Fire in the Sky!

The Blue Moon on July 31, 2015 taken from New Westminster, BC

I was off to take photographs with my group of the Celebration of Light on its 25th Anniversary!

August 1, 2015

A lovely sunset preceded the event.

The point of view is from the Burrard Street Bridge which overlooks the West End of Vancouver. The boats are gathering for the festivities!

Above is Vancouver’s Westend.  The masses are forming.  Tonight will attract close to 500,000 people.

 

 

 

 

 

Let the show begin!  This production was put on by Canada.  A team from Winnipeg put this baby together. and they would have the honours of being the best in show!

 

 

 

 

An explosive delight!

Magnificent colours!  It doesn’t happen often, however, no breeze was on hand and a cloud of smoke soon formed over the barge.  Our vision was at times obscured.

Despite this, the show was fabulous!  I am learning more and more regarding these type of photo sessions.  I had a blast!

Dynamic and dramatic!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this photographic journey.  It was a pleasure to behold!

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Happy Birthday, Canada!

I have a view of paradise at this very moment.  That, by the way, is a nickname I have for Vancouver.

I decided to take in the festivities regardless of the my ongoing back and hip issues.  I grabbed my camera and headed out to the sky train, which is our rapid transit system.

I’ve had great time thus far.  I popped into the Tap & Barrel where I enjoyed a delightful Cobb Salad and brew.

And the view is spectacular.  I’m watching the seagulls dive and seals playing in the water.  The Maple Leaf if highly visibly.

Canada is a great place to live.  Diverse in so many ways.

We’ve done a lot of things right but we have for sure taken some questionable turns.  I won’t get into a political diatribe at this moment.

Today we are celebrating her glory.  Canada, you are truly magnificent.

And I am so very appreciative that I live in this place that I affectionately refer to as paradise.

The previous evening I was wooed by the moon and at 11:15 PM I slipped out into the streets of New Westminster to accommodate her request for a photo shoot and I managed to get some good shots.

One thing I like is that I always feel safe regardless of the time of day.

I left the Tapp & Barrel to carry on with my day.  My server Sylvan was a truly gracious host and excellent server. Originally from a part of Ontario where the mother tongue is French, the cold winters convinced him to ‘go west, young man!’

He is studying communications at S.F.U.  and I can see a bright future for Sylvan.

I watched the float planes take off and perused the crowd adorned in red white.  People were draped in Molson Canadian flags declaring ‘I Am Canadian’.  Molsons is  a local beer by the way.

I wondered where I could get one.

Tiny flags on a stick were everywhere as well and I again wondered where I could get one and try as I might, I was unsuccessful at scoring one for myself.

I made my way over to the Rock 101 booth.  This is the radio station of choice that I usually listen to.  Craig Thullner was manning the booth and we chatted and I had a photo taken with him.

Then I began to wind my way back up to the transit station.

We’ve been in a heat wave over the last month and despite the breeze coming off the water it was hotter than Hades!

I made my way slowly through the maze of activities.  As I approached Burrard & Pender me back was a hurtin’!

I gazed up at the Marine Building that was at one time the tallest building in the entire British Empire. I then ventured into the pub housed there known as the Elephant & Castle to quench my thirst and take in a bit of the soccer match.  Japan would win 2-1 over England.

Melanie was my server and she too is attending classes to build a career.  She is studying Hospitality & Service and has a plan to see the world by means of ‘working vacations’.

I finished up and made my way back home.

I was pretty sore by the time I got here but hey, I’m so glad I got out there and enjoyed the day.  I managed to walk quite a bit despite the pain and I will get past this.

Happy Birthday Canada!

 

 

A Fond Farewell Lois…R.I.P.

 

As I read the news thread that Lois Liliensten had passed away the sound of my daughter’s voice singing ‘Skinamirinkydink’ washed over over me. I sang it with her…often.

My daughter loved that song. She loved Sharon, Lois & Bram.

I purchased the album for her, the vinyl version which I still have. It got a lot of play, a lot of wear.

I leaned back in my chair at work to let the emotions, the memories pass through me and oddly enough I found tears sting my eyes.

I was surprised by this.

I then considered this trio and how they had entertained children. My daughter’s eyes would shine listening to them and that smile of hers?

Well, it could light up the night sky it was that brilliant.

And if three people could bring that kind of simple pleasure and joy to the world of a child then they are superstars to me.

