Shortest Attention Span.... ever

now playing

Remember back when I discovered my newest crush?

Well CHECK THIS OUT:

http://nothingsgonnastopmenow.com

There Are No Words......

Holy Crap I love this guy!

First of all his cat's name is RUFUS..... Second of all

!

Oh, the humanity!

So... yesterday after work, I got on my bicycle and began my trek home.  This has been a sometimes trying journey for me due to the uphill nature of said commute.  Yesterday was even more problematic.  Picture this- Sicily 1945...... OK not so much.  Let us try again-

Picture this- Dundas Street, 2012.  KZ biking home listening in her iPod (quietly- I am no dum dum) to some LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean  when I realized a sound that most definitely was not coming from the tunes in my ear buds, rather my "ride".

I popped out one ear bud, and sure enough THIS SOUND was being projected out of my supercycle, varying in tone and severity:

I sheepishly tried to make my way north-- up my usual route of sleepy, one way-ed side streets only realizing that the quieter the road I was on, the LOUDER my bike sounded to those around.  So I then tried NOT to pedal (the sound only happens whilest pedaling).  That only slowed me down (obviously?) and prolonged my ear-splitting presence!

So I did what anyone would do- MADE IT to Kilgours, parked it and waited for my main squeeze... along with a very deserved bottle of Export to keep me company (hey! I never admitted to being any kind of Beer Connoisseur- I'll pretty much drink it all!).

C arrived, we played some trivia and then (after a few pops) made the final trek 1 km up our street.  The bike was making so much noise and C and I just howled the whole way home.  Who would have knew that my initial embarrassment could turn into sheer joy - just 3 beers later!!

My poor bike though. 

Here she is in all her glory. "Bea Arthur" The bike with the veggie burger bell.  

The fact that I have not put a cent into her since I got her back in the spring of 2007 shows that she has been good to me.  But it may be time for an upgrade.  Of course we will have a look at her and see what the DEAL could be.  Perhaps a little greasy-greasy will fix her up real nice... I am hoping at least to get me through the fall.  

And then next year- a new bike could be in my future.  

"Bea 2".

This is what it looks like to fall for MY FATHER'S worst joke..... via at-work messaging:

sadness

We lost a great woman yesterday.

Sue- we will all miss you terribly.  As mom said, you are free from any pain now.

My memories of Susan began when I was very young and would be up north visiting my grandmother "north of the checkerboard".  Kelly and I would sneak into Susan and Wayne's apple orchard or ride our tiny bikes around their property singing "Hello Wayne and Sue, Yabba Dabba Doo", a homemade song we still chant today once in a while.

My mother and Sue had a great friendship which dates back decades and decades. They met as young kids and continued their friendship- especially when mom and Pete moved back up north 12 years ago.  Mom and Sue were essentially neighbors again!  Susan was a gentle, loving woman who loved to harass me about getting married.  "When are you and Corey getting married?  We need another destination wedding, for chrissakes!" -This a reference to a trip we took in 2008 for our good pal Sarah's wedding to Manny in the Dominican Republic.  We made it quite the family affair. A large group of friends as well as Lil Kel & Brother Rob, myself & Corey, Mom & Peter and their neighbors Aurelia and Roy- and then Susan, for good measure!

We had a blast!

Susan was the walking pharmacy on that trip when I found myself covered in Dominican mosquito bites.... or whatever it was that got me.  Being a nurse by trade- the woman knew how to take care of you.

My regret is that I did not go to see Sue on my last trip up north.  This is something I really have to work on.  Death is the most frightening thing to me, and I guess I try to shelter myself from it whenever possible. 

I am glad that my mother was nearby.... was always nearby to comfort Sue during her illness.

I will be up north in less than 2 weeks and we are going to do something for Susan. Perhaps plant a tree in her memory, and cheers our glasses with something sparkly.

Goodbye Sue.

You can now be with Wayne senior again.

 

 

A week in pictures:

Last weeks Kumar hookup

Last weekend`s WORK off-site.  Joel Doodle.  (very lifelike)

 BABY lunch date at my house TODAY!

 So new, so fresh!  (3 weeks!!)

Heineken mommies (JUST ONE EACH)... I had H2O- I`m working for Chrissakes!!!!

end.

toe

YAR

This past weekend we were up north at moms place.  We ate A LOT of corn. What else??? Well there was swimming at the rocks after dinner on Saturday night.  It was needed.  SO hot and humid that day.  Even Mom got on her suit and joined us in the water!

