Friday, December 18, 2009

Visits!

Visits from friends both near ones and faraway are so fantastic! Yesterday I had a brief-ish visit with Emberella Cat & Sometimes Why, and I had a happy day of Winnett and Floordweller today! It makes me feel so happy and rejuvenated and like I can tackle things, like life and large cakes, when I get to spend time with such special friends. And there are even MORE visits to come!!!!

Monday visits are making me feel happy, and they haven't even happend yet! T-2 days till Filly gets in!!!!!!

An Army of Kindness

As I crammed for exams (a unwise approach, and best avoided) I found an army of unexpected kindness. In tears when I discovered I was utterly lost in statistics and that the help lab was so full I couldn't get through the door, I called my Daddy who although he remembered little of his own statistics course, was willing to sit down and try to learn statistics with me all morning.
When I went to a later emptier help lab, two fellow students patiently explained and figured things with me whenever I asked.
On the way home I ran into Kryptonite and asked to sit beside his gigantic mathematical brain while I studied that night, so I could ask him questions. He agreed, even though he wasn't sure he remembered statistics either. When I left his place around midnight, he immediately started getting ready for bed, and I realized he had stayed up late so I would have a place to study.
Both Code Yeller and Rafiki called me at ridiculously early hours of the morning to make sure I would wake up for my exams because I keep sleeping through my alarm clock lately. Rafiki didn't even have to get up early that morning.
One night as I studied in bed (as usual) Mummy made a salad and brought it up stairs so we could eat it on my bed together.
It made me feel like for any obstacle I encounter I have an army of people willing to fight beside me. None of them had to help me, and none of them hesitated to do so. It made me feel so blessed.
It made me feel SO blessed.

It made me feel like this:

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Canadian Greats

The other day I saw Kurt Browing do the most romantic strip tease ever. Unfortunately I could only find a short clip of it, but each shirt he takes off has "I'M YOURS" written on it, until he's skating in his t-shirt which has "I'M YOURS" written on the back.
It reminded me of when I was little and we would go visit my grandparents and my sisters and I would watch figure skating for hours and hours. Kurt Browning and Llyod Isler & Isabelle Brasseur were always my favorites because they always looked like they were having fun on the ice, while at the same time being technically and artistically amazing. Their costumes were also WAY better than everyone else's.

So here's Kurt Browning doing some awesome improv:
and my favorite Llyod and Isabelle routine ever:

A veery very long picnic

Yesterday I went to Mayflower's house - I was delivering her 90's, saved by the bell-style cell phone (aka her home portable phone that she had accidently left in my car). I came in and her and Flair and Mynine were having a "picnic" on a mat on the floor. Right away, to avoid failed expectations and tears, I let Flair know that I wasn't able to stay long. She said, "but can you come to the next picnic? It's starting now". I replied, "Yes of course, I can come for a little while". She said, "But you have to stay for the whole picnic. And this is a very very long picnic". She's only 2 1/2! So cute.

That smart little tyke warms my heart.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

private screening

Leaning against the wall at the back of a theater I was listening in on conversations, when one woman came up to another and said, "What did you do with my husband?"
The reply? "Well, I ate him."

I like that I have friends who can wash away my stress like water over a dusty soul. Keeps me fresh, keeps me centered. Thank you!

Friday, December 11, 2009

Brimming! Bubbling!


Filly can't contain herself tonight.

Word is, she had her french exam today, and she felt pretty good about it.

Word is, بلدي رجل was hired for the first time as an adjunct faculty member to teach the tail-end of a 3rd year course at Princeton, and his students simply loved him! Three hours of seminar, and they still wanted more! They stayed after class, loving the material he set out for them, loving the discussion...Filly is brimming with pride.

Time to celebrate!

بلدي رجل has decided to take Filly away for a weekend at Spring Lake, a little town on the Jersey Shore. The shore will be chilly, but at one of the little, historic inns on the shore, (see picture above) there might be cozy things like jacuzzis or fireplaces, and a bright, dazzling ocean to look at.