So it was with a quiet dignity after a having suffered from a cancer that Lois Liliensten left this earthly plain.

I do hope she didn’t suffer.

There are those in this world who do what they love and are driven by their passion. They are fortunate as well that it sustains them. They can live their life by it.

And all that I do, I love.

Always challenges will be presented. Such is life. And I will always rise to each new hurdle and stumble across. That I accept each challenge and attempt to remedy the problems with honesty and integrity convinces me that to honour all that I do is one of the most important aspects to living.

Even if it something appears mundane, ordinary…it is often in these that we think are so easily attainable that we find are the most difficult to master.

Good-bye Lois.

We loved you…we loved you in the morning and in the afternoon….we loved you in the evening underneath the moon.

Hope you are off dancing with elephants across universe. Thanks for the beautiful memories and a smile that just wouldn’t quite.

Not Your Average Bear!

I’m not too certain what made me thing about Yogi, but the smile that curled my lips when I did was immediate.

Saturday morning cartoons.

It was a ritual growing up.  Two hours of nonsense where I could get lost in an animated world.

Characters got blown up, had humongous rocks fall on them and fell from cliffs regularly.

But they never died.

If a cat has nine lives then animated characters are indeed immortal.

Silly pranks were played.  Scheming villains tried in vain to execute their various brands of treachery.

Every week their debauched visions were crushed by sly intellectual bunnies or awkward buffoonish bears.

Yogi and Boo Boo ruled ‘Yellow Stone National Park’ much to the chagrin of Ranger Smith.

This was and still is a sweet innocence for me.  There was no hard sell.

It was always a simple formula, one that I came to expect and it was offered week after week, year after year, and it worked.

A capricious bunny, an enamored skunk, a witty road runner, a southern rooster or a hero of a mouse…just to mention a few.

We were blessed with so many lovely characters.

Back in the 1990’s though, we were all grown up and adult animation became a demand and began to move to the forefront.

Some of the creations were a delight.  Pinky and the Brain, Future Cat & Friends are a few faves.

“The Simpsons” truly changed the landscape or animation.

Some very dark characters emerged during this time.  Then gaming exploded.

I got to thinking of cartoon from the Merry Melody collection called ‘One Froggy Evening’ done in genuine black and white.  It was likely produced in the 1950’s.

A man finds a frog who can sing like  Pavarotti.  Elated he thinks he’s struck gold.  He advertises this and fills a concert house.  The frog, however, will sing only for him…alone.

This has been a favorite of mine for a lifetime it seems.  There is a joy in its simplicity that is so endearing to me.

These days its hard to find a cinematic production that is just plain old fun.  Making movies is first and foremost a big business.

Last weekend as I was curled up suffering from a dreadful cold and convinced I would never smell the sweetness of a rose again.  I watched ‘Guardians of Galaxy’.   I enjoyed it.  Now perhaps it was the fever but hell, there was a quirky innocence to each of the characters.

This doesn’t happen often in movies such as this for me.

It was silly, goofy and totally predictable, but what sold me was the depth of the characters.  I liked them and wanted to get to know them better.  When this happens I’m hooked.

I read an article about a year ago that stated that movies follow just twelve various formats.  That’s it!  And as I pondered this I likened it to be true.

Why is it that some movies just blow us away?  Certain catch phrases are adopted or personality traits are adopted and emulated.

Others movies are forgotten before we leave the theatre.

Why did one leave an imprint and the other fade away?

This principle applies to the written word a well.  Those books that capture our imagination and allow it to expand.

In a nutshell, it is character development and plot execution.

How do you take something that has been told a million times or more before and tell it again…originally?

What I’ve learned may sound simple but can really be the toughest thing you’ll ever do.

Tell your story as only you see it.  That is what makes it unique  because none of sees or feels the same about anything really.  Individually we all have variations.

This perhaps, is the most endearing factor in the human equation to me.

Perfection is a myth.

Forgiveness is the key to freedom.

Love is absolute.

…and how each of sees the rise and set of each day is as infinite as the sky we gaze into each day and each night.

 

Hero Worship…A Godzilla Story

Artwork from the Godzilla website of our hero monster in the 2014 version

Close to a year ago I woke to a beautiful Saturday morning and my daughter and I decided to go for breakfast.

We dressed and decided to walk down to the New West Quay for a nibble.