 Meanwhile, earlier that same day......

Yes, you got it.  PIRATES "invaded" sandy beach.  It was the best thing ever, actually.
We were lazing about when all of a sudden I hear firecrackers out in the water.  I think to myself  "how stooooopid."  Fireworks during the day are the epitome of LAME.

That is UNLESS they are coming from a mini-Pirate ship which is embarking onto the beach!

These 3 men FULLY dressed in pirate gear get closer, get out of the boat and start yelling at the children to help them bring the ship in.

"HEAVE you scurvy-dogs HEEEEEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I was in complete awe.   Turns out it was for a B-day party.

Anyways the pirates talked all YAR YAR YAR and gave the kids lil' pirate costumes and then proceeded to run about the beach looking for buried treasure.  The pirates, of course, had brought a shovel!



I hope to shit those parents didn't warn the kids about the pirates.  Would have been so amazing to have this show as a surprise!


While we were up north, Lil Kel and Brother Rob were up at HIS cottage.  Somehow while out swimming, Brother Rob cut off his TOE.


 I will warn you NOW this is not for the faint at heart.  Those with any underlying conditions which should prevent them from looking at something SO SICK should close this web browser 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 Gah!

Slán go fóill, Maeve

Until recent years (late 20's) I was never much of a "reader".  In fact I read exclusively magazines. Usually trash at that:

Even back in school- I would never pick up a book unless it was assigned to me for English class.  And even then I would sometimes end up just skimming over the surface, my ADHD getting the best of me. 

However, there was a particular book I quite enjoyed.  I t is possible I read Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy about 2 dozen times in high school alone….  Unusual for a non-book type.

Now, I do realize that whilest in high school the aforementioned movie also came out.  And my crushes on both Minnie Driver and Chris Donnelly (equally) may have helped to facilitate this allure slightly.

Back to Maeve.  Throughout the years, particularity in the past 8 or so, I have picked up more and more MB books.  She has been my “go-to”, some would say.  On road trips I could be sure to find one of her books in a local goodwill store or yard sale.

Her stories were mainly depictions of small-town Irish life, and the struggles of her characters both in love and in life.  

Her own life was a love story all its own. I have noticed in reading her work that many of her books are dedicated to her husband, whom she married in 1977.  You open up a MB novel and surely you will see the likes of:

'To dear generous Gordon' 

'To Gordon Snell, who has made my life so good and so happy...

or

'To my dear love Gordon Snell'

Her thoughts on her husband as per the Maeve Binchy website?

"I met Gordon Snell, a writer, a man I loved and he loved me and we got married and it was great and is still great. He believed I could do anything, just as my parents had believed all those years ago ..."

What can I say? I am a sucker for the L word.

Her novels contained their fair amount of love and drama but more than anything- her characters and stories were very.... human.  Relatable, even when the story was set in another continent, during a war I'd never experienced.

I feel that without Maeve perhaps my transformation into a “reader” may not have happened.  Well perhaps I shouldn't be SO dramatic-- but her tranquil stories that I look forward to getting home to dive into- has certainly guided my way.

Best Sunday Imaginable

Yesterday RULED. If everyday could be like it was- no doubt I would be a happier, healthier woman.

It began in the AM freshly showered and riding my bicycle DOWNHILL to Trinity-Bellwoods park where Jenna and I (and 100 others) participated in Yoga in the Park.

After a good stretchin' we hippity-hopped on our bikes and met up with the OTHER KZ at BODY BLITZ spa.  While there we enjoyed the following luxuries:

• Dead Sea salt pool
• Hot green tea poolC
• Cold plunging pool
• Aromatherapy steam room (think sitting in a world made of VICKS)
• Infrared sauna

The hot rooms above were followed with the cold plunge pool.  Yikes / Wow.  Amazeballs. 

We followed up the "water park" with Therapeutic messages.  One glorious hour of someone rubbing and working my sole ol' muscles.

So, as per the above, it was pretty much BLISS.

But the day did not end there.  After the ladies and I enjoyed some lunch grub at Shanghai Cowgirl (triple decker grilled cheese, please), I biked up to meet the love of my life for a coupla' beers and went home and ate TASTY BITES.

So as you can see?  Pretty much the best. 

day. 

ever.