back at her place before drifting to sleep on the couch while we contemplated life and love and everything in between.

    "You asleep? Alright, c'mon, let's get you to bed."

It was the pampering I'd needed from one who knew exactly how. Thanks.

'Snot bad

My morning coffee is nice and hot in its thermos travel mug. Unfortunately it didn't travel with me to work and is just sitting on the kitchen counter. :( Neither did my iPod. Of all days.

I made a discovery last night--screw wadded up tissues for snot-catching; paper towels are where it's at! With a perpetually clogged nose last night, I was too tired and frustrated to make my way all the way over to the other side of the room to grab my tissue box. Instead, I snagged a small sheet of Bounty paper towel because it was closer. And that's all I needed. That one freaking little sheet lasted me the whole night straight through to decongestion! Eff yeah!
...

I want a really big steak for dinner. Or pasta. Or a really big steak WITH pasta. Mmmmm...nothing beats delicious comfort. Nothing beats the knowledge that your sister will be THERE for you, either. Amazing.

Say what?

It's totally Friday today. Totally.
...

Last week I was stuck in this loop where starting on Wednesday, I thought it was Friday. So I was hoping for Friday three times, but was disappointed twice. This week, I got it right. And so far, it's been a pretty snazzy Friday. (Snazzy? Yes, snazzy.)