We left the house only to find our neighborhood had become quite literally a disaster zone.  Debris was all over the roadways and vehicles were crushed with huge blocks of concrete on them.

And I had slept through this?  Oh my goodness!

These are images I took of the scene that existed for about a week in New Westminster, BC

Well, it seemed that Godzilla had come to town.  That big guy always makes such a mess, doesn’t he?

Yes, a year ago they were filming some of the final scenes of the movie in downtown New Westminster.

Images that I took.  They change street signs, parkade signs, the detail was quite remarkable.

Last evening my daughter and I went to see the movie.  It didn’t disappoint.  It’s what I expected from a monster movie.

And I’ve always liked the big guy.

The special effects were grand.  Mind you the monster make-out scene was kind of creepy between our two bad guy monsters.

From the Godzilla website…Muto…one of the bad guy monsters

Godzilla had to rise up from the deep to get rid of the bastards and unfortunately a few cities were flattened as a result.  Can’t be helped.  I like that we tried to shoot the monsters with guns.

These baddies feed on radiation.  The more crap they can consume the better.

And I have to wonder if the military would really be marching in trying to ‘contain’ the situation and not just telling everyone to run for the hills.  Evacuate!

I’m not supposed to think about these things, however, and I know that. What I liked is that this movie showed just how ineffectual we humans would be if in fact this really happened.

Godzilla is such a misunderstood monster too.

He comes out to in effect to save our sorry ass in a round about way and what do we do?  We shoot him, throw bombs at him and try to blow him up.

He looks at us and screams.  I would imagine his breath is a little skanky.

Art work of the big guy from the Godzilla website

But he doesn’t try to kill us.  Just swats at us like bothersome flies because that is likely what we are to him.

I picked out the scenes that were shot in Vancouver and in New Westminster quite easily.

These shots were taken by the film crew and taken from the Godzilla website.  They are setting up for the final disaster scene in downtown New Westminster

I loved the CNN news feeds that they had in the film on the TV screens.  ‘Godzilla…Savior of our City!’

And the fact that live news crews were broadcasting the fight between the radioactive pair that looked like a monster-sized hybrid of a cockroach and our boy, Godzilla was impressive.

The news anchor was perfectly coiffed as well.

Vegas got flat-lined.  I stayed at Treasure Island when I was there and as one of creepy bad guys (the female one) made her way to San Francisco to hook up with her boy toy she took a big portion of the hotel out.

Image I took to show the detail they went into.  Note the plaque of New Westminster with the San Fran Police Dept sign in the background

Considering that I now know that it is on the monster highway, don’t know that I’ll stay there again.

All in all, Godzilla was a fun monster movie.

I can recall watching some of the first Godzilla movies at the Haida Theatre on Kingsway during the Saturday matinees as a child. I loved him then and I still do.

Images I took of the scene setup

If you like monster movies, you’ll enjoy this classic Godzilla adventure.

It is a beautiful Sunday morning.  I’m going to get out there and enjoy.

Peace out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dissing Disembarkation!

 

 

Leaving Vancouver on May 9th, 2014

 

“Easy peasy lemon squeezie!”

These were the words our cruise director, Marchand, uttered reassuringly to us regarding the process of getting off the boat. It would be seamless if we came when we were supposed to and if we followed the instructions he had, in a confused and repetitive manner, tried to impress upon us.

We became a little agitated.

Still, this was on Princess channel 39 in our stateroom.  I listened to the announcement twice while preparing myself for the evening ahead, though I failed to actually watch it.

We were given a time to arrive at U.S. customs on the boat.  Do not show up early and do not arrive late.  We were instructed to bring our passport, onboard account card and a letter with a card that displayed a letter which would validated our time.

Do not bring your luggage!

We rose at 5:00 AM wanting to witness passage beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.  Our reward was a spectacular sunrise along with it.

Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge at 5:40 AM and beautiful sunrise!

The bay of San Francisco yawned sleepily awake bathed in a rich gold as the sun crested the horizon.

Alcatraz stood conspicuously out-of-place on “The Rock.”

A U.S. Customs tugboat moved toward us to assist in berthing the vessel.  Harbour seals barked an enthusiastic and loud greeting as they woke stretched out along Fisherman’s Wharf.

The breeze off the water kissed our skin as we gazed into a cloudless sky that shifted from a deep gold to vibrant blue.