Filly is bubbling with excitement. How can there be so much, so many good things? How did she stumble upon this magnificent بلدي رجل, who manages to continually win more and more admiration from her, while peppering her life with delight, adventure and affection? There is something very novel and precious about a partner in adventure who at the same time, makes one feel protected, cherished and loved.

Filly sincerely apologizes for the sentimental mess she has spilled onto the blog tonight.

Sweet dreams my dears.




Wordsplay - Addicted even though I'm bad

Oh Boggle, I mean "wordsplay" - which makes me think of words getting flung all over the room by some sort of word handmixer.

www.wordsplay.net

Pets are friends

My lovely Rilesburg and RiceCooker are furry and snuggly and alternating between licking my feet and headbutting my chin or shoulder.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

tinsel and lights

Last night as we lay on the couch replete from a meal of indian food, Rafiki mused that he was thinking about putting up his christmas tree this year, which he hasn't done in about 10 years.
"Would you like to do that tonight?" I asked, nuzzling the nape of his neck with my nose.
"That would be a good idea," he contemplated, "because I won't do it if you aren't here to help me decorate."
So we hauled it up for the basement. His brother looked deeply surprised and puzzled when we started pulling it out of the closet, and laughed in that "you're strange but in a kind of cute way" that I know so well. I've never put together a fake tree before. I kept saying things like, "okay, how do you put the tinsel on?" and "when do you stop putting tinsel on?"
We finished at midnight, and we well pleased with the effect of it glowing and tinseling in the corner of the living room.

Scruffy and HAPPY!

MR. SCRUFF IS PLAYING AT WRONGBAR IN TORONTO JANUARY 15TH!
My favorite nights out dancing have been when Mr. Scruff is playing. Everyone was happy, the music was amazing, everyone danced, there were little Mr. Scruff drawings floating about on a screen above where he playing, and no one - absolutely NO ONE - wanted to leave at the end of the night. I've also had awesome company on those nights; not only were most of the strangers awesome, but I've run into friends on the dance floor, and one night Flavaflav came with me. Doing pseudo-ballet dances in tandem to happy music while sitting down is SO much fun.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

The First Snow Fall

It snowed!

It snowed!

It snowed!

It snowed!

I wore all white for the occasion, and bounced a lot.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

An email from a friend :)

"I'm lying on couch watching a low quality feed of the first Transformers movie and I don't want to be. The tv is a full 10 feet away. I would switch the channel but the other day when I was messing around in my parents attic, I accidentally turned on his shrinking machine and now I'm an inch tall and can't reach the TV. I have to jump really hard on the keyboard to type. This message has already taken me half an hour to write :(

All is well I hope? Exams keeping you busy? My end of school rush is quickly approaching and I've been putting everything off so... cram cram cram.

Hopefully I'll be able to shoot myself back up to normal size again before then though.

Coffee or whatever this coming week? Let me kn... AHHHHHH... MOUSE... GIANT>>>>AHHh..."

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Adventing

My advent calendar was delivered last night by it's unbelievable creator Ms. Emberella Cat.

Each day is a cookie or chocolate creation that gets placed onto a giant cookie shaped to look like a landscape so that in the end I will have a beautiful and delicious diorama.

And Ms. Cat is so thoughtful that she even made the cookies out of spelt so they are friendly to my system.

I may have cried a little bit after she left because I'm so thankful for the friends that I have.

Honestly, you 3 lovely ladies, are the bright spots in an often dull existence. Luff you all tremendously!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Basking in kindness.




December 1st, 11:15am, I take an illicit break from my essay-wrangling to make up a cup of hot chocolate and rip open my package from Toronto. Twenty-four delicate little parcels spill out, each one decorated with stickers and a gold number. I open the one marked for today, and find something that looks like a Christmas tree ornament with a quote from my cherished anti-Christ on it! Such sweetly motivated irony! I hang it up in my kitchen window. I feel so special to get this little package, and so absolutely spoiled with love from all of you.

This, coupled with a warm Thanksgiving weekend at بلدي رجل 's family home, and I realize that somehow I've managed to find myself the most exceptionally thoughtful, creative and loving people the world has to offer:)