Originally we’d thought to have breakfast after passing through the onboard customs procedure.  We had an hour still and a yearning for coffee so off to the Horizon Court buffet we went to satisfy our requirement of said caffeine and appease our hunger.

At 7:45 we sauntered back down to the Vista Lounge where we would begin our disembarkation.  Our time arrival time that had been dictated was 7:55.

There was a line-up so we proceeded to move to the end of the line.  We had now moved to the other end of the ship and it was looping around the on the otherside before we reached the line’s end.

Girls just gotta have fun!  My gal pals!

“Easy peasy lemon squeezie?” I don’t think so.

Half the passengers that we saw had their luggage with them and for the next hour we moved at a snail’s pace as the whole of the ship had seemingly arrived collectively for disembarkation.

The happy bunch who we’d sailed with, whom we had smiled and cajoled with over the past few days now sneered and growled.

Teeth were bared at those who tried to line jump ever so casually.  The feral side of the human equation was now on display.

“Conga line anyone?  Let’s do the limbo!”

Gazes of contempt and disdain greeted the suggestion.  One of my companions made mention that if our illustrious cruise director, Marchand were to make an appearance, she’d take him out

I laughed gleefully at the pleasure of this scenario.

WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME!

Indeed, our auspicious cruise director did not make an appearance.  Staff barked orders at the mob now.  With swift authority they whipped the crowd into submission.

I was thoroughly impressed!

We attempted a conga line when in fact we began to move but the weary lot just bustled forward like zombies that were so utterly tired of bustling forward.

As we approached the Vista Lounge a staff member tiredly explained that U.S. Customs had arrived half hour late and changed a thing of two.

This was a ‘one off.’

My friends and I were grateful we’d had our breakfast when we did.  It’s doubtful we’d have had the time otherwise.

Now cleared to get off the boat we made our way back to our stateroom to retrieve our luggage.

Disembarkation could well have become a few other disses. Dismemberment being right up there.

We had, at the beginning of our three-day adventure, been shown how to jump off the ship should the need arise.  I found this exercise informative and delightfully amusing.  After being shown how to put on the life jackets we then had to do a reenactment to ensure we were all paying attention.

I tried blowing the whistle that was attached.  It didn’t work all that well as the instructor quipped about the germs on them.  All of those that had given over to their inquisitive nature like me now spat the thing from their lips.

We were shown how to plug our nose then cross our other arm over our chest to embrace the forearm.  Don’t jump! Just step off the side of the ship.  Hmm.

I envisioned the lot of us doing this.  Saw us landing on each other.  Saw my wig take flight and being swept up and away by a wicked sea breeze.  Later it was adopted by a swordfish or some other permanent resident of the ocean.

Our last eveing of dining out and a wine tasting.  We needed to practice for the real thing!

Between embarkation and disembarkation, however, a fabulous time was had by all.  The energy and mood were festive and high.

The Motown and British Invasion shows were fun and the comedian Steve White made us giggle.

The food was fabulous.  Our host servers Ciria and Luis were gracious, informative and always accommodating.

Our gracious hosts!

The piano bar was a blast.  Dave Williams, our piano man, was fun and engaging.  Mind you we ramped it up a bit..  Safe to say the energy from our group was truly infectious on Saturday night.

It wasn’t just the microphone that smelled like a beer as Dave wailed into it along with the rest of us.  The place smelled of wine, Margueritas, Pinas Colades and Marie’s special ‘Tea.’

She patiently in an intoxicated and authoritative voice instructed the server what concoctions would be required to produce this magic.

Sandy, who had joined our ranks, had become a fan of this beverage.

Laurie seemed to have a Marguerita tha grew proportionately as the cruise progressed.

Martinis were definitely shaken and not stirred as the servers performed their rendition of an exotic latin dance whilst mixing said drink.

Hips undulated in delight as the martini shaker promised a delightful treat to the taste buds of those anticipating the result.

In our rabble roused state we challenged all of those around us to sing and have fun right along with us.  And they did.

Arlene stealing the scene and an attempt at a ‘selfie’ with a normal camera! 

Disembarkation was successful.  No walking the plank, no jumping ship, no fish fighting over my wig.

And as we danced up a street in San Francisco toward our little bus that would sweep us away to the Napa Valley for a day of indulging in some fine wines, we bid the Star Princess adieu.

All dissing aside a grand time was had by all!

 

A Brief Analogy…Sex and Chocolate

 

 

 

It is that time of year again.  Valentines Day has rolled around once more sending men into a panic as to what they should pony up and purchase for their beloved.  I am not too sure if women are equally stressed as to what to get for their counterpart.

Considering that I’ve been single for the better part of a lifetime this day is a wee bit of a mystery to me though I do recall many moons ago receiving a heart shaped box of chocolates from my beau.

Sex and chocolate.  What a combination!  Now I’ve also heard it said that many women prefer chocolate to sex.

This too, as always confounded me.  I love chocolate just as much as every other woman on this planet but never in all the years of consumption has it ever produced or initiated an orgasm for me.

I can see the use of chocolate during sex.  Messy, but delightfully fun if you are with someone.  The chocolate fondue set that you received for Christmas last year that you thought you’d never use could be very useful in this endeavour.

From experience with food during sex, I would suggest you invest in a rubber sheet to protect the mattress if you plan on using the bed.  Other areas are equally fun such as the kitchen table, the floor, the closet…you get the idea…anywhere your little heart desires.  I would say the beach but its a little cold this time of year for a romp on the surf.  If you are so blessed to live in tropical climates then have at ‘er.

Keep in mind if you are going to use chocolate that you shouldn’t smear it all over your body as the residue can be quite sticky.  Still if you were on beach you could pop in the surf and clean up quick.  Hell, even if you were at home you could take it into the shower and progress from there…so please, go ahead and smear away!

Some foods I wouldn’t advise using would be honey.  Peanut butter has kind of a pungent scent…but you could mix it with the chocolate.  Give Reese’s Pieces a run for their money, dammit!.  And remember…sex is not just intercourse.  Intercourse can be the main course, but damn…foreplay is should tickle the senses and entice every nerve in the body and let’s not forget about dessert!

If you are single, pull out your favorite toy.  I am not a fan of vibrators, but that’s just me. If they made one that sings like Barry White I may be persuaded, however, the times when I have invested in one they end up sounding like a lawn mower with a Yamaha engine under the hood.

I’m too sexy for my vibrator…too sexy!

There are some really fun little toys out there. Pick yourself up a bottle of Merlot or a Malbec.  Some strawberries to dip in that chocolate fondue set you got for Christmas that you thought you’d never use…and go ahead and plug in that Barry White CD.  I dare you!

And have fun!  May all of you get a boat load of sex and chocolate for Valentines!

Have a very Happy Valentines Day where ever you may be!

PS Gotta run!  A co-worker just brought in chocolate…strawberries covered in the stuff….petits…I am halfway there.  Cheers!

 

Dancing in the Rain

Last night my daughter and I attended the Foreigner concert here in Vancouver.  It was at our annual P.N.E. Fair.  Several years ago they started the Summer Night Concert series.  For the price of admission, which is in the $15-$20 range, you can see the show for free, along with everything else the Fair has to offer.  They also have a pass for $42.50 which allows you admission as many times as you want to the Fair.  Hell of a good deal.  A few years back I purchased the pass and went to five concerts, my friend’s birthday party and made the annual trek with my daughter to see the sights.

The talent that they are bringing in gets more impressive year after year.  My daughter and I have for several years made it a point to take in at least one of the shows together.  Two years ago it was Hall & Oates. Last year was Heart and this year, well….we decided upon Foreigner.

Foreigner has been the best concert we’ve seen to date.  They played for an hour and a half.  Twelve songs were offered up, a drum solo, keyboard solo and saxophone solo were offered up.  The line up of songs is listed below though not in the order they were sung.  We knew the words to all of them.

I Want To Know What Love Is
Waiting For A Girl Like You
Double Vision
Hot Blooded
Urgent
Feels Like The First Time
I Don’t Want To Live Without You
Say You Will
Cold As Ice
That Was Yesterday
Dirty White Boy
Head Games
Long, Long Way From Home
Jukebox Hero

They were beyond fabulous.  Mick Jones, who is one of the founders of the band came out and rocked us with his lead guitar solo.  Man, can he play!

Kelly Hansen, on lead vocals, is a powerhouse of energy.  At one point he climbed up one of the metal trusses supporting the stage structure and dangled off of it like a school boy as he gazed adoringly at the audience.  And this man’s voice is absolutely incredible!  He is 52 years old and yet seems ageless to me.

Michael Bluestein who was on keyboards recently went through his own battle with cancer.  And he was up there just diggin’ it.  He was playing that keyboard with such a passion and I think that’s the key to this band.  Their passion for what they do is infective.

We stood and danced the entire time. We sang along with the band for pretty much every song.  Closing the show with an encore, the band performed ‘Hot Blooded’.  The audience screamed along in unison; fists pumping, hands waving, bodies grooving to the beat and our adrenaline soaring as the band worked us into a fervor.

Half way through the song the skies opened up and the rain came down in a torrent. We just kept dancing and singing.  For me, it was absolutely delicious!  The song came to an end and we clapped and screamed our approval.

Foreigner’s parting words before taking their leave…”Thank you Vancouver!  We made you wet!”

 

 

If you live in Vancouver then you know to always have an umbrella with you because one just never knows.  We whipped them out as we began to depart though we were already effectively drenched, still the smiles remaining firmly intact.

And as everyone began their exodus from the P.N.E. Fair for the night I felt a wash of delight, gratitude and love just move through me.  How fortunate am I?

A week after my first chemo session and I just rocked out to Foreigner AND got caught in the rain!  How good is that?  There is something about music though that feeds the spirit and keeps it young.  At least for this gal.

Making our way back to the car I was asked.

“How are your feet feeling, Mom?”

I smiled at my daughter. “You know, they feel kind of the way my feet always feel after we come the P.N.E…tired but okay.”

As I slipped off to sleep somewhere around the midnight hour, there was an ageless and timeless quality to the night.  My spirit felt free and energized.  Rejuvenated by the music and cleansed by the rain.

And as I rose this morning I thought of all this illness has taught me.  I could very well have been consumed by it.  When first its name was revealed it did consume me for a time. And the fear that accompanies that consumption can be overwhelming.

What I have realized though is I must appreciate and go after all that I have a passion for.  I have one shot at this life.  One shot to do the things that matter to me.  One shot to become the person I envision.  One shot to try to make a positive difference in this world.

This bout with Cancer has reinforced the journey I began a few years back to become a whole and fully functioning being on every level to the best of my ability.  Like the demons from past traumas that I have been addressing and casting out, so shall it be with this Cancer.

And I will run again.  I will know optimum health and I will dance in the rain again. Of this, I am certain.

Peace out everyone.

In Training?…..My Interpretation of Sponge Bob Square Pants

 

The past few days I can say with all honesty I identify with our erstwhile friend, good ol’ Sponge Bob.  I have indeed felt we may be distant relatives as I certainly have taken on the physical appearance of what a human sponge might well look like.  And Bob here is just so happy, don’t you know?  So I thought rather than bemoan and resent my current condition, I should perhaps embrace it.

In truth, I have never watched Bob’s television show so I am not certain what kind of shenanigans he gets himself into.  I gave up cartoons a few years back you see.  I had to.  It was time.

I was raised with Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner and all the Looney Tune characters.  One of my favorites that I still recall was a singing frog in a feature called ‘One Froggy Evening.’   Still makes me chuckle.

I had Mickey and the gang as well in my youth.  I had a thing for Paddington Bear and I LOVE WINNIE THE POOH!  There, I said it!

During my daughter’s formative years Dark Wing Duck, Mr. Gadget and the Thundercats rocked her world.

I could not swallow Teddy Ruxpin.  I really tried but something about that bear creeped me out.  He had the voice, in my mind, of a serial killer.  Just think about Anthony Hopkins in ‘Silence of the Lambs‘ and Teddy Ruxpin’s voice and tell me that there isn’t a correlation of sorts.  And did I want my daughter listening to an animated bear that could potentially be a sociopath?  NO!

My daughter had a thing for Gem and Holograms and Ninja Turtles as well.  Then along came music and her interest in cartoons began to wane as did mine.  At twelve she bought her first CD which was ‘Green Day‘.  I was so proud.

At 13 years of age I took her to see REM.  All was good in our world.

And that, my friends, is my brief history on animated entertainment, kinda sorta.  Now I must confess that as an adult discovering ‘Pinky and the Brain‘ was a pleasure.  And for a time I viewed the ‘adult’ cartoons that were being produced.  Then finally I accepted adulthood, kinda sorta.  (The cartoons just weren’t very funny anymore)

It has been a few years, I admit but I have heard good things about our friend Bob.  Now think about it.  What would it mean to be a sponge?  If you are a Germ-a-phobe, you’ll keep your distances from a sponge.  They soak up a lot of bacteria.  But here we have Bob who is a cesspool of bacteria and his pants have to be tailor made as squares to fit him.  Yet, he always seems quite pleasant and happy.

It would appear, in my rather brief research (5 minutes) that Bob hangs with someone who looks like a tongue, a snail and a cat.  An interesting and eclectic lot to be sure.

So I will, for the remainder of the time that I am in this condition remain upbeat and positive in honour of our good friend Sponge Bob.  Hell, I wouldn’t mind being a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  Now that could be rather cool and could be whole other story as I am still thinking about Bob’s friend who looks like a tongue.

So I will steer myself back onto safe ground here.

The last dose of the medication was taken last night and with any luck my body will bounce back quickly and I will be up and running in no time.  So look for me and Bob as we run off into the sunset.  I think I want to be a blue sponge or perhaps green.  And could I wear a skirt perhaps?  The pants just look far too uncomfortable.  See you at the finish line!

Oil & Water

I managed to drag my butt out of bed this morning and made it to the gym.  Yesterday I went for a run which felt great.  I did all my menu planning for the week as well. My energy levels are still a little low and the sleep thing is a bit wonky still….but I’ll get there.
I have some kind of bug moving through me, however, as the voice right now sounds like I have been drinking whiskey for a week and smoked a carton of cigarettes to boot.  Neither of which I have or would do.  I had a decent workout then walked out into the rain and began walking down to the parkade.  It was bit like an ice rink as the oil had risen to the surface of the parkade entrance and yup, I decided to see once again if I could fly.

I walked away with a few scrapes but I think I’ll pull through.

Then I got to thinking about the whole oil and water thing and some things that have occurred lately.  Events as of late have given me some perspective on boundaries what I need to to.  At times I think I am totally misunderstood.  Case in point.  New Years Eve I attended a murder mystery party.  Having read the instructions, participants were encouraged to get into their role.  The character that had been selected for me was Kat Walker, a model.  She liked to wear minimal clothing and rub up against men.  Now most ‘cats’ do like to rub up against people.  So I thought ‘Okay, I can have fun with this.’

It wasn’t a big party.  Just 10 people in total.  I got into character and stayed in character as I assumed was expected.  And I just had fun with it.  A bit of drama occurred that I didn’t see coming but I dealt with it and just carried on.  I danced and just let loose.  Later I came to understand that one of the women thought I was coming onto her husband as we did dance quite a bit.  In truth, I was hamming it up and played my character about a stereotypical as I could imagine a model would be.

I told everyone at the party that I only slept with rock stars.  I did my little come hither thing that I think perhaps a model would do.  I have watched America’s Next Top Model a time or two…research you know.  So I really tried to carry a level of superficiality with a mix of arrogance?  I thought I was a bit campy in my actions actually.

No, I had no interest in her husband.  It kind of hurts though when someone thinks ill of you in that regard.  I mean, you invite me to a party, give me a character to play (which I apparently did quite well), then think I am like that?

What I realized though is that not very many of the people at this party really know me.  I met the majority of them only one time before at a Halloween party where I was dressed up as a man, a totally different character was introduced to them that night.  So they don’t really know me.  I think I felt a false sense of comfort at this thing.  The girlfriend I went with, well we are really close.  We’ve been tight for the last 20 years now.   She knows me really well.

The woman hosting the party we both went to school with.  I have socialized only a hand full of times with her so I think perhaps I felt she knew me better than what she actually does.  So a lesson was learned that perhaps I should be a bit more conservative.  I know I can be over the top at times.  I know I have a wacked out sense of humour that not everyone picks up on.

In the last few years I have worked so hard on self and really trying to strike a balance, so yes, I picked up a few pointers about boundaries that evening.  The fine line between oil and water and you have to be careful that you don’t slip and fall.  If you do though, just gotta get back up, dust yourself off and move forward.

Did I do anything wrong that evening?  No.  I just had silly fun as I thought that was the point.  Not everyone shared in this mindset though.   I find it astonishing that anyone would see me as a potential threat.  I almost want to laugh at that. The idea of hurting someone is abhorrent to me.   Somewhere in that performance of mine I was misread and judged.  I guess that’s the thing that hurts a bit but I will chalk it up to experience and move on.

Enjoy your day everyone.